Hello all! I’m excited to be back after about a year of pausing. I’m curious about whether it makes more sense for me to show myself as a solo sitter and then share in the profile that I sometimes sit with my partner and sometimes with a good friend. Or does it make more sense to put my friend down as the Coast sitter because the next trip that I’m taking we want to do together? And then after that trip, I may want to go solo or go with my partner so then I could change it? Any advice on the simplest and clearest way to do this?
You may already be aware, but in case not, adding a co-sitter comes with an additional yearly fee on top of regular membership so it’s not really a feature you would change back and forth frequently, such as your location for example. The biggest benefit of this feature to me anyway is the ability to schedule overlapping sits by up to 48 hours. That you are not regularly sitting with another person means this probably does not have as much value to you.
The co-sitter is background checked so that is another benefit, so if that was important to you, it would make sense to add your partner as an official co-sitter rather than your friend as I imagine that is the person you may travel more with? Or the opposite if that is the case.
If your travel status changes with each sit–regardless if you add a co-sitter or not-- besides putting it in the profile, it is a good idea to mention this directly in your application message so it is very clear from the outset to the host who may be staying in the home.
If they are interested in connecting, and they happened to not read your profile, or missed that part, it could end up in wasted time for both of you if they would not be okay with this and it doesn’t come out until some later point in your communications.
@Maureen-Prescott, we think you actually have three available options
- Member - Solo - one person completes housesit
- Member - Couple - No extra fee. two persons on profile. application can state persons completing specific housesit. No overlapping sits.
- Member - Duo - Extra fee applies. As per Couple but able to overlap sits by up to two days. So for example, person A completes housesit 1 Jan - 7 Jan and person B starts next sit on 5 Jan
Thanks @gotyourback and @kc102! I’m going to add the duo feature – here’s another question. My cositter is already a ths member host/sitter combo and has had the background check. Is there a different way to go about adding her with this additional element?
@Maureen-Prescott, that’s a question best directed to THS staff. Suggest send email to support@trustedhousesitters.com with member ID numbers (profile page) and ask what actions are possible.