To keep it short: For everyone who is frustrated about the new fee and has concerns about loosing great reviews once you start using a new platform:
On some platforms, like mindmyhouse you can transfer your reviews for a fee.
My reviews had been one reason I continued using TH and no other platform.
If someone has experience if other platforms allow that too, let me know. 
@kalliom it’s good to know. Just before others go jumping ship. Please check out how many active users whichever platform you are considering has first. Chatgpt now has approx stats for some of them nowadays, and Trustpilot is always brilliant for what users think, and their number of reviews is a good indication as to how large they are.
We’re on other platforms too, anyone is welcome to DM me about them.
“Look before you leap” comes to mind. Along with “the grass isn’t always greener”.
I spent a large chunk of yesterday taking screenshots of my 50 hard earned reviews, saved in a word doc. I am already DBS checked through my charity befriending work, and I am looking into insurance, I am now ready to go private. Feeling a lot more positive today than on Monday.
I’d be interested in hearing about your experiences with other platforms.
I’ve completed over 100 sits with TH and not sure I want to switch, although the only thing that TH has been good for has been listings - the few times I’ve contacted them for an issue they’ve been of no use.
I’m not sure about the new fee - my membership doesn’t expire until Sept 2031 (lots of referrals) and the message I got telling me about the new fees reads that the new fees won’t apply until my next renewal date in 2031. But I am concerned that many HOs will leave the platform, reducing the opportunities for us as sitters.
take care
tom
I would not give reviews credibility if they were downloaded from the site on which they were originally posted, and into the hands of the person they reviewed, which would give them the ability to edit the content prior to being uploaded elsewhere.
I’ll still be here @tomi along with our sit overlooking the Saronic Gulf in the Pelloponese of Greece. And “if” it should come to pass that a large number of sitters leave, that’s less competition for you, especially for the more desirable sits.
Mind My House has more than 40,000 sitters with fewer than 200 sits posted for the next 6 months. The platform itself is atrocious, really rudimentary, as in circa 2003 level. I think everyone needs to take a breath and take into consideration that most members won’t feel the bite of the sit fees for quite some time. I, myself, won’t see those til after next summer. Emotions are high, understandably so, but riding it out for a few months if your renewal isn’t up for a few months is the most logical and allow this thing to play itself out. Mayfair Equity bought THS for 100 million 2 years ago and I’m sure they feel they’ve not profited enough yet from it so are starting to push the profit margin. They may or may not feel the bite of the fees themselves, they own so many businesses at this point and know that THS is still going to thrive, even with a 20% drop in renewals.
Well they got one more. I added mine, I figured why not, it’s only $29 USD for lifetime membership and if there is a noticeable dropoff in THS sitter applicants going forward, I’ve got a backup. I put in dates for next March to see what sort of responses I get.
I was not talking about jumping ships or was I?
It was just a suggestion because other platforms could be growing now. I always considered trying a second platform.
I still have until next ocotber until my membership renews anyway.
Wow Sep 2031, you beat us! Our renews in Nov 2030. We’re not switching, but I do use other sites too, but THS is our main one.
I contacted THS a couple of days ago, because I’d already thought of upgrading. Not sure if you know, but we (you too) only pay £70 or whatever the extra amount is to upgrade, and our future years are still entirely free, so we get our future upgraded years for free. So we only pay the difference once.
So while I don’t have to do anything at all until 5 years time, I’d already considered upgrading. The problem I used to have with the upgrade, was that I wasn’t sure if we’d have to pay for future years we’ve already got, but I’ve got it in writing that that’s not the case. Free is free.
The reason why I hadn’t upgraded before now, is because the airport lounge passes are far cheaper for me to buy at my local airport, than upgrade, plus, we take 3 hour flights, so we only “need” to arrive at the airport an hour or so beforehand, and we don’t even need food/drink when it’s just a 3 hour flight that we take. And the cancellation policy is unlikely to come into play with us, because we get almost every sit we apply for, and so “if” we needed to justify that we had attempted to apply for other sits nearby, then it goes against us, because we’re highly likely to be accepted for those, so the insurance wouldn’t come into play. In summer 2024 we had 11 weeks cancel (because 2 pets unfortunately passed away), but it only took us 3 days to fill the whole 11 weeks. Anyhoooo, I may upgrade anyway at some point.
£70 extra for 5 years sounds like a decent deal for ourselves for a little free food, drink, and a comfy seat. But others are in a very different scenario, I can’t believe what THS has done.
The majority of HO’s that we’ve sat for are on premium already, because the cancellation plan works hugely in their favour. I’m pretty sure there will be a lot that have no idea of the uproar right now, because they mainly just think about THS when they’re booking their trips, whereas sitters think about THS much more.
The HO’s that may leave are the ones that have the same repeat sitters. I know if I said to the ones that we return to that we were leaving the platform, and did they want to do things privately with us, they would do that. And it means less competition for those that want the main tourist resorts, but that’s not our type of place anyway, we like peace and quiet 
.
I’ll DM you shortly about the other sites we use
Sorry but you vascillate so much between defending the new sit fees and chiding everyone complaining about the fees, saying they’re leaving the platform and being opposed to the fees and now you’re joining other sites “just in case”. You have stood by your confidence in THS not being affected by some member drop off and simultaneously are RESPONDING to the member drop off. Lol make up your mind, I didn’t even want to respond to you but this is really just too much, YOU’RE too much. Enjoy! Go try to get outside today, I’m sure it’s a beautiful day in Greece!
Yes, that’s why I said for others to do their research but you put it far more bluntly 
My predictions about what effect the new fees and implementation of the Terms will be are just guesses, nothing more. This situation is rather unprecedented, so it doesn’t hurt to do the cya thing and have an established host account elsewhere.
As far as the weather goes it’s getting a bit chilly here the past week or so. But nowhere near as bad as in the US where I spent the prior 60 winters.
Haha I’m nothing if not … forthright! I joined MMH in October and even with the 50% off I received I still decided to leave and get a refund. As a sitter it seems silly to use it, but HO’s defo might do alright there, they have literal 10’s of thousands of sitters to choose from, how good and reliable those sitters might be is another issue entirely. You get what you pay for, as they say!
I’m a sitter and I honestly don’t think HO’s will leave the platform in droves, they are the ones benefitting the most on THS. If it costs them an “extra” 9 quid for someone to come in and look after their pets for their weeklong sit they’re still making out great. Sitters are charging minimum 45 quid per overnight and that is for one dog or a couple of cats, they typically charge for each additional pet. Sitters are covering all of their own travel costs and having 9 quid tacked onto those costs for each sit could potentially become a bit cumbersome for some so HO’s with sits of shorter duration will feel the hit, I wouldn’t pay 9 quid extra for a 4 day sit, minimum would be 10 days for me.
Sitters benefit from free accommodations often in highly desirable places. Neither one benefits more than the other.
That much said, sitters have more to lose with a fee based booking system as they’re more likely to have a greater number of sits per year than a host will take a vacation that necessitates a sitter.
As a host who already has Premium membership and is unaffected directly by the new booking fee, I have no intention to leave THS. I think the platform is well worth the yearly fee, every time we travel it’s a savings of thousands of dollars.
