I’m tired as heck of sitters who apply and then cancel. If you’re going to apply make sure you’re committed. Don’t apply and then find something more suited and cancel on me!
May I ask if you are referring to sitters who apply and withdraw or sitters who are confirmed and then cancel?
When we apply and have not yet been chosen most of us are looking at multiple sits at one time. It may be that a sit is confirmed with someone else before you’ve made a decision. We aren’t committed until you’ve chosen us and we’ve agreed.
Welcome to the forum!
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Ditto. We do the same but NEVER cancel if we have a confirmed sit.
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It sounds like you are referring to withdrawing applications, not canceling. An application is not a commitment. It’s the start of a conversation about the sit. Sitters can certainly apply for multiple sits. We aren’t going to get every sit we apply for.
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Hi @Jeannine17 it kind of sounds like you’re new to the process. An application is just an expression of interest it’s not a commitment to sit.
Usually after we apply there’s a lot of back and forth to check details. We also have a number of applications in at once and it pretty much comes down to who is the quickest to get back to us.
The sit is not locked in until you both agree to the sit and it is confirmed.
Unfortunately many HO’s take forever to reply, if at all, so, in my opinion, it’s logical that HS’s would send out many applications.
There are sitters who expect a reply within 24 hours, if not, bye bye!
It’s like fishing: you cast your net nice and wide, and see what fish you catch. The net are the applications, the fish are the replies from the HO’s. Then the real work starts—continuing the conversation to see if your respective desires and wishes are a match.
Welcome @Jeannine17 we are sitters and to date we have never cancelled a confirmed sit.
When a sitter applies to you listing - it’s an expression of interest , they may need some more information from you before making a decision about whether it is suitable.
Currently sitters have no other way to ask you for more information about the sit other than to apply.
For example, they may need to know about the location (as the THS location information is not very accurate )
Information about the pets routine ( how long they can be left alone for, where they sleep ) or information about arrangements for paying for emergency vet treatment etc .
We usually have a phone or video call with the owner before deciding if it’s a good match for both parties .
Also we don’t expect that we will be accepted for every application so we will apply for more than one at a time.
We recently decided that a sit was not a good match for us after a video call with the owners and so we withdrew our application. The owners were lovely but there were additional responsibilities not included in the listing that meant it wasn’t a good match for us.
Another factor that has resulted in us withdrawing our application was an owner that took several weeks to reply . In the meantime we were offered another sit which we accepted .
Both confirmed and not. I’m more angry with the ones who confirmed.
Depending on how robust your listing is, you may have applicants who need more information before they can even begin to commit in earnest. And as a gentle reminder, an application is just the beginning of a fairly long process. Many of us, especially the full-timers, are applying for multiple sits and juggling all that entails – opening inquiries, scheduling the initial video call, emailing about logistics, planning the travel to and from your sit, and now making sure they don’t have any overlaps or lengthy gaps that would block them from applying for future sits.
If you need people to be 100% ready to commit to your sit without taking all of this into account, then by all means put that information in your listing. However, a bit of generosity and flexibility on both sides is usually appreciated, as house sitting isn’t an exact science.
@Jeannine17 neither sitters or homeowners should be cancelling confirmed sits unless there are exceptional circumstances.
You can report such cancellations to THS by e-mail
support@trustedhousesitters.com.
@Jeannine17, for the ones who confirmed and then cancelled, did they give reasons?
Hi @Jeannine17
If confirmed sitters are withdrawing without good reason then please report them to support@trustedhousesitters.com.
Withdrawing applications is part of the process for many sitters that want sits in certain time frames or areas. Some HO’s take a long time or never come back to sitters. Some sits after an initial chat with the HO as @Silversitters says aren’t a good fit. So I may have 4 or 5 applications in play. I normally take the first sit offered to me that is a good fir for both parties and withdraw any outstanding applications explaining that I have now accepted a sit for the same time period but appreciate them considering my application.
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Was there anything in your video chat and/or welcome guide that might’ve unpleasantly surprised sitters? I ask, because while there are sitters who are flakey, there also can be unpleasant surprises, which — if sitters had known such info upfront — they might not have pursued or accepted the sit.
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Withdrawn applications are not cancelled applications
We often apply then withdraw our application, almost always because another home host accepted our application to them quicker.
First come, First served
For the confirmed sitters who canceled, what was their reason? How far in advance?
There is nothing wrong with a sitter withdrawing their application. I’m getting ready to do just that. The HO has not responded and I have another opportunity I want to take.
You are right and I’m new to this.
Yes you’re right about the unconfirmed ones. I guess it’s just getting to me.
The first confirmed was going to be visiting her dad, but he’s not going to make it that long so understandably she cancelled. The second confirmed wanted our house longer than I could give them but accepted the sit as they said they’d find a way. The next week they cancelled on me as they found linger accommodation.
No not at all. I’m now understanding about the ones withdrawing who haven’t yet been confirmed, that makes sense, it was the heat of the moment for me.
Yes, basically it’s safest to assume that everyone is shopping around till confirmation of a sit by both sides. And once that happens, it’s not OK if anyone is still shopping around.
Generally, the sitters who are in greatest demand — ones with strong reviews and solid experience — will go the fastest. That’s because various hosts will lean toward their applications, and they’ll get unsolicited invites from other hosts, including ones who want them to do repeat sits.
It varies how long each host takes to reply, chat with potential sitters and make a decision. The faster hosts will tend to lock in great sitters quickly. Those sitters have the most choice.
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Yes I’m new and jumped the gun. Thanks for explaining.