Well, I’m not going to argue back and forth about whether it objectively is or isn’t a silly/ridiculous worry. But let’s try to meet people where they are: this person’s husband is pushing back on them trying this because he has that worry. Telling her it’s silly or ridiculous isn’t all that helpful. What’s she going to do, tell him, “The strangers on this forum say you’re being silly”? 
Instead we can offer practical advice on how to help him feel less worried.
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I have heard of situations like this, albeit very rarely, and think they are mainly in cases where tenancy over a certain time period gives people the right to remain. Not “I watched your house for a long weekend and now I live here.”
If your husband is very concerned about this possibility, I cannot imagine most sitters will give him anything to actually act on. That being said, I also think that most sitters would not take kindly to the insinuation that they were potential squatters, against whom you might have to take legal action. You will probably find that we take the “trust” piece of THS very seriously, but we also believe it cuts both ways. If a homeowner were to express these fears to me, make me sign a contract, get a background check, whatever, I would run like the wind.
I believe you would be better served by hiring outside pet care and paying someone, preferably a person who is insured or works for a company with stricter T&C.
Good luck!
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Hi, most of us understand your concerns with this all being new to you both but this is the most wonderful community built on trust & the love for pets. Take your time choosing your pet sitter & go with your gut. Maybe consider someone fairly local so you can do a meet up prior of this would ease your concerns. I’m a pet sitter (with my family) but our priority is to provide peace of mind to the HO but caring for the pets & home so they can enjoy their break/trip & we get a furry fix while on a little adventure too.
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I’m a sitter and I never lose sight of what a privilege it is to be entrusted with literally everything people have worked so hard for and all that they treasure and hold dear.
At some point in the future, I’d like to have my own dog and the thought of people I don’t know in my own home is quite daunting and unsettling so I can definitely understand why people say this.
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I think that’s a little harsh @pitcherplant. The sharing economy is a new idea still for a lot of folks, and they don’t know how to navigate it safely. That doesn’t mean they can’t get there.
I’m not signing any contract, but I do have a background check, verified ID, and external references. I thought most of us did at this point?
Thank you everyone for all your valuable experience and suggestions. I appreciate it. Ours is a long sit, 4 months, and the first so we just want to ensure we cover all bases. I will follow up with how it all went. Everyone take care and stay healthy. 
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Through THS, sure. There’s been a few previous threads about people scanning and sharing their licenses or what have you. Some people are fine with it, which is totally up to them. I send my email address, my public profiles, and my full name to homeowners.
I was uncomfortable with giving the THS third party this information. No way would I want strangers having copies of my license or passport floating around.
I have also cancelled applications when I feel unduly interrogated about my finances, my lifestyle, my motivations, whatever. Just because people may be new to the sharing economy doesn’t mean I can’t exercise that right; especially when our values clearly don’t sync up.
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No one said you couldn’t exercise your own rights to refuse a sit. of course you can. But what you said was a general statement that these folks should probably go somewhere else. And I don’t necessarily agree. We can figure out a way to welcome people in, IMO. It’s actually good for sitters to help HOs feel comfortable.
I said I thought they would be better served by somewhere which has different T&Cs, yes. If the husband is that concerned about a potential squatter, then they may not be the best fit for a platform built on mutual trust. Apologies if my tone seemed too dismissive.
I don’t want to label fears out of hand as “silly,” but I also have encountered my own fair share of HOs who don’t seem to buy into the trust part at all. I can try and convince them of my own trustworthiness and merit, I suppose, but I know the suspicious attitude puts me right off. But hey, as the forum has shown, we all have different limits as to what we consider acceptable treatment.
We’ll have to agree to disagree on this one!
I don’t think this kind of sitting / hosting is for everyone. Some people are naturally more anxious than others. And with fears or other emotions, logic or reason often doesn’t work.
My mom doesn’t know I sit, for instance. If I told her I was going to a stranger’s house to stay, she’d surely imagine that I’d end up murdered. She’d want to have their criminal background checks and such, LOL, and would still be freaked out.
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You might consider offering some short sits first, to try out sitters who might stay longer. Maybe that would help your husband feel more comfortable with them. Don’t know whether that’s feasible in your circumstances.
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This is unlikely to ever happen as the sitter would have no future with THS once they were reported and of course a terrible review. As we all know sitter reviews/owner feedback is the currency we all operate on.
Well said Val.