TrustedHouseSitters Nightmare

Travel
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We have a nice home in Portugal. We our new to TrustedHouseSitters (THS) and had a good experience with our first sitter.

On our current sit, we were exposed to significant flaws of Trusted House Sitters. The couple was due to sit with our pet for two months and after only a few days stated they could no longer stay and asked for someone to hand off our pet to within 1-2 days. Within eight hours, our amazing friend community stepped up to take care of our dog. The sitters refused to leave our house and our friends had to call the police to assist.

I’m posting this experience so others can learn and consider their informed options. I have no ill will against THS

Lessons learned about THS:

  1. there is little to no vetting of the sitters.
  2. the sitter reviews on THS can be manipulated and falsified.
  3. THS support is kind but ineffective and simply lip service.
  4. based on reading numerous reviews on Reddit and elsewhereTHS associated policies to cover for damage/insurance, or sitters leaving early, etc, reimbursement of any kind is unlikely.
  5. what was I thinking when I let strangers into my home to care for our family member (dog)???
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I’m sorry you had such a weird/bad experience. I’ve been a member since 2019 and use sitters from THS 2-3 times year for trips (5 days-3 mo). Still, I’m watching what’s happening and I have to agree with all points above except #2. Inaccurate Reviews are because people don’t like leaving negative reviews so they lie. Yep, read all about it on the THS forum (a better place for this post perhaps?).

Also, if a sitter has a bad sit, or many, and the homeowner does not review them at all you will never know about it. It’s like the sit never existed. This is a huge flaw in the system. Also some people mistake references for reviews, which are very different. Reviews are hard to fake, the other not.

Sadly since THS was bought out it has outgrown itself and the marketing has changed. They are just trying to appeal to digital nomads looking to travel the world, not necessarily animal lovers or even responsible people. They’re also wooing cheap pet owners, not just kind people who like the exchange philosophy and enjoy sharing their home.

It’s worth noting that sitters in the US have background checks but other countries do not. And no homes or homeowners are verified at all! All of this is clearly written in the details, but the marketing tells a different story.

Fact is: THS is a matching site. No one is vetted for skill or responsibility, cleanliness, honesty, etc. It’s very important to do your own due diligence when choosing a sitter. If you try again, be sure to have a video chat, ask lots of questions, read between the lines of reviews, and trust your gut in the end.

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Sherry, thank you for your input and post. It was helpful for you to provide your perspective and additional details about THS.

As I stated, we had one successful sit previously and really liked the couple from last summer. I do believe there are MANY good people out there.

We did do a video chat with the recent sitters who seemed nice. Additionally, we also had them arrive a few days earlier to acquaint them with the Home and with our dog before we left. Again, no significant red flags. One day after we left, out of the blue, we received a text saying they could no longer stay because our kitchen was in the process of being remodeled (which they knew 6 weeks in advance, and again even before their arrival). Certainly, we had hoped and expected our kitchen to be completed before leaving, but unfortunately, one cannot control contractor work and timing as precisely as one wishes. We had a temporary kitchen set up, which is what we had been using which is more than adequate. The main kitchen is due to be completed within two weeks from now, which in the context of a nine week sit, it’s not that long. In any case, we had to scramble to get friends on site to stay with our dog and get the sitters to begrudgingly understand they could no longer stay (with the help of a call to the police). We also tried calling THS to alert them of the escalation of the situation, and to assist us with a more peaceful resolution. THS staff were kind but completely non-helpful.

Sometimes it is very difficult to vet people out just by meeting or discussing things with them briefly. This couple had many great reviews on their sits mostly from repeat pet owners.

It’s interesting to understand that the original rational and goal of THS, providing a platform pet owners and pet lovers to share beautiful places around the world, is no longer the centerpiece since a corporate buyout.

At this point, I understand that using THS is essentially letting an absolute stranger into your home ant to care of for your pet. If one is lucky, everything works out if one is not lucky there could be significant issues, and THS will not help or reimburse you in anyway, though their marketing material says differently.

I’m a glass half full person. This episode has helped me to recognize and experience the wonderful friends we have made who are willing to step in and help. That is certainly a beautiful thing!

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Roger, I’m sorry for your experience. My husband and I have been housesitting around Costa Rica for the past 2 years. We are signed up on THS, MindMyHouse, HouseCarers and Nomador.

All of our housesits, except 1, have come through MindMyHouse, and I recommend it the most when people ask about our experiences. It was started by a couple out of their London flat in 2005 and they still run it themselves, although now they live in New Zealand. They are very transparent and have always tried to foster an environment of trust and generosity.

If you try again, in addition to Sheri’s advice, maybe look at MindMyHouse. They provide housesitting agreements and checklists that can be useful. Not sure if the agreements would be enforceable, but it can provide some piece of mind that all parties are on the same page.

It’s heartbreaking to hear how things went south with this couple, and at the same time, heartwarming to hear how your friends and neighbors stepped up!

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Jen, thanks for your post and recommendations for MindmyHouse. We will check them out. I do believe most people are good and good organizations who care about their original mission are careful to maintain that by rooting out the not so good eggs. Once corporate/ PE takes hold, money becomes the centerpiece at the expense of mission and its customers. It was interesting for Sheri to point out the acquisition and change in the THS experience.

Hopefully the information on these posts can inform our fellow pet owners/sitters/ travellers.