I would like to split a sit and have one sitter leave the same day the 2nd sitter starts. How do I do this on the dashboard (calendar will not allow me to chose the same end day for the 1st sit as the start date for the 2nd sit)
Personally I would recommend you don’t split the sit. Many sitters, me included, would not want to take over from another sitter or have another sitter take over from me.
Have a read of this post:
However, I’m guessing you’ve found sitters to share your sit with. If you haven’t found sitters then you’d need to make that very clear in both sets of dates. Sorry, re your actual question I’m sure one of the moderators will state what you have to do but guess you’d have to end the first set of dates one day and enter the start of the 2nd set the day after the first ends.
if a problem arises on the 2nd part of the sit, what happens if there is a big issue and the 2nd sitter says it was the first sitters fault and the first sitters says it is the 2nd sitter’s fault?
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Hello @SchubertCrew - I think you probably need to post it as two new sets of dates and each respective sitter can then be sent an invite for their half. As others have said though, I would proceed with caution. Split sits are risky for you, the animals and the two sets of sitters. Think about it carefully before proceeding. We wouldn’t take a split sit and have been doing this full time for two years.
Not to discount what anyone else has said but I’ve done a few split sits and there was no issue. In fact, it was nice to have a meet with another sitter and talk shop.
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I was offered an unsolicited six-week sit when I was new to THS. The HO ended up splitting it at my request, with me bookending another sitter. That was so I could go home for a while before coming back for my second sit.
In retrospect, I wouldn’t accept a split sit again. That’s because there’s risk in being faulted for what the other sitter does or doesn’t do, especially if the pets end up being shortchanged and suffering consequences. Like when I returned, there were signs that the other sitter had left early and cut corners on care and the dogs were off their feed. Of course, the latter might’ve been a coincidence and unrelated, but it gave me pause. Luckily, the dogs returned to normal after a couple of days.
There also was something broken while I was away, either by the regular cleaners or the other sitter. Luckily, the HOs said it was no big deal. But I can imagine how things could’ve gone awry, with me being dragged into what another sitter might’ve done.
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Hi @SchubertCrew
Sorry but I think that’s a terrible idea and could create all sorts of issues.
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We have done split sits 3 times. The first 2 went great- one time we were the first sitters the other time we were second. Both handovers went well and we all got great reviews.
The third sit did not go well. We took over from someone who left the place horrible for us- no cleaning during his 2 weeks, no preps for handover, stinking cat litter etc Complained to the hosts (who’d met him at the beginning) We ket everything perfect for them. However they must have thought we were exaggerating as they ended up giving him a better review than us! And we had to beg for it for 2 weeks whereas he got his instantly.
It was his 1st sit and our 60th…
Very unfair experience- will never do a split sit again! Its too risky. Fortunately nothing got broken or damaged and the pets remained healthy but anything could happen and if the sit is split neither sitter has the full overview. Not recommended unless its an emergancy.
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I did phase 2 of a split sit. 1st sitter met me at the airport to exchange the car and flat keys, and it was nice to meet her. However, I asked if she’d had time to wash bedding etc. She said yes, but it wasn’t true, and the bathroom wasn’t very clean. She was a repeat sitter and they thought she was the bee’s knees. I didn’t say anything/complain. Her glowing review popped up immediately. Mine took some time, though it was good. I feel like there should be a neutral third-party, like a cleaner, do the clean in between and condition check.
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This is the only way I’d accept a split.
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My question is why do you want to split the sit? Why not keep things simple with one sitter?
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Why would a HO split a sit? In the case of my sit, they had to extend their trip and the 1st sitter couldn’t stay beyond the original dates.
For others, it’s a long sit and they cannot find one sitter to do the whole thing.
I think most hosts would prefer not to split a sit, unless perhaps they already know both sitters. In our case it was like this…
Sit no.1 The host had to extend 12 days & the 1st sitter was booked elsewhere and could not extend.
Sit no.2 the host had to leave one week earlier & booked sitter was not available to start earlier.
Sit no.3 was a last minute 4 week listing. The location suited us but we were only available for the second 2 weeks so we suggested the split- as there was only a couple of weeks to go. The hosts were very open to this idea and booked us for the 2nd 2 weeks. But it backfired on us because the 1st sitter they chose was not at all professional.
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If something goes wrong, the animals are not cared for properly or something precious is broken who do you blame? Sitter one or sitter two? Sitter two does not know what they are coming into and the review may reflect how sitter one left the house which is not how you left it. I, for one would run a mile from this scenario.
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I split a sit, once. It was for two weeks, and I really didn’t want to be gone that long. The other sitter was a repeat for the HO, which made me pretty comfortable.
Re: why would the HO want to split a sit…in this case the location was a suburb of a small town in the middle of a rural area. 
I think she probably didn’t have many applications.