Firstly we apologize for any concerns you may have.
Historically we were able to offer members the option of applying for CBC’s through a third party provider, however the service proved to be problematic giving us with no option but to discontinue the service.
We have now sourced an alternative provider and have once again introduced the CBC option for sitters. This is free service for those who choose to apply.
Currently this is only available in the USA and will be offered across more markets, timing TBC.
All feedback and comments here on the forum have the attention of our team who will respond to member’s questions and concerns and we thank you for contributing to the discussion.
My opinion is that Trustedhousesitters is built on trust. It is what it says on the can. Most people in the world are honest, kind, and caring. This probably is especially so for the ‘type’ of person that gets involved in groups such as THS. Once a sitter has proved themselves with a sit or two any possibility of doubt is greatly reduced. For new sitters many have recommendations and for those that don’t a homeowner will get a gut feeling - which is rarely wrong.
I can understand a homeowner being nervous to invite a stranger into their home but the fear is primarily in the mind - how many sits happen each year? How many criminal issues connected to housesitters?
For the past 13 years, I have been an Airbnb host, inviting strangers into my home regularly, I can remember having the same doubts when I started but looking back now, I’ve probably invited over a thousand different people over the years - with no issues whatsoever. What I have had however is many great new experiences meeting people with who I would never have crossed paths with under any other circumstances - many remain friends to this day.
You have to have faith in the goodness of your fellow human beings - In reality, they very rarely let you down.
We recognise that using TrustedHousesitters for the first time is a leap of faith, it is an arrangement built on trust but the final decision is an educated one based on all of the information available and the subsequent communication between owners and sitters, before finalising the arrangement.
I have been on both sides of TrustedHousesitters, have completed almost 200 sits over the years and engaged many sitters for my home and can honestly say without incident but more importantly I have life long friends who I would otherwise never have met, we are a community based on the love of animals, they are front and centre of who we are and why we do what we do, without them TrustedHousesitters would not exist, I would never have met you or be having this conversation.
That’s not to say negative things never happen but when a sit is less than successful it’s usually down to communication, or lack of it and not being the right sit or sitter.
I just got rejected because of not having the “background check” done/attached to profile. I’m American and US-based and have been a TH sitter for more than three years. There is no option for anything beyond an ID verification. Am I correct that TH actually has no way to do a real background check of a US-based individual? I’ve had this done through employers and for government-led reviews for Global Entry/TSA pre-check. My understanding is that it’s expensive for an employer to do this (third-party) so it’d be unlikely for TH to have the resources and funds to do it.
Hi Katie. I’ll just mention that I have NEXUS (Canadian), which includes Global Entry/TSA pre-check. I had to be interviewed both in the US & Canada to get that clearance.
Maybe it would be good for you to highlight it in your profile. In mine I explain that in detail, in the first ‘About’ section, with a separate heading, ‘Security Checks’. It’s as clear as I can make it. Also I explain that NEXUS is always current, as opposed to most police checks that are only current to the date they’re issued.
Any security checks that are done are at the expense of the sitter, not THS.
Hi @Katie, US Standard & Premium members have the option to complete a CBC … details are here
We did have this facility for all members through a third party provider but unfortunately we had to suspend the service on a global basis, for a number of administrative reasons.
@Samson Angela is currently offline, so happy to help. We have not had any updates about this, so the best place to ask and find out any more information is at Membership Services at support@trustedhousesitters.com or I can ask them to reach out to you.
NOVEMBER 2020 [quote=“Ben-ProductManager, post:6, topic:552”]
We are looking at removing the current tiers of verification, as this will mean that members are not blocked from doing an ID check if, for example, they have not yet had their references back.
This would also simplify the process and reduce the need to educate members on the different levels of verifications. Currently, we display on users profile ‘ID check completed’ instead of ‘Standard verification’.
@Samson There have been a few changes since this post, for example, references are now mandatory. If you have any specific questions relating to this or anything else feel free to DM me or reach out to the Membership Services team.
You can also use the spyglass as your questions might have been discussed previously.
Happy to help you with anything you come across and want to know more
