Trusted House Sitters

We first heard about TH from an article in Saga Magazine and was interested to find out more. We joined as sitters, and wrote our profile with the aim to attract our first assignment. It wasn't easy without references. TH suggested we apply to several listings at one time, and advised adjustments to our profile. We spent hours trawling the site for a UK sit and was offered our first from a family not far from where we live. There were emails and Skype calls to ensure both parties were happy with arrangements before we agreed to sit. We believe communication is key to finding a great sit. We have learned from experience to ask as many questions we feel is necessary to be comfortable about a sit. Our 5* reviews show how good our experiences with Trustedhousesitters has been. We have stayed in lovely homes, in beautiful locations. Met hospitable, interesting people and enjoyed caring for a variety of animals.
One minor point; the animals shown on the listing or the accommodation on offer, are not always as advertised. However TH cannot be blamed for misinformation from owners. As I said, communication is key.

I've been a member for 3 years, and we have had great experiences. We joined to get sitters for our 2 cats since we travel frequently, and when we've had local sitters before we joined, they usually just stop by and take care of the basics but we wanted someone to actually stay at the house. The sitters who have come have almost all been fantastic, lovely people who genuinely care about our pets and home, attentive to detail, and I would be glad to have come back. One or two couples have been a little odd, but still conscientious and no problems.
We have also done several sits in the U.S. and one in Portugal, and had overall great experiences. I will say it's important to thoroughly read descriptions of accommodations and expectations, and if the listing or profile doesn't have much information, ask a lot of questions. Phone or video interviews are KEY on both sides, and trust your gut. We are lucky enough to live in a good location in Atlanta and have a relatively easy sit so we get a lot of good applicants. Some of the listings for sits, you couldn't pay me enough money to do, either because of location, living arrangements, or expectations (or all 3 combined).
I've recommended the site to several people and those that have used it, love it also.

I was introduced to Trusted Housesitters 3 years ago by a friend who lives in the UK. We were going on holiday and were looking for someone to care for our 3 cats and our home. We had tried local carers but they expected payment which can add up to quite a bit on top of your holiday expenses. We have had five sitters over the last 3 years and all of them have cared for our pets well, only one incident was a little concerning. I discovered some of my personal belongings had been stolen, shoes of all things. Since that incident we now lock valuables or personal items away in our closet. However I'm sure that was an isolated incident but I do encourage you to have a lock up area all the same. It's always a risk having strangers in your home but I try to meet the sitters and give them a handover in person. I also ask for photos and messages to keep track of my pets and I have excellent neighbors who keep an eye on things. We travel a lot and it's an excellent service for us, in future we hope to become sitters ourselves. Overall I highly recommend this service.

We have completed three housesits with Trusted Housesitters and we have been pleased with the process for each one. We have applied for sits and been invited for sits and both methods seem to work well. The platform for viewing is well organized and the communication process works efficiently. We are satisfied with the support provided and the safety and security measures that are in place.
Once a sit has been applied for, there can be varying, and long, waits for responses. We understand that this is at the discretion of the housesit host, but guidelines for a reasonable confirmation or disconfirmation time would be appreciated.
Overall we are pleased with the service provided and are looking forward to another housesit early in the upcoming year.

In a recent review the person complained about working for free - how much work is involved in looking after animals and maintaining the cleanliness of a house? You choose the house sit, so you know in advance what it entails. I have NEVER REGRETTED any house sit and the opportunity of seeing new places OUTWEIGHS any work. The person complained "it takes you away from your actual paying gigs" - I only house sit in my holidays and not when I work. Once again, it is YOUR CHOICE when you want to do a house sit as you choose the dates. I have dealt with customer service and they have been nothing BUT PROFESSIONAL and extremely helpful. I am PROUD to be a member and I will RECOMMEND them to anyone who is prepared to give a little in order to get a LOT!

I signed up seeing the money back guarantee which is false advertising because it is not money back guaranteed. Only within 1st 14 days.

My husband and I have used this site for a few years now and we have enjoyed all our experiences. The people we have met are all super friendly and kind. The pets we have taken care of have been adorable. The homes we have lived in have been exactly what was portrayed to us. I recommend this site to everyone I know that likes animals and enjoys travelling. We first heard of this site reading International Living Magazine from retirees trying to figure out where they want to retire to and possibly have a second home there. When you stay in someones home and take care of their pets through this site you live in a neighborhood and community. You learn the culture better than staying in a resort or hotel. For example if you are taking care of a dog. They have there routs for walks and their buddies along the way. You chat with other pet owners and learn the best local spot for dinner or the local festival that's in the square that weekend. Then you also have the perks of a kitchen and laundry so it make your adventure more affordable. Pet owners can feel good that their pets are being cared for by people that love animals with out displacing them to kennels and paying big fees. While they are away on their holiday we send pictures of the adventures or nap time their pets are enjoying so they are at easy knowing all is well at home. I think it's a win for both sides.

THE FIRST TIME I USED THE APP, THE GIRL WAS COOL. She stayed for a month. The next time I used the app, I let a couple from Russia and the Ukraine stay and they illegally registered their car to my address. They also ordered a package to my address. They said they ordered by accident but you couldn't have possibly accidentally ordered something in February when you had left here last September. I just received yet another parking ticket, even from them to my address even though they said they moved to Thailand. I reported this to TrustedHousesitter and they left the person who broke the trust on the app after I reported that they illegally used my address. They also trusted the housesitter (who had already proven their untrustworthiness by illegally registering my address as their home address) to work with me directly to resolve the issue. I can never use this app again because I'm supposed to be able to trust people to be in my home and registering your license, vehicles, etc to my home address. This is a serious violation that Trusted Housesitter did not take seriously. They responded with "I know you're frustrated but the sitter said they would take care of it...[so there]". This app should not allow people who cannot get background checks to be on the app. Furthermore, they need to immediately disable app capabilities of anyone who violates the homes they are allowed to sit in.

I used this service to provide care for my 4 dogs while on vacation. The so called trusted sitters were completely unwilling to deal with a temporary issue with one of the dogs and forced my return home cutting my vacation a week short. The sitters left my back door open and a window on the first floor making my home easily accessible to any burglar. They left a filthy dirty mop bucket and dog poop on the floor not cleaned up before they left. They stole some personal property of mine and were working in outside employment while they were supposed to be taking care of my dogs. This lack of care led to one of my dogs becoming trapped and injured because he was left loose instead of caged as per instructions. I had to euthanize him the day after my return from shortened vacation. I addressed each and every one of these issues with this site and they basically refused to acknowledge any wrongdoing on the sitters part (probably to hide from any liability) and all I got in return was a BS apology. They refused to suspend or remove these sitters or even acknowledge that they stole my property. Needless to say I am disgusted with the performance of this site and it led to the death of my dog and buyer beware these sitters are still on there and could be the ones you choose next