I guess “best of a bad lot” doesn’t mean that the applicants are bad, but not exactly what they were looking for.
My just confirmed “gem” doesn’t have any reviews yet, but fits my listing much better than the others, and some of them had 5-star reviews. 
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Yes @Smiley , two of my HO have related unsatisfactory experiences with sitters and neither left a review. The first reported it to membership services but not the second. The conversation started because I asked the all important question suggested on the forum by
@Kelly: If a house/pet sit did not go well in the past, what about it went wrong?
The second also had another less than favorable experience. Regardless, they left a good review as they liked the sitter and she did a good job. They did not mention the fact that she brought her little dog along who tormented the HO’s dogs and caused some damage in the home.
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That’s right Düsenzofe!
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Yes, last time I told my sitter how unhappy I was and they were genuinely very contrite. If I had written an honest review they would have been toast so I didn’t write a review at all, believing they had learned their lesson. I saw 5star reviews for them after that and think they got the message.
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I don’t bother applying for a sit if the HO takes too long to approve a house sit with 4-7 or more applications sitting there. Those 4-7 applicants for the house sit obviously have skills, good references and have done some great work with their applications and obviously believe they meet the criteria and responsibilities, I wonder how picky the HO must be and that can be an alarm bell for me with the actual sit and responsibilities I would be expected to meet in a satisfactory manner.
I know life happens, I know people want the right person and are prepared to wait but as a sitter with limited time and being in a family, i want to be organised with my life as much as possible and don’t bother worrying. I think references, ID checks and previous feedback should be enough to make a decision.
I have enough on my plate.
I have young kids so I am not going to apply for a sit where there are way too energetic dogs requesting more than a walk or run 1 x a day. I can handle 30 minutes to an hour.
I have learnt to look at the photos in an advertisement and what I would be experiencing during the house sit. I have done sits where there weren’t photos of the rooms and house and had I not been so desperate to get away with the family, I probably would never have applied. I also don’t apply for sits where there is too much work with the animals, requiring more time to be at the premises and cannot be left alone too long. I have kids and sanity to get out and explore the city I have agreed to sit at.
I suffer seasonal asthma so will not apply for a home with smokers.
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I am picky until the right person applies and if this means that I have to wait until Nr 55 applies, then that’s how it is. It’s not all about criteria, it’s also a very personal decision, because not only do I look for someone, who I think is best for my pets, I also need to feel comfortable with these people sleeping in my bed, using my toilet and preparing their meals in my kitchen. So if the pictures in the sitter’s profile don’t ring a bell, it’s a NO and no 5-star reviews can change it.
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Just wondering if you keep the 55 sitting there or will you tell them that and decline them as you go? So many owners just leave applications mounting up, but they should be whittling them out
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This depends. I sort them in 3 categories, NO, OK and YES…sounds awful, but I guess you do the same with listings 
There are those I instantly say NO to and I decline their application in a personal message right away.
Then there are those I that are OK, but not really what I was looking for but I also don’t want to decline, because you never know if YES will apply. To each one of them I write that I would like to wait a while until I decide and that I am aware they might have applied to other sits for the same time and that I perfectly understand if they confirm another sit, because my decision takes too long. I only ask them in this case to let me know.
And there’s YES. I usually know right away if the sitter fits and as soon as we have written back and forth a few times and scheduled a video call, I confirm them…I asked each of them during the video call if they also would like to confirm.
After that I let all the others know and then I hit the confirm button.
…the 55 were highly exaggerated , I just wanted to get the point across.
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I think with more sits than sitters atm you may have to choose a bit quicker, if you get applicants that is….just saying
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I didn’t have any problem choosing from 11 applicants just 3 weeks ago. The listing was online for 6 weeks until I made a decision.
Most of them were either located in Germany or Europe, including the UK, but I chose a couple from the US.
I know that especially in the UK and in the US HOs seem to have problems finding sitters.
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I must say that your home and cats are very enticing. Maybe one day I’ll apply to sit for you
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Thank you very much.
You are welcome to sit for us anytime 
I have a feeling I might have complimented you before on your home! Thank you foe the prospective offer. It wouldn’t be for at least a year or so though……
When there is anyone else sharing the house… We dont mind family in neighbouring properties but not sharing communal areas like the kitchen for example.
Hi @PetsSit The scenario you mention here is against THS rules. If you see a listing like that, if you direct message the information to any of the team members, myself included, it will be forwarded to membership services for followup. This is not required of any sitter but certainly is appreciated as it will help monitor the THS community. To direct message, click on the username and then the green messages icon.
Francine,
Volunteer Forum Moderator
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I don’t apply for a sit for a number of reasons:
- when it doesn’t fit my schedule
- when they want more than a housesitter (e.g., they want a maid, a cook, a chauffeur).
- when they have an entire farm of all kinds of animals (e.g., 10+)
- when they have senior animals that require extensive care/medications/etc. that prevent me from being able to leave the house for longer than an hour or two
- when there are several sitters already applying (4+)
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