I am.new to THS since November, 2024. I have completed two sits, on day 13 of a 30 day sit, and my last sit is booked for March. I’m canceling my membership after I’ve respectfully left a review for the HO. THS is not for me.
Hello @anon75707697 I’m puzzled - are you okay? I think you’ve posted at 2am if you are in EST (im in the UK and it is 10:00am so I figure you posted 3 hours ago, admittedly I’m hopeless on time zones etc).
I’m new too, joined Nov '24 like you, completed 2 sits, just like you, have great reviews, just like you. You seem to have enjoyed your first two sits, like me.
You are now on a 30 day sit - halfway through. Perhaps you are missing Wes too much - perhaps this is too long away from familiar surroundings? I’m intregued when you say ‘THS is not for me.’ Do you need support from the Forum community?
Do you feel like telling us why you feel THS is not for you? Of course it’s okay that it’s not right for you, it’s not right for everyone. Us new sitters are all on a learning curve, I’d love to learn from you.
@Jenny perhaps we can help @anon75707697 better in a new topic as this doesn’t seem to apply to this topic title and may get way off subject, and perhaps doesn’t relate to @Poppi 's input which was very informative.
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Hi @JayCee12
Good call - I’ve started a new topic for @anon75707697 and I’m hoping they’ll pop back with a bit more information so that we can all try and give some advice and support 
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Hi @anon75707697 Whats the name of the wee white dog in the gingerbread pyjamas? Cutest little fella if there ever was.
Sorry to hear you’re not finding housesitting to be for you. Can you expand upon why? What country are you sitting in? 
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My first two sits were not optimal. But you need to get reviews before you get more attractive sits. Now I stay in beautiful homes. Right now I am in Florida, with a pool, working on my tan. Two easy small dogs. I think you have to get over the hump. Get the reviews and better sits will come.
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I was able to locate your recent correspondence with us regarding your current situation, and just wanted to let you know that I’ve asked if a member of the team can reach out to you.
Please do pop back to the Forum if you can, as we’d all like to be a shoulder, and see if we can give you any support or advice.
Jenny
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@anon75707697
I assume that your plan was full time sitting ( as you have undertaken a 30 day sit ) .
Back to back sitting isn’t for everyone.
Most “ full- time” sitters take breaks - throughout the year .
We do sit “full-time” but we take a break either by choosing a THS sit as an actual holiday ( not trying to combine sitting with work ) or go to see friends / family for a few days / week or pay to stay in a hotel somewhere nice .
We are very selective to pick sits with responsibilities that give us enough free time to take care of the sit responsibilities but also to balance that with sufficient time to do our work , our hobbies and interests and still have time to meet friends and family .
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Where shall I respond so as to not go off topic with this original post from a new HO on THS seeking advice?
I set up a new topic for you, so you can reply here.
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There is a delay with posts and comments that need THS approval. I don’t have time to tell my story, wait for approval, etc. I’m counting the days until I close my account. March 27th can’t come soon enough.
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Hi again @anon75707697
I’m on shift at the moment so I can approve any replies from you pretty fast.
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I feel for you. You are obviously in an awful situation at the moment.
I’m sure the sitters on here will offer support. I understand you’ve reached out to THS Support about what you are experiencing and hopefully they will help. If you tag Jenny (just write @Jenny in the text) she will approve your post.
You have wonderful reviews! Both HOs left glowing reviews for you, and you left very positive ones for your HOs. I’m really hoping that whatever is occurring now can be resolved, and that your March sit will be a success.
One thing you might do, is to start your review. Spend time putting it down on paper as a draft, and keep a record. Be factual and non-emotive. By the time you write the review you will remember how you were impacted at the time it was occurring. Because, it will pass.
You don’t have to do anything after March 27th. Just don’t open the site, delete the app if it’s on your phone. Just heal. If you do nothing, your membership will expire in November anyway. Look after your own mental health.
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I am so confused. Why did you post on the forum? It seems you just left a statement that TH is not for you. You did not ask a question or
want feedback or support in what I’m guessing ( as you gave no information) with an uncomfortable sit you are on. Others here are trying to be mind readers as why you posted and although they are trying to help it’s only a guessing game as what you are looking for on this forum. You seemed to have enjoyed your other two sits which makes your statement more confusing.
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I appreciate the support and outreach here. When I can sit quietly with my laptop today, I will respond at length with my “why.” I will complete my current sit in 17 days, write an honest and unemotional review, and file a complaint with pictures to support my claim. I have a confirmed sit in March that I believe will be fine. I drove 2.5 hours each way to meet the owners and sweet dog. They will be my last sit.
