How long would you wait to hear back from a sit you’ve applied for?
I applied for a sit in France for next year, there were 4 different dates but I only applied for one. It has been a month since then and no response back, not even an acknowledgement of my application. Three out of the four dates are all showing ‘Reviewing Applications’ and the fourth, which is for Xmas 2024 has 2 applicants. Possibly they are waiting until they have the full quota for all sits before they contact people but I find it incredibly rude that they can leave people hanging like this.
To me this did not bode well for the sit so I decided to cancel my application. Just wondering on other people’s thoughts.
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A month? I don’t have a set amount of time I would wait but it certainly isn’t that long! I agree that is rude on the part of the host.
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This does not mean that they are reviewing anything. That status has almost certainly been set by the system because 5 applications had come in.
I have now two applications pending. One already two months, for a Christmas sit. The other four days ago, but the sit is supposed to start next Monday!
I don’t cancel such applications on the system.
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Once you send in the application, you can write to the petparent. Did you try writing to ask where they were in the process? I don’t see the harm in keeping it open. If another sit came along on the same dates, you could take the other sit. You aren’t locked in until the sit is confirmed.
You could also write if you had a particular question about the sit – a concern so the answer would help you decide whether or not to go forward.
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Generally speaking, if I don’t hear back within several days, I will withdraw the application. This is especially true if the message was read within a few hours or something like that. I find it strange when a HO reads an application relatively quickly but then days pass with no communication of any kind.
In my experience of sitting for almost 10 years, the vast majority of HOs I have dealt with are pretty prompt in their responses…within a couple of days max. Some sitters follow up with the HO and find success in this strategy. I personally don’t do that. I just withdraw and open myself up to new opportunities. Lack of attachment will serve you well in this process.
While there is always the possibility illness or some other issues has prevented them from responding in a more timely fashion, I think in most cases HOs may not feel a sense of urgency to secure a sitter, especially if the sit is far away. I don’t think they are being deliberately rude or inconsiderate in most cases. I just don’t think they are aware of how things work on the sitter’s end as far as planning their schedule and how important it is to hear back quickly for any application they have submitted.
For each sit a sitter applies to, that will impact which sits they may apply to that come before those dates-- if there are any gaps in their schedule-- and particularly after that sit would end. So a lot of them don’t want to wait around to hear back on just one particular sit.
Ultimately, you can wait however long you want, but unless it is a sit you really want to do for some reason, I don’t recommend holding off on applying to other sits with similar dates, especially for a longer period like a whole month. You really never know how long HOs will take to respond to messages so it makes good sense to apply to multiple sits that are equally appealing to you.
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@RosieSue This has happened to us on several occasions.
Now , if we haven’t heard anything from the homeowner within 2-3 days of our application . We send a friendly message saying “Hi, do you need anymore information from us to make your decision ? We are available to have a chat on the phone / video chat/ WhatsApp call ( as appropriate) . Here is our number xxxxxxxxx. We look forward to hearing from you.
This approach has worked for us on most occasions and prompted a response from the homeowner ,which then resulted in confirmed sits (after having had a conversation with the homeowner)
Except in one case where the Homeowner didn’t reply for over a month - we decided to withdraw our application- they then immediately got back to us - but we had moved onto other applications by then and we noted that for that particular sit the dates remained at “reviewing applications “ for several more months after that.
You can apply for several sits at a time ( even if the dates overlap ) . It’s only once a sit has been confirmed that you are prevented from applying for other sits for those dates .
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One does not need to withdraw for that.
We usually won’t pursue a sit that leaves us hanging, however for Christmas we had a few applications for long sits that we really wanted, so after a few weeks of hearing nothing back we sent a follow up message. One person got back to us right away and we were confirmed within 48 hours. The other got back to us two weeks later (so 5 weeks from initial contact) and asked if we were still available, even though we had already withdrawn our application 
We didn’t reply.
This is very true. What I meant by that ‘opening up’, was an energetic/mental-type thing. For me, keeping an application open when the HO is not responding in a timely fashion indicates an attachment to that sit, and I have found lack of attachment, and trust the perfect sits will come along–which includes fast-acting HOs-- serves me well in securing really good sits.
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I tend to leave them open unless/until I confirm another sit at which point I’ll withdraw. I’m not too bothered if someone is a bit all over the place or doesn’t understand how the site works but equally I wouldnt hesitate to take another sit in the meantime.
We give the HO 72 hours and withdraw our application after that if we have had no response. IMHO a timely response is just basic courtesy and I feel no response or tardy response sets the tone for the sit.
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Reading this thread a question came up, which some of you might be able to answer.
If a listing has received 5 applications and is “reviewing” and then one of the applicants withdraws, does it open up again for one more applicant?
@Pawtastic i think you have to unpause it. It isn’t automatic.
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But when I decline someone, does it go back automatically or do I also have to unpause first?
I know about the 5 applications rule but since it was implemented I only did private invitations so I am ignorant about it.
I think you still have to unpause. Its not automatic. It least that’s what ive heard from my other HOs.
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Hi @Pawtastic & @Knowmad
Yes, the HO would need to actively decline the applications in the Inbox and then ‘unpause’ the dates via the Inbox.
When the HO unpauses a sit that was automatically paused, we now re-publish the listing.
That means:
- the listing will appear in saved search results
- the listing will be boosted up the search results (New button)
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Thank you 
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The FAQ on pausing and unpausing was updated to include information about automatic pausing after the 5 applications - but it’s still not very clear
It says you can simply decline applications to unpause the listing -
Trusted tip!” Remember, once your dates receive 5 applications we’ll automatically pause your applications to give you time to choose your sitter. None suitable? Not to worry - simply decline your current applications to unpause your listing and allow new sitters to apply.”
This doesn’t tell Homeowners that (after declining applicants) they have to unpause the listing - could this be made clearer to avoid confusion?
Thanks @Silversitters Let me confirm this with the product team, and come back to this thread with confirmation.
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@Pawtastic it’s not automatic, you have to click on the unpause button