We listed our house 4 months before our Jan-Feb. trip. The house and neighborhood are great, the pets are easy - but we live in a cold dark latitude. Four sitters applied: one withdrew, one ghosted, one applied because she wanted us to know she’d be interested in summer dates, and one wanted to bring her own dog. I got concerned and found two good matches through a local professional group. So THS was a bust for us. As premium and brand new members, is there any refund or compensation besides a lesson learned?
Suggest you contact support@trustedhousitters.co.uk to answers to specific questions about refunds. This is just a discussion forum for THS members
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@eljay, sorry to hear of your unfruitful experience. Multiple potential reasons but there appears to be drop on international housesitters that are willing to consider housesits in the US due to legal risks. We make no comment here but there is a huge related thread that includes border enforcement of US legislation that defines housesitting as employment with in-kind compensation, so not viable on a tourist visa.
As @BJane rightly noted, contact THS Member Services and see what they say. THS Money Back Guarantee weblink below.
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My guess is you won’t find member services much help because you are passed the 2 week point and you did get applications. The thing is your membership might still prove useful in the future and will pay for itself if you find someone next time.
It’s also possible as your sit is still a few weeks away that you might find someone still although I understand why you would want to make arrangements and have things settled.
If you can’t get a refund, make sure at least that auto-renew is off!
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That’s a shame, but on the presumption you can’t get a refund, then you may decide to use THS again next time around, but if you do, ask for feedback on your listing so you attract a larger pool of sitters next time.
I only say that because I noticed most of your images are either very dark, and some have even been taken in the dark, whereas it’s so easy to take a great image nowadays. Paid sitters won’t care about seeing clear images, but someone sitting for free probably will.
You’re all sorted for now anyway, so I hope it works our great for you.
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I’m sorry it didn’t work out this time. St Paul area is wonderful!
There is good advice here about taking daytime photos that show your home in its best light (literally).
There isn’t anything we US-based HOs can do about the travel situation, unfortunately. And some sitters won’t consider a sit with a pit bull (I used to have a pit mix and love them. Your dog is adorable). But I also think the timing of this trip might have made it difficult - right after the holidays.
The good news is that there are a wide variety of sitters, and if you can’t get a refund and are willing to give it a try again, I hope you find someone great.
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Thanks for all the helpful suggestions. I did get a partial refund. I’ll be back to THS another year. Maybe as a sitter.
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Thanks for the update @eljay enjoy your vacation.
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