There is a balance. I ask all my sitters that use my car for a copy of their drivers license and proof they have travel insurance if they’re international.
I’ve had to supply proof of my own drivers license while sitting for hosts overseas when using their cars, and I respect that 100%. I give my surname and if the owners surname isn’t in the welcome guide, I ask for that too. As well as phone numbers of course. But thats so I have more than one method of communication because the THS inbox can be very glitchy sometimes.
My most recent application for a month long sit this coming April, the hosts wanted a screenshot of my flight details as verification that I’m actually coming to the UK on those dates. Which I thought was a wee bit odd but they seem like lovely people and to give them ease of mind I emailed it through and sent it via the THS inbox.
A good match means we dont mind sharing certain information because it’s a two way street. Totally up to what makes you feel comfortable @Kena and as you progress your style of communication and what you need to host or sit will evolve. As long as you’re upfront and honest as to why youre asking (eg: I’m new to this site and for peace of mind I’d like a copy of your ID while you stay and will promise to destroy it when you leave…) Good luck.
@TheEnglishFlaneur . I’ve seen it mentioned several times on this forum, and on the Facebook group also, that only American members have a background check. I only ever had an identity check when I joined, a different thing.
It sounds as though your initial conversation has left you unsettled, and in your shoes I would be listening to that and either asking a few more questions, or moving on. Was it a phone call, or video call? Even making allowances for people potentially finding it uncomfortable talking to complete strangers for the first time, those conversations are really an opportunity to guage whether you’d feel comfortable leaving your home and pets in this person’s care. If the answer is ‘no’, or ‘not sure’, then having a surname or copy of I.D. probably isn’t going to change that.
To be honest I can totally understand that. It’s a long way and a long sit duration, so I would also want to be sure. Of course everybody can fake a flight ticket, but probably a lot of work for no reason.
@RedLassie . “Surnames tell you nothing”. You probably haven’t seen the recent post from a HO, whose sitter used their car, without their permission, and got hundreds of dollars worth of speeding tickets, which the HO was liable to pay, as they didn’t know the sitters surname, so the police couldn’t get involved. THS wouldn’t help either. You do, of course, get the hosts name from their mail.
@Kena having read your later post (at 17) I understand more your concern.
If a sitter does not have a working phone number that would be a red flag. I would decline just for that reason- who does not have a mobile phone number in this day and age?! We always provide our phone number/WhatsApp contact directly in our application message to encourage easier future contact- for the video call & ongoing contact during the sit. Occasionally hosts ask for an email too to send through a pdf doc. No problem with any of that.
If a host asked politely for a screenshot of our flight- for their own reassurance- I’d be happy to send that too. No one has ever actually asked us. If its an international sit, and the sit was the main purpuse of the trip, we would only book our flight after the sit is confirmed anyway. Once we’ve booked we’d notify the hosts and send through flight details if they ask. We frequently ask for hosts flight plan too so we can track their flight is on time etc.
None of this should be secret information.
Transparency is key- we are relying on each other and sharing a confirmed flight plan is reassuring and also sometimes reveals a mix up of dates! Our current hosts in southern Malaysia only had rough dates when we first spoke as they wanted to confirm a sitter before booking flights as it was very short notice- only 10 days before! As soon as we confirmed the sit they booked their flights and only then we booked our flights too.
I sent flight info to a host for the first time when I encountered one who’d been burned by other sitters before. No biggie to me if it provided peace of mind.
I’ve also asked hosts to send me their departure and arrival times, so I can book flights accordingly. I ask for that info in writing to avoid miscommunication. And then I send confirmation after booking my flights. That actually helped catch an error once, and happily I was able to immediately rebook my flight at no cost.
Discussing arrival and departure times that way also helps highlight to hosts that I’m specifically buying airfare to match their sit — that way, I hope they’re less likely to waffle or cancel, because some hosts are flaky. Plus, I then know exactly when hosts will return. Unlike some other sitters, I’ve never been surprised by hosts suddenly turning up unexpectedly.
With sits abroad, because I know there’s added risk with logistics and travel, I’ve included this in my application: “I’d book flights to match your travel plans and promptly share confirmed ticketing info.” And I offer to arrive the day ahead for a handoff.
Not having a working phone number would be a problem. But I wonder whether there was a miscommunication, because depending on what you were sending and their ways of using a cell phone, maybe they meant that they couldn’t receive a large file via phone (because some people have data limits on their cell phones, for instance). Did they offer an alternate way of receiving what you wanted to send?
