TrustedHousesitters Review: Why It’s Too Good To Be True

I’ve had this blog topic sitting in my “drafts” folder for more than six months, and now’s finally the time to write about it! However, the review I’ll be writing is much different from the one I was planning on. If you’ve ever heard of TrustedHousesitters, an app that promises to connect homeowners in need of a house/petsitter with travelers who are looking for a free place to stay, it may sound like a match made in heaven.

I imagined how Matt and I could travel around Europe after we move over, and we could spend time with people’s pets and watch their houses while also getting free lodging. I mean, what’s not to like?

But it may be too good to be true. Here’s what prospective sitters on TrustedHousesitters should know.

How TrustedHousesitters Works

TrustedHousesitters is a housesitting and petsitting service provider that claims to offer value for both the homeowner and the prospective sitter. For the homeowner, they’re getting access to TrustedHousesitters’ verified and reviewed sitter database to find the best option to watch their home or pet while they’re away — for free. For the petsitter, who is presumed to be a traveler, they’re getting free lodging by staying in the home during that time.

Typically, house- or petsitters are paid, and staying in someone’s house while traveling costs money. But with TrustedHousesitters, the homeowner and the sitter are coming out on top, theoretically.

However, both homeowners and sitters must pay an annual membership fee to subscribe to the service. TrustedHousesitters offers an Airbnb-esque app experience, where both homeowners and sitters can build out their profiles. Homeowners post photos of their home and information about their pets; sitters provide information about their experience with animals and can solicit character reviews from friends and colleagues.

When a homeowner posts a new sit opportunity, sitters can apply and the homeowner will select the best application. After the sit is complete, each party is invited to review the other. Easy enough, right?

My First Experience With TrustedHousesitters

We signed up with TrustedHousesitters in May 2023 and hoped to rack up a few reviews before heading to Europe, where we imagined we could really cut down on our Airbnb costs when traveling if we could make the whole petsitting thing work. In June, I saw a sit opportunity for a cat in Springfield, Missouri — where I went to college — and I decided to apply.

It wasn’t the most convenient thing in the world because I had to drive the three hours south to Springfield and give up one of my summer weekends to complete the sit. I also had to buy gas and fast food, and then drive all the way back home a few days later. But the house was really nice, the community had a pool, the cat was adorable and easy to take care of, and it was fun to be back in my college town for the first time in like 7 years.

Overall, it was a good experience and I was glad to have received my first positive review.

My Second (and Last) Experience With TrustedHousesitters

Early last month, I received a message from a woman here in Kansas City asking if I could watch her golden retriever for a few days while she was out of town. I didn’t apply for the sit, but she was apparently able to browse sitters in the area and decided to reach out to me. She was desperate because her trip was only a week away.

I was initially hesitant because of how much we would be traveling in December, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to spend another weekend away from home on the other side of KC. But she had mentioned that she may need to use some of my marketing company’s services, and I thought it would be good to make that connection — and I like to help people when I can — so I agreed.

The pup was really sweet and fun to hang out with. But unfortunately, on the second day, she somehow got a hold of my special TMJ dental aligner that was in the bathroom… and chewed it up. I let the family know, and I told them I’d call my dentist on Monday to find out how much it would cost to replace.

It was going to cost $1600.

Immediately, the homeowner and I both started trying to contact TrustedHousesitters to find out what kind of coverage they have for situations like this. The THS agent the homeowner talked to told her that I would be covered under their liability insurance as long as I had a premium membership, which I did. The agent I talked to told me that I wasn’t covered because the damage happened to my property. Apparently, only the homeowner’s property and third-party property is covered — not the sitter.

Why Sitters Take on All Risk With TrustedHousesitters

After a few hours of going back and forth with the TrustedHousesitters agent via chat — apparently they don’t have a phone number — I began reading reviews about other times that sitters have been hung out to dry by THS.

One person mentioned that if an emergency situation happens in the home while the homeowner is away, even if it’s something unrelated to petsitting, such as flooding, the sitter is obligated by THS to handle the emergency. Likewise, if there were to be an emergency arise with one of the pets, the sitter is obligated to take the pet to the veterinarian and pay any costs. In both of the situations I just mentioned, it seems like the sitter is just supposed to HOPE the homeowner decides to reimburse them.

And while TrustedHousesitters talks about having peace of mind and liability coverage, it only applies for homeowners and third parties. So if anything happens to you, the sitter, you’re on your own. In fact, you might end up paying thousands of dollars out of pocket (like me) for something that wasn’t your fault. And it makes you wonder… what really is the benefit for sitters? Sure, you get a free place to stay, but at what cost?

Why I’ll Never Use TrustedHousesitters Again

Not only did THS screw me over by not offering me any protection, but they also treated me with total disdain the entire time I spoke with them. I can’t believe their business model operates in this way, and I wonder how many other sitters have unknowingly assumed a huge amount of risk while using their app.

While I’m still really salty about what happened, and I’m still regularly contacting THS trying to fight against their lack of protection for sitters, I have to see it as a silver lining: What if we had been sitting somewhere in Europe, where we don’t speak the language, and something really bad had happened? A pet got really sick, or something happened to the house… what if we’d had to pay even more money, or what if we’d gotten sued? We had no idea until now that THS offers no protection for sitters.

But now we know. And we’ll never put ourselves in that position again.

So I would absolutely NOT recommend using TrustedHousesitters. I wish things hadn’t happened this way, and I wish I had a more positive review to share, but if this post can help any other potential sitters with THS understand the true amount of risk they’re taking on, it’s worth it.

 

I hope everyone had a great holiday season! In just a few days, I’ll be moving back to Spain. 🙂

-Cathy