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@anon75707697 I don’t know what the current situation is, but if it’s really terrible have you considered ending the sit? Another 17 days is going to be a long time if the situation is that bad.
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I don’t know what happened yet, but if it’s not for you, it’s not for you. That’s it. It doesn’t necessarily work for everyone.
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@anon75707697, gosh sounds like you’re not having fun at all. And mention of complaint with pictures suggests that it relates to current sit.
You expressly asked for advice. So here’s a few thoughts. For context, we’ve been full-time housesitters for last two years with 30+ housesits in various counties in North America, UK and Europe. Quite a few of our housesits have been for 30 days or more. We have faced some surprises, and two last minute cancellations. But we have enjoyed encountered wonderful people, great pets and lovely properties. For us, we have travelled extensively through housesitting at a fraction of the normal cost - admitedly with “cost” of looking after pets/property.
- Motivation. The housesitting community seems diverse. Objective; frequency; duration; distance-from-home (even home at all) … all sorts. There is no “right” motivation.
- THS. While there are plentiful grumbles on THS Forum re THS then we are not aware of a better platform for housesitting.
- Learnings. As we gained experience then we understood what attributes of housesits brought us joy, and which did not.
- Listings. THS lists diverse opportunities. Many of them. It can seem overwhelming. It’s totally ok to ignore most of them and instead seek specific profile of listings that expressly satisfy your goals, preferences.
- Mostly, but not all, good. We perceive that most Pet Parents and most housesitters are good people with good intentions and good conduct. But not all. Steer clear of people, listings that have red flags.
- Search feature. In our early days, we learned of the saved search feature. It changed our tactics materially. With experimentation of THS functionality; a better understanding of THS listings (e.g. number, geography); and our own evolving preferences then saved search function shows us listings that may credibly be interesting for us.
- Due diligence. As we experienced housesits then we have reinforced the rigor of efforts before confirming a housesits. Video calls are essential. We would much rather say ‘no’ than suffer a bad ‘yes’. For example, after 2024, we added “dog in human bed” as a likely decline feature. There’s plenty plenty plenty of housesits out there (depending on your criteria).
- Relationships. A subset of our housesits have, for one reason or another, been especially joyful. We build relationships and have now returned multiple times to housesit for some Pet Parents. We have also received quite a few referrals from Pet Parents to their friends, neighbours, etc. We are careful (see due diligence!) but idea of returning to portfolio of joyful housesits seems appealing to us.
Hoping that you get through current housesit. THS Forum can provide insight. THS Member Services can hopefully provide support, as appropriate.
Keep smiling 
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I read the two reviews (both sides) for your previous sits and it looks like they went well. I imagine you are having a hard time with the current sit. It sounds like people are trying to reach out with support and advice. You can also contact THS and ask/demand to speak with a human if there is something going on that is making you uncomfortable or is dangerous. It is possible to leave if the terms of conduct have been violated. Glad you are going to to do the March sit. You won’t get back any money by cancelling. There is no obligation to do sits. So even if you decide “no more sits” you might as well keep your membership in case you see something that appeals to you.
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I’m so sorry you are in this situation. As you are in contact with member service, do discuss how this can be better - if neccessary also by ending the sit. If the host hasn’t been truthful, if the living conditions aren’t normal etc. ending it might be the best choice.
THS is a mutual exchange between equal partners, and you too should be able to enjoy the sit. I’m afraid the subpar sits are more likely to happen to nice people, unfortunately. But of course it can happen to anyone - sometimes one just doesn’t know before it hits you in the back of your head.
Whether you want to renew or not in March, I hope member service can be helpful to sort things out. Be sure to take care of yourself as best you can. If the home and/ or conditions are dire - maybe you can go somewhere for a break? A café, a library, a museum, church or other. Maybe bring a book, a packed lunch, close your eyes a little bit behind a pair of sunglasses or other possibilites?
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One of the most important things about THS and other hospitality exchange is understanding that is isn’t for everyone. And that’s ok.
I’m sorry that this sit seems to be unpleasant, and I hope that the March sit is joyful, clean, and restful - or whatever you want to get out of it. If (hopefully) 3 good sits are not enough to outweigh this one, or just the overall experience isn’t what you expected, it’s fine to walk away and say okay, I gave it a go.
If you do decide, once this sit isn’t taking a huge amount of your life, that you’d like to find ways to continue, there will be lots of good advice on how to weed out potential red flag sits, or make sitting work better for you.
Good luck!
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