I’m not sure when the “Spring Clean” email was developed. I only know friends received one in June and another couple received one in July and I’d never heard of them before, and certainly have not received any. Neither of my sitter friends were impressed to receive them which prompted me asking about them and whether HO receive a similar one. I’m guessing it’s a random number who receive them, both HS and HO.
The team are continually updating, trying and testing new ways to encourage best practices based on feedback, so messaging and links to blogs may change over time to try and benefit users in a helpful way. And now as seen with this one relating to cleaning, the forum feedback has helped to make it even more relevant and acceptable 
I don’t think there is one answer, some people here are saying about too many applicants and that’s fair but I have applied and there has been possibly me and one other and they sit there reading my messages and nothing back just ignore me, no decline nothing so after a few weeks I declined myself. I don’t want to sit for someone with no basic courtesy. Also again I have applied and there have been may be 7 or so applicants and they will not read for months because they wern’t ready to book someone so really they shouldn’t have put an ad up as it’s like placing an ad for a job but you have no interest in speaking or employing someone for 6 months. Also a big one I have found is HO don’t put the type of sitter they want or don’t want. I got firstly ignored and then declined because they only wanted a family who lived local to them or again they only want people over 60 etc. They don’t put this info in there ad, everyone applies and they just pick and choose who to talk to because they don’t want this or that which I think is a waste of time on both ends and people will avoid you because you have a track record or not being courtous. So many reason’s just don’t take it to heart, life is to short. Give HO time to read etc and if they don’t after day’s, weeks etc how every long you want to give them then just move on. I have spoken to HO and they seemed to think that we apply for one and wait around and if we don’t get it then we look again but unfortunately with HO that ignore, take months etc you can’t do that as some like myself are full-time and we need to know if we need to book alternative accomodation specially as if you are like me and work remote we need a place to do so.
It’s up to you. If they can’t satisfy your requirements, they are not the ones for the job. You must feel comfortable with the people who stay in your home and care for your precious animals.
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Just had an application declined they didn’t even read my application.they didn’t have many about 7 .getting fed up and disillusioned.
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Sh… happens! I agree that it is bad manners and with tens of thousands members there are some among them who haven’t had an education.
Several members have been complaining about this but what would you suggest to do? Let membership-service write them a scolding email?
Move on and put them on your personal unsuitable list. I am sure that there will be others who are more polite.
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Just had so many rejections lately just feeling sorry for myself.
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I am really sorry for you and I understand completely how frustrating this must be. But I think it’s best not letting it get to you personally. It’s THEM who are impolite, not you!
Wish you the best of luck in the future 
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Thank you I’m an optimistic person usually.
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I’m new to THS but have developed a thick skin about rejections from years of online dating! There could be so many reasons that a HO doesn’t choose you - maybe they want someone local or they dislike local sitters; maybe they got an application from someone they used before; maybe someone else appealed because they hade the same name or same color hair, or any number of reasons.
If a HO doesn’t write to acknowledge your application and there are only 7 applications, that is a bit rude, but who knows what might be distracting them. Maybe they have a sick child, work 2 jobs, etc.
As others have said - don’t take it personally.
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I felt the same way earlier this year! Right now there are over 1100 available sits in the US, but at one point in February there were only 77! Even though I had over 60 five star reviews at the time, I was rejected left and right. I had something like 20 rejections in a row, no explanation. Just declined, declined, declined.
I know it’s nothing personal. Someone else was just a better match, and that’s okay.
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I guess they simply don’t know, that this automatic decline email is sent out to the applicants, who aren’t confirmed. I would definitely not have known this without this forum.
Hi Smiley, it’s unreal how you are experiencing the same problem. I do find that people are reading our request for a sit but the declines are huge. Why? Are people scared of travelling ??
Ahem, yes, they are. There’s still a pandemic out there and many don’t travel.
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Hi @Maree welcome back to the forum, it’s been a while since you were here. There is still a lot of uncertainty about travel but there are still many sits happening … I’ve just finished a week long sit in Edinburgh.
Possibly but there’s still no excuse for not replying to applications for their sit
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It is frustrating! - we saw a sit due to start 4th December so we applied on the 20th September
To this day ( 25th Oct) our application is still unread - the listing is still on the site now showing 40 applicants…Grrrrr!
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@Colin - I have an application in since August for a sit that was to start yesterday. It had 20+ applicants. I did receive an initial acknowledgement, explaining their dates may need to be adjusted, and I thanked them for that information. My response email went unread. Yesterday it was still live, but today it shows that a sitter is not needed. It was a local sit for me, so not one that affected my plans at all.
Apparently THS does not monitor sit dates that lapse without being arranged, which surprises me. With the various emails they have self-generating, I think a reminder one to the homeowner would be useful. I don’t know whether the homeowner changed the status.
I must add that I am grateful for the many considerate homeowners on THS. The homeowners I’ve done sits for so far have been so considerate and appreciative.
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Hi @Colin would you please Direct Message me the details of the sit and I will get Membership Services to contact the owners, there may well be a change of circumstances and they have overlooked their listing.
Thank you.
I applied for a sit on June 14th that was due to start today. I could see the homeowners read it but I had no response. There were 4-7 applicants in the end. The ad was open right up until yesterday then showed ‘no sitter needed’. I decided to just leave my application open to see what happened even though I arranged another sit to coincide with the dates (the sit I’m currently doing). I just don’t understand some people