The Controversial TrustedHousesitters Change - What Do We Think?

[@keepmovinginretirement]

I'm both a housesitter and a home owner and as a home owner I am fine with the change because I can always decline sitters and the dates will reappear so other sitters can apply. As a sitter, I'm on the fence about it. We are currently looking for sits in a Cornwall, UK for next fall & because of the time difference, when I start to see sits appearing for September I'm going to have to get notifications at night to make sure I don't miss out on a sit that may be popular. As REO Speedwagon sang, I'm 'rolling with the changes'!

[@kateevansnomadicwriter]

One big issue related to this change that is actually bad for newbies as well is that sits disappear so quickly that you have to constantly be on a screen checking the site. Also if one pops up that you like you have to respond at lightning speed which sucks for those who like to write a thoughtful application tailored to the gig. In addition, it will be nearly impossible to get good sits outside your own time zone unless you're regularly up in the middle of the night.

[@stephanievalencia2939]

Wow, hadn’t seen this. We have listed our house as a sit and had two great, but different experiences. Our first sit was for April and we had tons of applicants. Just happened to go with the first one. I liked their story and it was a great fit. The 2nd time we struggled to get applicants, but finally found someone shortly before our summer vacation this year when the sits were far outnumbering the sitters. Our 2nd sitters were also new to THS. So I guess we’ll just see how it goes.

[@howardtayl]

I'm definitely in the group that doesn’t like this change. I read all the comments and statements from THS about how this is better but it's not. We've done over 30 sits since we began about 3 years ago. THS said one reason they put in the 5 application pause is because some sits would get a huge number of applications. Apparently in the past there was not way for owners to stop getting applications until they booked the sit. That changed and owners can stop them at any time but I know some owners don’t know how. The way it is now the owner must decline an application to get another one - that's one at a time - and I the owner still wants to consider the application that was declined they can tell the sitter. If THS insists on limiting applications, I hope they'll tweak it with something simple like a pause at 5 or 10, then an email and the owner must respond to get 5 or 10 more and then repeat. There could be a max number of maybe 30. That way the owner gets the number of applications they want to consider and sitters have a little time to consider if they want to apply or not.

[@toddthalimer]

This year I have barely gotten any applications, so it hasn't affected me as a homeowner. I have sits that go right up until 2 weeks before the sit and I might get one application. My profile has had lots of tune ups based on feedback from sitters, and everyone loves the profile, and I get lots of saves, but no applications. It's been really frustrating.

[@janellr6321]

As a future nomad, I've been building my profile to gain the experience. So not loving the change. We have 2 more years before we have the freedom to travel more. Wondering if we are able to pause our subscription until we're ready to restart? Don't see why I'd continue to pay the next couple years if we don't need to build our profile.

[@GoWithLess]

I'd ask THS how long they keep your reviews if you don't renew. You don't want to lose them, right?

[@mzhou2020]

What kind of membership did you get?

[@kristinakorovina5551]

H Amy, just found out about it yesterday myself when I reached 5 and it closed my open application, so had to decline some to reopen. Definitely not liking this change either

[@GoWithLess]

I'm glad you figured out that you could get more applicants by declining some in your inbox. I hope you find a good sitter for your sit!

[@NilDreams]

Im a Homeowner that uses TH and I hate this new policy. Had to deal with it recently and not a fan.

[@GoWithLess]

I hope you reach out to THS to let them know.

[@askgerricreditexpertanswer4338]

We've also had great success with THS. Overall I'm a fan but I'd be a lot more comfortable with this change if the user interface for sitters was also improved. Saved searches are pretty much useless imo.

[@GoWithLess]

Yes! We seem to look for sits in super competitive areas...those will go quickly.

[@GoWithLess]

Hola from a house sit in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. How does this change from THS affect your plans to house sit? Or, does it? If you're new and want to sign up, here's our referral discount link - links.gowithless.com/THS. We have loads of house sitting videos to help you get going.