Hi, I’ve been a member of Trusted House Sitters since 2020, but covid certainly put an end to our travel plans. We have had one person sit for us when we had a short local holiday, but we have been unable to sit in the UK as we had planned in 2020.
I had a look at the forum because I have been trying to get a sit in the UK for late July. I have had one lovely lady respond to me immediately, but unfortunately our plans changed and I had to withdraw my application. I guess my gripe is the fact that some HO’s don’t make contact promptly, even in the negative, which makes it very hard to make plans, especially when waiting for confirmation to arrange travel plans.
One woman read my application, and for four days there was no response, so I ended up cancelling. Another hasn’t read the application after 3 days…is she too busy, overwhelmed with applications…what?
Please HO’s, let sitters know that you are, or aren’t considering them, and then communicate the final decision promptly.
Welcome back to the forum @Iannsue and for sharing your experiences, albeit less then perfect in terms of responses to your applications. While many members do enjoy really good communication, it is a topic that is much discussed here in the forum. For that reason, we’ve moved your post to an ongoing discussion covering all sorts of aspects of the communication discussion which we hope you’ll find useful and relevant.
Hope you get back to the UK in July as planned… I’m back here at the moment and see a lot of sits coming up again now that restrictions are all but lifted here. All the best, Vanessa
We recently received a very nice reply from a homeowner thanking us for applying.
Strangely my original message was still marked unread.
Perhaps THS could look into this
Agree, CreatureCuddler, it should not be asking a lot for these owners to say “thank you for your interest but We found someone else this time” after all, it was an offer to take care of a precious pet.
I have recently rejoined THS as sitter (after taking a break due to COVID) & have experienced this in 2 sits I applied for. Neither application has been read -maybe I had made an error in posting my responses…maybe a glitch in the app… I followed up on both. One follow up was read immediately (but not replied to). The 2nd follow up remains unread 10 days later.
Hello @chrislm62 and welcome to the forum. Glad you are back to sitting after the break the pandemic has imposed on many of us, and I’m sure you’ll get a sit soon. I’m dipping in here just to let you know that Angela is on her way to the US from England today so may not get to your question with her usual speed of response 
If you can see your messages then it’s unlikely you’ve made an error, and more likely just a lack of response as sometimes happens. We are continually advising members to maintain high levels of communication as it’s so key to the process, but sometimes this just doesn’t happen.
There’s some great advice in this thread, and as sitters ourselves, we give owners around 5 days to respond, then we follow up with a reminder, and if still no response we move on while letting them know we’ve withdrawn our application. We maintain this level of communication to try and demonstrate that communication is important But that stands for all members of course and equally, if we are invited to a sit I reply as soon as I can.
Keep applying … and good luck!!
I’m curious if anyone has ever made the suggestion to THS to have preset replies people could choose. Yes I know this would be not be personal, even after you took the time to send a letter explain why you are requesting the sit. However it would give a simple option, specially if they had a lot of applicants. Some of the preset replies could be:
*Application Read, will follow up with if chosen within 3 days/1 week/closer to date
*Thank you for your application, however at this time we will have to polity decline
*Thank you for your application, however we have selected someone else for sit.
I’m sure you could even have a spot so people can setup their own custom replies, this way it just makes it easier. This is all just an idea and a suggestion.
As for myself, I have paid and signed up, however I have an different/oddball date range I can sit, and of course being nervous of getting the right one. However if I took the time to explain why I would like to be chosen for that sit, with no one reading, or even just in my opinion a a curtesy reply, I would be leery of applying to them again.
I have also been thinking this. I think for some HO it can feel awkward to turn someone’s application down and this would take that awkwardness away…it would not feel so personal. There are also times when life is simply very busy and writing a personalised reply can take extra time, so this may lead to a swifter response from a HO.
I agree. I also feel it could be set the same for sitters too. I know some people will still feel hurt even with this, but in my opinion it’s better than nothing.
Good morning,
I try to apply for home sits in Ireland and Scotland and people don’t even read my application.
I had it before but only when there are a lot of applicants.
Is there a reason?
Thanks a lot for your feedback!
We’ve had 30 sits in nearly 4 years(some repeats without reviews). I think the “not reading applications” has gotten much worse. I have made an executive decision lately to NEVER apply for their sit again. I have read their sit carefully, several times, talked it over with my husband, and thoughtfully crafted an application note specifically for them. I feel like the least they can do is read it. HO can pause a sit if they feel overwhelmed with applications. Maybe some don’t realize this. Me not applying again may not mean anything to them, but it is a red flag for me. If they think that’s acceptable behavior, I don’t think you’d be treat well anyway. This is a 2 way street where everyone should show respect for each other. I put a lot of time and thought into this. Reading it would only take a few minutes. It would be nice also to get a note that’s say thanks, but we’ve chosen someone else this time if your not chosen, just to be courteous to each other.