As for asking how they’d spend their workday, that sounds micromanaging and untrusting. I’ve been on THS for two years and done dozens of video chats with hosts and I telecommute from all sits, yet no one has asked me that question. Frankly, if you have doubts or concerns about how a sitter spends their day so much so that they’d need to tell you about their workday, that sounds to me like a host who’s overly anxious. Personally, I’d avoid such sits, because hosts like that probably will need handholding and reassurance beyond what I’m interested in doing. I have no problem matching with hosts who are trusting.
Depending on how your chat with that sitter went, they might have been blowing you off because they sensed a potential high-maintenance sit. Of course, if that were the case, better to be direct and cordial, just say they didn’t sense a potential match and wish you well on finding a sitter.
This + your gut feeling is more than enough to not invite those sitters.
In my opinion, the interaction during the video chat is more important than having a copy of ID. If things went really wrong, ID might help but it is much better to be relaxed having someone you trust than feeling “protected” because you can report someone you don’t really trust.
My suggestion, as most people have said:
Avoid people you don’t really trust.
Build mutual trust and, in that context, in a friendly way, you can ask as many questions as you like but try not to make it one sided, job interview like. A two way, conversational approach is better.
imagine, pay for the premium membership just to fake tickets to troll people. crazy.
It’s a first time to have that request (for me). I’ve plenty of reviews so it’s not like I don’t turn up for sits so it was a wee bit odd but I didn’t mind putting them at ease.
I haven’t been asked yet (30+ sits most of them international, some intercontinental) I have been asked if I had already got tickets, the first time when I went to Australia, as soon as I got them, I informed the HO but never sent copy, just the time of arrival.
A couple of HOs have recently shared with me their flight info (not the ticket) so that I could plan my trip accordingly.
I think if that exchange of information is done in the context of planning handover, it feels just logical, while being asked as proof of commitment may be a bit awkward.
I did see that. Maybe HOs should ask for full name, IF they are gonna leave car keys lying about. I also saw that was a repeat sitter they had. I do give my surname, if asked.
Why do you need to know what they will do during their working day?! I’d likely be as vague as your sitter. This feels quite odd to me, and gives me red flag vibes.
Trust your instincts, if you don’t have a good feeling about the sitter, just decline, you don’t need a reason.
Not having a phone number is a little odd, they need some way to keep in contact during the sit.
I always provide my last name, phone number and email once a sit is confirmed. However, in the past I have done sits where I didn’t know the HOs last name and it’s rare that I know their occupation.
This is a very vague question and I would probably answer it with a vague answer and withdraw my application. I don’t think a HO needs detailed information about how I spend my day. Maybe what you really want to know is whether their work schedule allows them to meet the requirements of the sit (walking and feeding times, etc). If that’s the case then I recommend specifically asking that rather than asking a vague question that could come across as intrusive or irrelevant.
But as I said above, if you don’t have a good feeling after the chat, it’s completely fine to decline them. In this case I would probably decline just based on the phone thing if I were you.
If you don’t have a good gut feeling, then don’t proceed. It is based on trust, and if you don’t trust them it will influence the sit. And you might be right (or not). Better to dodge a bullet even if you could risk losing a good sitter. I don’t think a glance at a passport or a surname can take away a gut feeling that isn’t good. That would just be trying to convince yourself that it will work out. Just my opinion.
I fully agree!
I personally had an IDENTITY THEFT a few years ago of a $3000 flight one way to an Asian country charged to my credit card. That was all of the information that my credit card company would give me on the case.
I noticed this charge when checking my credit card statements and reported it as fraudulent.
No person should be asking for your personal information. THS verifies our information.
I’m definitely not comfortable giving my Identification passport, drivers licence etc. to anyone. It’s just not necessary. It would also gave to go both ways, the Host them must gives there’s also and again not safe and not necessary.
How is the information stored? Does the person pay for security on their device? Could it be shared?
No possible way will I ever give my personal information to any HO.
(Only in the rare case if using their car, this may be necessary), but no copies given.
I’ve personally never done this.
@Maggie8k and @Systaran: I’ve been asked the “how will you spend your time question” in various forms by different homeowners. Never took it personally. I think they want to get an idea of how you’ll use the home and if you’ll be there enough for pet care. It’s reasonable.
The answer doesn’t have to be very detailed, but if I was the one asking and the answer seemed evasive, that would be a red flag. (Answers might be for instance: Getting to know your city/ Mostly working from home and trying to see what I can. /Seeing shows and museums. It’s hardly prying when you are looking for a suitable match!
I think I’ve asked some form of the questions to sitters although nonlocal sitters tell me something abou their plans in their applications.
If a homeowner feels like asking even basic questions illicits a strong reaction from a sitter or vice versa, to me that’s not a good match.
imagine, pay for the premium membership just to fake tickets to troll people. crazy.