My listing, including my name, picture, all picture of my house, pets and location information are all public, not just to subscribers of the website but to the entire world. How can I stop that? I understand that they are trying to make the website attractive to potential subscribers but this is not ok.
By the way I don’t have any open dates looking for sitters (I have a future sitting that’s booked).
I don’t think that can be changed, there was talk about this a couple of weeks ago.
I would make my listing as anonymous as possible, for instance omitting photos of the exterior of the house and mentioning my first name only (I’ve seen listing with name and surnames). More photos can always be sent to potential candidates.
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Not really a good solution. Why isn’t my name/first image enough for people who aren’t payed subscribers to the website?
I think you need a different site, like Rover.
Because THS uses its membership to attract new users — if people couldn’t see the kind of sits or sitters available, they probably wouldn’t fork over the kind of membership fees we all have. And sitters probably wouldn’t submit to background checks if the sits weren’t visible high quality.
Of course, that might not work for you, in which case there are other sites that might better fit your preferences.
Most hosts don’t use surnames. You probably haven’t seen many listings if that’s an example you think is a pattern.
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This is not just a matter of personal preference. I’m sure most users on this website aren’t even aware of this and would be bothered by it. There are different privacy standard between US and Europe.
I think that THS could strike a better balance between trying to attract new users and the wellbeing of the existing users. For example, don’t show the location information and ALL the images (a cover photo is probably enough).
@Gal_B How could users be unaware? Surely, they would be browsing the site before they became a member? Then they would see the other listings.
Sitters browse the listings. Not owners, who have the issue. Even if I’d seen the public listings I would assume there’s a way to change the privacy settings and opt out of it.
I personally showed this to 2 friends who have listings and they were both surprised to learn it.
@kitty2 , it might be worth it to discuss this with Membership Services as there may be something that can be done to prevent your listing from being visible to non-members. Just a thought. Email support@trustedhousesitters.com or use chat. It’s worth a try.
No, that is not possible. Anybody who has the url can access it.
The only thing the HO can do is to remove the contents when they are not looking for sitters. Sitters’ reviews would still be there.
I think an HO would browse the site before signing up. They would then see sitters and the places where they sat. I think that typically one would look at what other listings looked like. I do not understand how they could be unaware.
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@pietkuip I already explained exactly how a HO might not be aware of this, but it’s really besides the point. The question is wether or not it maintains a basic level of privacy. As I said, I think that a cover photo and general location should be enough for the public. Especially that the service that the site offers is literally trust.
Regarding “No, that is not possible” - @mars suggested contacting support. Anything is possible if the creators of the site decide to change something about it.
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It would need an entire overhaul of the system.
Private information is kept in the Welcome Guide, which is only accessible to confirmed sitters. Access ends after the sit. (Yes, the sitter could have copied the information. They might need to when a sit is extended without a change of the dates.)
The listings are not indexed by google or other responsible search engines.
Again, if you want more privacy, you could hire a person or you could use an agency like Rover.
@kitty2 the only way to remove your information from the platform is to ask member services to do so .
Members are not required to put a photo of the outside of their property- although many choose to do so . The only requirement is for 5 internal ones of the rooms that the sitter will use and photos of any pets that the sitter will be taking care of .
“As a pet parent, you must add at least 5 interior photos and 2 pet photos to your home listing”
There is guidance about the photos to use
“make sure not to include any number plates or street names or photos of children, for your own security and so your privacy is protected. ”
It seems like you are a user and not an official of the site (correct me if I’m wrong). I really don’t think it’s helping to make such statements on this forum which are not based in knowledge or facts.
Hi @kitty2 
@pietkuip is one of our experienced and knowledgeable members, and it’s fine for him to speculate - he’s got a good understanding of all things tech. I don’t know the technical ins and outs of how such a change to the system would happen, but I imagine it’d be a big piece of work.
As the Forum’s here for members to receive peer-to-peer advice, if you’re interested in giving feedback to the team about such a feature, you might like to contact Membership Services. I can also pass along your comments as well.
Jenny
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Yes, I am just a user but I know a little bit about web sites.
It would require major reprogramming and a change in the design and philosophy of the whole site to put your listing behind the password.
Anyway, there is also the free membership to get a password when one wants to look around. And if a curious person wanted to know, they could just pay for a membership. It is what HOs need to put up with to get pet sitters for free. Really rich people or celebrities that wanted privacy would choose other ways to get pet care.
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I only signed up to TrustedHouseSitters because I could see that they had a number of house sits in the location that I wanted to visit , without that general location information the site would not attract new sitters .
The location is not precise it covers around a 50mile radius so if I search for a sit near Gatwick airport U.K. for example I will get shown 600+ sits in London across to Windsor down to Brighton and everything in between.
You can protect yourself and limit how much you put in your listing for example no need to put external photos of your property . However if you are not comfortable with this information being available for the public to see ; you can ask member services to delete your membership and remove all of your information.
Even if your information was only accessible by members that is still 180K members who could see it if they chose to look .
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@Jenny I think the concern I raised is pretty clear and understandable and I’m not sure why this thread is flooded with comments of sitters (to which this is not a concern) telling me how to delete my account or go to use a different websites… Just doesn’t seem like that’s what this forum is for…
Hi @kitty2
The Forum is a place for THS members to give each other support and advice. It’s not a formal branch of Membership Services (MS), and we’re unable to give you specific advice or support about MS-related issues.
Our members are a very experienced group of THS users, and they’re giving you their advice and opinions, which is what the Forum is here for. If the advice isn’t for you, it’s fine for you not to follow it.
Ultimately the Forum can’t make changes to how the website works, but we can pass along your feedback to the relevant teams, for future consideration. I’ve made sure to note your feedback and pass it along to the team.
You’ll see that I sent you a DM and offered to close the thread, and I think that it might be the best thing to do here, so I’ll go ahead and do that now.
Please do reach out to Membership Services if you want more formal support with your concerns.
Thanks!
Jenny
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