I’m new to the site and have applied to 5 sits. Only one HO has even responded to me, to thank me for applying and explain that they decided to go with a local sitter this time for various reasons. That was nice, I thought. One took 2 weeks to decline, one changed to “currently not in need of a sitter” soon after I applied, and the others never acknowledged my application. I hope it’s not always like this, because I was really excited about joining. 
I think this is happening because there are a lot of new HO who don’t understand how the process works. It would be good for them to know the importance of responding in some way right away!
I submitted an application and it went unread for three days. I was about to cancel it when I received a nice note via WhatsApp (I had included my number for a specific reason). We had a video chat a few hours later but the sit turned to be not a good fit for me.
Hi there!
Can i confirm that when you see a message that you have sent to a home owner as READ, that they have actually read your application? It is not me reading my own message is it?
I have applied for a few and seen these happen without a response.
I have had some nice people say thanks but no thanks (going ahead with someone they have utilised before etc or they have already found someone). I have also had one person encourage me to apply if they advertise any further sits in the future.
I usually ensure that I take note of who the owners of the house are and include the names of the pets in my application and ensure I have taken note of what they want and how I feel I would be a good fit and happy to attend to their requests.
Because I have a 10 month old baby, a few owners are a little worried but my next sit for 4 days is a great opportunity for him to meet the pets beforehand and I appreciate those sorts of opportunities.
I applied for a sit due in April (late) and applied in February. The message said it was read. No response. a thanks but no thanks would be appreciated
Yes I agree. Perhaps a reminder email to the HO’s would work a treat from THS! It would help us sitters out!
Hi @anon27523372 and yes, when you see the word READ it does mean that the homeowner has opened your message in their inbox. However… what can’t be guaranteed is that they have actually taken the time to fully READ your message. Unfortunately as seen in this thread there are some that don’t answer, which is frustrating.
I had a similar situation at the end of last month where on extending our stay in the UK, we applied to a last minute (ish) sit… starting within 2 weeks. No reply after 3 days, so we applied to another, same thing… then when we applied to a third (now with just 8 days to start) we heard back from all three. It makes it very difficult for planning. However, on communicating with each owner, their perception of what constituted a delay in response time and how sitters apply was not inline with the general reality.
We’ve mentioned here in the forum (many of us) about the importance of prompt and clear communication, not just for owners but also sitters, and it’s something the team are aware of and they are continually looking at ways to inform members as part of the member process. But, as you mention READ is the key word here… the reading of the information presented is sadly out of anyone’s control but the “reader”.
Congrats on your upcoming sit with your baby… what a lovely opportunity for you both! All the best, Vanessa
Hi there, 
Thanks for explaining this. I am new to THS. I completed one sit in March and have another in April. I totally get what you mean about trying to plan your life.
The ones I applied for and was successful with, got back to me in like less than a day. The ones where I was considered got back to me to but they found someone else before me , received a lot of applications and found someone else or even one HO said he wasn’t sure if his dog would take to a baby so decided thanks for applying for not suitable at this time.
Yes, it is frustrating when some HO’s don’t answer. I get that some of them receive 4-7 applications and maybe over 10 and heading towards 20 but just a generic email of “thank you but no thanks at this time” would help us out. Some sitters are probably relying on their next sit but when you are planning your life, it gets frustrating particularly with that situation of getting an answer close to the start date. I have seen house sitters websites where they sitter charges the owner to stay in their house and look after their pets.
I am pleased and take note that there has been emphasis placed on the importance of prompt and clear communication, not just for owners but also sitters.
Thanks for the wishes. We look forward to our second sit!
Guys, cross your fingers for me… on my 8th application, I finally got a wonderful, thoughtful response and then a video call, and I think it went well even though I was too much of a chatterbox (a weird and ironic thing we introverts sometimes do). I hope I get the sit… the owner is so lovely, as are the home and pets. Two sweet, floofy cats who are in for some serious snuggling if I have anything to say about it!! 
Everything crossed @LIQ although I’m sure we will be able to unX everything very soon.
Thank you, I hope so!! I got such a good vibe from the owner, like I’d actually choose her as a friend in “real life.”