I really doubt that is the problem. There are lots of retired Sitters who have a hard time remembering what day of the week it is lol!
And even if I had to work remotely on Monday, I would clean the house on Sunday and then wash sheets and towels on Monday morning before beginning work, and finish packing my bag.
Every Sit is different. A huge perk/bonus that would attract me to a Sit is if the listing said the following: “You do not have to do any cleaning or washing on the final day. I am going to hire cleaners to come in on the final day to take care of everything.” Something like that.
If you hired a housesitter and paid them a daily rate, they would not be thoroughly cleaning your house at the end anyway. It is a lot of work to clean someone else’s house, especially if the Owner has not left all the right cleaning agents and tools for the Sitter.
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Or just “I will take care of that.”
But yes, that is something that I would appreciate too. I generally get five stars for cleanliness but I really don’t do deep cleaning at the end of a sit. And in view of some picky complaints that I read on this forum (a little piece of pasta in the kitchen sink, or sofa pillows “in disarray”), I am always a bit nervous about the grade that I would get in this “exam”.
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I think it depends a lot on where you are located. I live in NYC and am still getting lots of applicants. That said, I have had great sitters back out (prior to confirming) to get “easier” sits or sits with longer or more convenient dates.
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HOs were not notified of the additions to the amenities section, so if they haven’t needed to update the “Home & location” section their listing since the changes were made they have no idea that they should add more than “wifi”, which only appears because it was grandfathered in. So don’t hold it against them! It’s probably worth reaching out and asking!
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Ok. I thought all the amenities were there from the start.
Many sitters — especially nomads — book ahead so they can piggyback sits or other travel, take advantage of cheaper airfares, train tickets and such.
Personally, I sit only part time, but by early this year, I’d booked out for most of 2024.
Given that it’s become harder to land good sitters, some hosts might be leaning more heavily on previous sitters.
For example, hosts for a sit I just wrapped today offered me five more local U.S. sits for the summer (not listed yet), but I have conflicts. Bummer, because I was hoping to repeat sit, since they’re in a city center high-rise and have sweet cats, in contrast with my homes in the ‘burbs and my dog. I’ve had to turn down other repeat sits that I’m sorry to miss, especially two in Scotland.
For me, higher airfares and such aren’t the problem. I have only so much time to sit. And I’m sure I’m not alone in being offered more sits than time allows.
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Nope, this just came within the past year in a half or so.
Adelia, you are correct. We have been members for years, and I was not aware that section was added. When I looked, I saw the only amenity listed was indeed Wi-Fi. I have since updated it.
So, we probably listed on the late side, had 3 applicants, accepted and confirmed an applicant, and a week later they let me know they messed up their travel plans and could not come after all. The other applicants were no longer available. Had to relist, so far no applicants. So, we are securing a paid sitter elsewhere.
Edited to comply with forum guidelines
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To be honest, I find that a little strange. As long as your home is clean and tidy and you communicate clearly and honestly in the ad what the SItters can expect, everything is fine, isn’t it? I mean, what do home owners expect? After all, the sitters live in the home during the time of the sit and are not employees. Of course, people have different expectations.
Isn’t it a bit dramatic to say you wish you had known before you invested your hard-earned money in THS? What would have been the alternative? But also that you have to spend money on a professional sitter who is paid? I don’t know if you need the sitter to look after the dogs during your holiday. If so, then I would ask myself whether I shouldn’t spend my hard-earned money on renovating the house so that I can find sitters later without worrying. You have 3 dogs, I’m sure they probably cost almost as much in a month as an annual subscription to THS?
That’s interesting and, of course, a bit disappointing for you. I always wonder how much a professional sitter costs. Do they live in your house then or do they take the dogs to their home?
Thankyou for being reassuring!
I really do hope so, as we live a wonderful part of the UK, with so much to visit, and I commented in relation to a post that said the state of the house was important, hence my interpretation.
Thankyou for your comment, my post was in response to a previous one with a comment that the state of the home is important to them, and it worried me that this was going to be more a priority than the opportunity to visit our lovely area with so much to offer, and sit 2 of our dogs.
It would be great to have spent the hard earned money on doing up the property first, however when a holiday is booked more than a year in advance, moving and planning approval taking so long, it has not been feasible to do this. I’m sorry if you feel this is being dramatic, but I just dont want to be judged on our property, but more on our lovely dogs and what the historic location has to offer.
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Your concerns are certainly valid and it’s understandable to feel stressed about getting everything in place, especially when planning involves so many variables. It seems a tricky situation to have booked a holiday a year in advance without all the pieces in place for your three dogs and the renovations.
Indeed, the sitters spend a considerable amount of time in the house and with three dogs their hands can be very full, potentially limiting the amount of exploring they can do, even in a historically rich area. It’s always a balance, isn’t it? Ensuring a comfortable environment for the sitters and managing expectations on both sides is key. I wish you all the best and enjoy your holidays.
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A little twist to the issue? Yes, it appears there is a shortage of sitters; however, I am beginning to wonder if there is really such a shortage of applicants or if it’s a shortage of quality applicants. Many seem to be looking for holiday destinations and (as advertised) a chance to see the world for free.
I am currently experiencing an interesting situation where four different hosts in three different countries have (desperately) invited me to sit for them. All of these hosts received 5+ applications, but apparently, none of the applicants were suitable.
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I always wonder how someone can combine holidays with dogsitting. I don’t really have an opinion about it, as I think it might be totally okay to combine it when looking after a guinea pig or maybe a cat. But we usually only do dogsits and that is because we really love dogs so usually we are around them 22 hours a day and we love it that way. We do not have a residency somewhere and still, we do dogsitting only 4 or 5 times a year, simply because we derive great joy from it. The rest of the year, we spend in Airbnbs and hotels all over the world, as we can work from anywhere with our own remote business. So it’s not really a money issue for us… 
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Yes, that is as it appears, however, we did have a sitter in place, who’s plans have now changed so unable to assist.
Whilst we do have 3 dogs, the sit is only for 2- 1 being blind and a small older one, both healthy, so they would be far from being a handful ,and are used to being left, thus enabling plenty of free time.
I hope I do manage to get away, as it is with elderly parents, however, if finding the dogs a suitable sitter for a week doesnt work out, then I’ll enjoy the time with them instead!
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Hi @anon47943759
I don’t think theres anything wrong with sitters wanting to see parts of the world while on a sit. I think issues have arisen recently due to THS advertising free holidays by sitting. In my view this attracted the wrong type of people to THS. Sitters should love and care for pets first…enjoy the location second.
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@richten1 my sentiments exactly
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We just wrapped up our fifth sit in seven months and the day of the week has never factored into whether or not to accept a sit.
There have been sits we would love to apply for but THS settings won’t let us… Because if the sit overlaps with even one day of a sit we already have scheduled, we can’t apply and we can’t message the homeowner unless we apply. So even if the HO has expressed flexibility we can’t reach out to them.
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That is a real bummer. Perhaps, as a means of communication, hosts with flexible dates could list a second sit with dates some months into the future. Applying for the second sit would open a line of communication regarding flexible dates for the first sit which can be easily adapted. Of course, an explanatory note at the beginning of the listing would be necessary. Once the first sit is confirmed, the second one can be deleted.
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