I was on the cusp of applying for a sit until I read that the HO stated that her mother sometimes is left home when she travels. The mother is unable to walk the dog. Sometimes the mother travels with the HO. Sometimes the mother will be at the home while the sitter is there. While there were several references made to the word “sometimes”, it is the latter statement that leaves me wondering how is it that this listing was approved by THS.
Not only that, but the HO also mentions that the sitter would need to keep an eye on the mother—if she needed any help.
So not only would the sitter be responsible for caring for the dog and home, the sitter would be responsible for caring for the mother. This suggests that the mother doesn’t just “sometimes” live in the home, she lives there on a permanent basis.
This is a new HO, so she may not know about the 3rd party policy:
A pet parent must ensure that their property is vacant and that no other person will be living in the home apart from the sitters. This includes (and is not limited to) no family members, tenants or employees.
But THS, who approved this listing, don’t they know about the 3rd party policy?
For anyone who is wondering, yes, I reported the listing to THS.
How do such listings get approved by THS?
Maybe it is a case of sometimes THS read new listings in their entirety before approval and maybe sometimes they don’t.
I’m pretty certain that no one at THS is reading the ads. Obviously a third party being in the home breaks the rules. Can you imagine accepting this sit and ending up having to care for the owner’s mother?! Clearly this owner hasn’t read the terms and conditions
All sorts of safeguarding issues here- THS could be held jointly liable if they know about this third party ( possibly a vulnerable person ) , allow the sit to be advertised on their website and then something happens ( or accusations are made that something happened ) to either the third party or the sitter during the sit .
Good point. If THS would be held partly liable, then more reason for them to thoroughly read 3rd party listings to prevent them from falling through the cracks.
What if the mother fell ill during the sit?
And heaven forbid, what if the mother passes away during the sit?
I received a response from someone in Membership Services stating: “I will reach out to this particular member right away. It’s very helpful that you have sent this across for us”.
I no longer see the listing. Either the HO took the listing down or the HO was able to secure a sitter.
That was my original thinking before I tried to click on the HO’s listing which revealed that the listing is no longer available. And as stated, I no longer see the listing in the location for which I was searching.
So either MS removed the listing or the HO removed the listing.
We recently reported a listing with Airbnb guests in the same villa. THS removed it and have now put it back up and the HO has added “sitters will have no Airbnb guest responsibility” BUT the guests will still come and share your house. How is that possibly okay @Lily_V? The same HO insists that the dogs are chained up for 12 hours straight when the Airbnb guests are there as many are from the UAE & China and don’t like dogs. Again, how is that THS friendly?? #headsneedexamining
Yeah, I have no idea what the HO UI looks like but before they can hit publish they should have a checklist of the biggest issues. ex:
Before you publish your sit, please make sure all of the following are true:
There will be no 3rd parties (aside from cleaners, lawn care, etc.) on the property during the entirety of your sit and if you do have regular workers coming in, you’ve detailed that in your listing. This includes friends, family, renters, Airbnb guests, random maintenance workers, etc.
You are available in the next few days to respond to sitters and conduct video call interviews to find a match. Not being available immediately could mean that the sitter of your choice withdraws their application.
Your dates are confirmed and, if you want the sitter to arrive/leave at a specific time, that time is included in your sit dates and mentioned in your listing.
You have included clear and inviting photos of all of the areas the sitters will be using including, at a minimum: Kitchen, Bedroom, Bathroom, Living Area, and any other areas the sitters will have access to.
If any of the above are not true, please reconsider publishing your listing at this time.
A few weeks ago, I saw a listing (in the UK) for a month-long sit for 3 dogs. The pics depicted dogs in 2 rough and ready outside runs with earth floors and the listing stated they must not leave the runs during the duration of the sit (no walks, for a month?). I referred it to MS, asking if THS supported this sort of situation and they said they’d look into it. The listing wasn’t taken down.
I don’t know if this particular listing was filled but we’d never agree to such a sit.
why bother having dogs?