Hi I’m wondering if there is no verification process on background checks for sitters outside the U.S.? I know most get background checked within the U.S., but all of the international sitters seem to only have ID checks. That concerns me. Any info would be appreciated. Thank you, Lynn
You are correct that only US sitters get them.
From what I have seen non US members post here, it seems the laws of many countries would not allow a service like THS to access that type of information about its citizens.
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I think you are correct in saying that only US sitters have background checks. As a UK sitter , I only had an ID check.
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As a sitter, I’m concerned that homeowners don’t get background checked. I raised this with THS before I joined, and spent several months deciding whether to join or not. Single females are particularly vulnerable. And, as a matter of principle, would you want to offer your services to people with criminal convictions, particularly those of a violent/sexual nature? We’ve no way of knowing if hosts have any convictions and it is almost inevitable that some hosts will have.
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Actually, you make a really good point. As an owner, I would welcome that.
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You can’t get criminal record checks in the UK unless you work with children or vulnerable adults. They are strict now on who can get checks. Additionally DBS checks cost money so it would be physically impossible for THS to do more than ID checks for UK sitters.
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Since you seem to be based in the US, this is easy for you: Only engage US sitters. While many sitters outside the US have dual citizenship or other legal means of sitting in the US, most cannot legally do sits in the US anyway - it is not legal to sit on a tourist visa. So just confirm US sitters who, as you mention, do get background checks.
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You’re not likely to get overseas applicants for a four-day sit, unless maybe they’re already in the country doing traveling or other sitting and are trying to bridge with another sit. Many sitters lean heavily toward sits longer than a few days.
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You can cross reference the home address with the national sexual offender public website.
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People put too much emphasis on this IMO. Because they only weed out criminals that have been caught. 
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You can specifically search “mug shot + name,” check crime data near the address (the FBI Crime Data Explorer is a great start) or even browse court records if you want a little extra reassurance. For example, I’ve found homeowners who had liens on their property from court judgments. I decided that didn’t matter for my sit. But if they had been arrested for assault? No way would I take that sit (I have never found such a situation)
Other simple steps:
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Google and social media searches can give a sense of who they are. For example, if I find they mouth off and are rude on a social media account, I won’t sit for them.
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Many counties list property ownership online—you can confirm the home really is theirs and whether they’re in foreclosure or something similar, which could be a red flag (I have NEVER experienced this, but a lot of people aren’t aware that this is public information that takes minimal time to uncover)
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A video call isn’t just to meet the pets; it’s also a great way to feel out the homeowner’s vibe. Ask them specifically about crime in their neighborhood and see how they react and whether it matches what you found via your own searches.
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Read between the lines in reviews—sometimes little hints say a lot.
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And of course, trust your gut. If something feels off, it’s okay to decline.
At the end of the day, most people here are just kind animal lovers. A little common-sense vetting goes a long way, and then I let myself relax and enjoy the sit. Hope this helps others feel confident about safety without losing the joy of the experience.
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Absolutely agree with you. That check is a mere snapshot in time. And sometimes that snapshot is many years old.
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Not in the UK.
Berechtigte Frage. Ich bin Juristin aus Österreich und bei mir steht, dass ich einen “Background-check” habe.
Ich Frage mich, was das sein soll? Wir haben strenge Datenschutzregeln und so etwas ist unmöglich!
Valid question. I am a lawyer from Austria and it says that I have a ‘background check’.
I wonder what that is supposed to mean? We have strict data protection rules and something like that is impossible!
(Translated into English below by Moderator)
We are from New Zealand and have NZ Police background checks. We sit (mainly) in the US.
Home address is only supplied once you agree to sit and even then often times HO’s won’t give it to you until the last moment.
HO’s don’t get any kind of checks. Not even their ID! It’s a bit dodgy!
If the homeowner doesn’t give me a street address within 48 hours of confirmation, I would cancel. Some sitters insist on the address before formally accepting the sit. I have never had a problem getting the address immediately after confirmation.
I have never understood why people think this is dodgy. You know where they live. You have access to their treasured pets, all of their worldly possessions, and many of their identifying documents which are invariably left in the home.
Sitters clearly need a background check because they’re a roaming stranger who would need to be tracked down by law enforcement if something goes wrong. By contrast, it’s pretty darned easy to track down the homeowner if something goes wrong. It would take quite the crafty criminal to “dummy up” a fake house, fake pet, fake listing, and then disappear if a crime is committed.
Experienced sitters know to use public databases to validate that the address belongs in some way to the person who has the listing and that the person with the listing is not a known criminal. Experienced sitters have a “safety plan”: I check in with a family member both morning and night each day of my sit and we have a “safe word” to use in the extremely unlikely event they call and I’m under some sort of duress. And so on.
It is possible that there is something that I do not see here - what, exactly, is dodgy? What realistic scenario is likely with a homeowner who does not have a background check?
I see based on other posts that you have already decided to leave the platform, and I am truly sorry if that is because you experienced a bad situation. Please share that with the community so that all of us can learn. I have been doing this for years and have never had a dangerous experience with a homeowner, nor have I come across a sitter that has. I realize, though, that my experience may not be shared with all.
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