Trusted Housesitters - A Review By An Experienced House-Sitter

Having been on a full time house-sitting, nomadic journey for several months now, predominantly securing house-sits through the global platform, Trusted Housesitters I thought it was time to share my experiences with them... an overall honest review of Trusted Housesitters if you like!

Trusted Housesitters (TH) describe themselves as, "the world's most trusted house and pet sitting network".

Although I cannot say whether they are the most trusted, I would certainly say that they are probably one of, if not the biggest house-sitting platform in the world today. The website lists hundreds of global house-sit opportunities each day and has thousands of willing house-sitters registered.

At the time of writing, TH were rated as 'Excellent' with an overall 5 stars on TrustPilot, based on around 10,500 reviews!

Globally people are using Trusted Housesitters and having good experiences with them.

In earlier posts I have explained in much more detail what house-sitting is and what is involved from both a house-sitter and home owner perspective, so please do read those if you want more insight (link here).

To summarise, however, on TH people register (and pay a small annual fee) as either a house-sitter willing to provide free pet and home care or a home-owner offering free accommodation in return for pet and home care.

The platform is a way for people to make mutually beneficial matches in which house-sitters have the opportunity to stay in a new area and owners get to travel without the worries and costs of pet care at home.

Before I really venture further into the nitty gritty of this review of TH, I will just add that there are of course many other house-sitting platforms available around the world (some are international sites and some are single country based).

I have not tried many other house-sitting sites and so cannot comment on others or provide a full comparison. However, I can speak from a house-sitter's perspective of my ever growing experience with TH.

Why Did I Choose Trusted Housesitters?

So, firstly, why did I choose TH as the platform to use to seek house-sitting opportunities?

One of my first house-sits in France!

When I first looked into becoming a house-sitter as a means to travel around the world, live like a local in new regions and have some pet companionship I did extensive research into the different house-sitting platforms available.

TH struck me as being one of the biggest and seemed to have a large range of opportunities around the world, with most countries covered and with house-sits advertised ranging from 1-2 days to several months.

The reviews for the website by both owners and other sitters also looked promising.

Costs...

There is an annual fee to join TH as either owner or sitter.

At the time of writing, this is £89 / $119 per year for both house-sitter or home-owner... (there are opportunities to get discount codes for this fee - see below!).

In my view the fee for annual membership is not excessive and is also protective.

When you consider the cost of a mid-range hotel for just one night then as a house-sitter the fee can be considered covered in just a couple of nights house-sitting.

For the owner, when considering alternative costs of pet care while they travel, again - the fee is low in comparison. There is the added benefit that the pet is cared for in their usual environment with minimal disruption to their routine.

In terms of the fee being protective - an annual fee prevents people offering house-sitting services on the website unless they are serious about doing so and ensures that the owners advertising are genuinely concerned about the well-being of their pets and keen to secure good matches with house-sitters.

A Trusting & Friendly Community!

As a member of Trusted Housesitters it genuinely is noticeable from the start that this is not just a money making website but a friendly, supportive and truly international community.

As its name suggests, the principle behind TH is that the basis of the house-sitting services provided are trust-based.

There are verification and reference processes involved in becoming a house-sitter on the site and both home-owner and house-sitter agree to a 'conduct code' but overall the house and pet-sit agreements are based on trust. This mutual trust basis is refreshing and in my experience works well.

Everyone I have encountered through TH has been warm and friendly - from the people running the platform and the support team, to the home-owners I have met or had contact with and the other house-sitters on board! Everyone genuinely wants the best for one another and for the pets and homes requiring care.

Anyone Can Do It!

The community within TH is also great as it truly is diverse and anyone can do it!

House-sitters and home-owners come from every walk of life - young and old, every race and religion and from rich to poor. There are no barriers and no prejudices to who can be an active member of the platform.

Single people join, couples join, friends join together and families with children too... there are opportunities for one and all!

Definitely a great way to bring people together from all walks of life, connecting individuals and giving unique opportunities to anyone.

Animal Welfare

When it comes to TH it is also evident that at the forefront of all they do is the welfare of the pets involved in the house-sits.

The TH platform offer a 24 hour vet line that is available to both home-owners and house-sitters to use whenever they feel they need some help or advice about one of the animals they are caring for. This vet advice line is available no matter where in the world you are based.

The vet advice line should not replace visiting a local vet if an animal is sick but as a house-sitter it is reassuring to know that this service is available should I ever have a minor concern or query about the welfare of one of the animals in my care.

All the people I have encountered through TH have also been true animal lovers and enthusiasts... the pets really do come first!

Full Support For All Members

In addition to the 24 hour vet line that TH offer, there is also round the clock general support provided for both sitters and owners.

A telephone helpline is on offer 24 hours a day, alongside email & online support.

With global time differences, this 24 hour cover ensures that you can get help and information at any time and has been an excellent service when I have used it.

In the past I have used the email support TH offer and had helpful replies from the team very quickly.

Once again, as a sitter (and I am sure for owners too) it is reassuring to know that if problems did arise before, during or after a house-sit that there are people to seek support and advice from and to know they will help as best they can!

Code Of Conduct & Guidelines Provide A Safety Net

Particularly when first venturing into the house-sitting world as a sitter or owner, but also along the way when issues arise, it can be useful to have written information or guidelines of how the house-sitting processes (should) work.

As part of the sign-up process to TH, it is necessary to agree to the terms of their 'Code of Conduct', which briefly but comprehensively lays out what is expected from both sitter and owner in any house-sit arrangements made over the platform.

Alongside this the website offers other information and guidelines, with a Help Centre and FAQ section.

This information is so helpful when you have a situation you are uncertain about or if you have a concern over, 'what happens if...'.

For most situations, the answer will be in the information available.

Definitely another reassuring safety-net for both sitters and owners at laying down clearly what is expected from both parties and something that could be referred back to if one side were not abiding by the rules!

A Platform To Provide A Winning Individual Profile

Every house-sit member of TH has space on the website to provide a winning profile that any home-owners can look at to find out more about and whether they would consider them a good match.

The profile page provides the sitters the opportunity to give information about who they are, their background, house-sitting and animal care experience and why they want to house-sit.

Photographs can be uploaded and there is also a calendar so that availability can be added (which makes it easier for those looking to know if the sitter is likely to be available over the dates they need someone).

A bit like a C.V. - the profile is a key part to the TH platform but is easy to use and complete. The profile helps sitters to sell themselves and owners to understand much more about who they might invite to look after their home and pets.

House-Sit Adverts That Provide Detailed Information

Within TH, the house-sit adverts that home-owners list are also very clear and comprehensive.

There is a basic structure to the adverts that is easy for the owner to complete and ensures that sufficient detail is available to sitters to help determine if the house-sit is one they might be suited to.

The adverts include space for photographs to be uploaded - ideally of the home, pets and often people include the local neighbourhood...

There is a section for the owner to offer more detail about the home and its location and a section to provide information about any pets and the responsibilities that will be expected of a house-sitter. The dates over which a sitter is needed are also clearly displayed.

For both the sitter profile pages and the house-sit adverts, the layout is very clear, easy to read and visually appealing.

Reviews Offer Further Reassurance

One thing many seek further reassurance from in using a platform such as TH, is the reviews that can be left through the website and seen by all.

Unlike a personal website, reviews over a platform such as TH could not be faked!

Once a house-sit has been completed the homeowner can leave a review about the house-sitter that will display on their profile and the house-sitter can leave a review on the house-sit experience that will show on any future adverts that the home-owner puts up.

The reviews are based on a star rating (out of 5), with the option to also add more information.

Definitely a useful and reassuring tool for all involved and a way to acknowledge appreciation for one another (if applicable)!

Private Messaging Service

Over the TH platform there is a very good messaging service available that you have access to as a member.

This allows private messages to be sent to other members (between sitters and owners) and is an excellent means to facilitate communication.

The messaging system also ensures that members can connect with one another, without it being necessary in the early stages to make private email addresses or telephone numbers available publicly.

When a new message is received through the platform, the recipient receives a notification of it to their personal email address, so it is not necessary to keep signing into the website to check.

The messaging service is very easy to use, you can 'archive' or organise your messages and it is a quick way to communicate (as long as the person you are messaging is checking and responds!).

The system also allows you to see if the delivered message has been read or not by the recipient.

The only criticism I would have... which is not anything TH can rectify, is that at times, particularly when applying for house-sits that have had a lot of applicants, you can write a a detailed message of application but not receive any reply.... or receive a reply months later offering the house-sit when you had given up!

This can be frustrating as you never know why someone has not responded (too busy, plans changed or offered it to another sitter)... but this is just the way of the world!

Trusted Housesitters App

As a member, if you are really serious about being involved in house-sitting and not missing out on messages or on newly advertised house-sits then there is also the TrustedHousesitters App that you can download for free onto your smartphone.

This is a great little tool which has a page of your current and upcoming confirmed sits, a search section where all currently available house-sits are posted and can be searched through, a section for your messages with other members and a link to your profile.

Within the search section it is also possible to set alerts for particular house-sits that might become available... for example I might be looking for a house-sit in Scotland between September and December... I can set this up as an alert and if a new sit is posted that fits my criteria I will get a notification to my phone.... This way it is possible to apply early and avoid missing out!

The app can also be set to send alerts to your phone when you receive a direct message over the platform from another member.

A useful app - good to be able to check house-sits on the go (when sitting on the bus!) or to apply for sits and respond to messages instantly from your phone.

So, I realise I have written rather a lot and that it has been quite a glowing review overall...

However, it is hard to actually come up with any (even minor) criticisms of TH.

Perhaps, though if I had to be picky, the size of TH now has many benefits but also as it is such a large platform it can become competitive (although very friendly competition!).

Popular house-sits (often those in city centres or Caribbean islands!) receive many applicants but similarly for owners it will be the case that excellent house-sitters will be popular and booked up ahead!

This ultimately means that there is going to be unavoidable disappointment on both sides at times and so a thick skin might be necessary!

Hopefully this has provided some insight into what it is like to use Trusted Housesitters, mainly from a house-sitter's perspective... so far being a member has taken me to Ireland, France (twice), Austria, Switzerland, Germany, the USA (twice) and New Zealand!

If you are interested in signing up to Trusted Housesitters then please do use the following code to get 25% off the annual membership fee:

RAF187179

*** Yes - I am affiliated with Trusted Housesitters -all this means is that if you click one of these links and sign up with the platform I receive a few pennies in several months time!!

However, my affiliation with TH does not alter what I have written - this is an honest account - they really are a good organisation and I genuinely do love them!***