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2TrustedHousesitters

TrustedHousesitters

 Verified
2TrustedHousesitters
2.9

238 reviews

Positive vs Negative
67%33%
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238 reviews
1 Cina L.  · The website and app are a scam I cannot apply for sits as iD verified sitter
2 Jodi  · What on earth happened to Trustedhousesitters. No one to talk to . Interesting way to run a business.
1 Víctoria Anaís P.  · I lost my money. As a pet-sitter, I've never found a house! and they don't accept a refund.
1 Positive P.  · Cannot speak to anyone or send email – I have been waiting for you to validate me for 1-3 days day 5 and the home i want to apply for will go
michelle U
michelle U
 

I don’t even know where to begin! But Trusted House Sitters does not care about their members! Zero credibility and zero communication!! AWFUL!!! Absolutely horrible! I’ve been a sitter on THS sense 2022 with over 60+ sits and only 5 star reviews, recently I was unable to get into my account! Zero mention as to why and zero communication from… Read more

anyone on THS! I then spoke to one of my regular sits and they said my account is under investigation! FOR WHAT?? Ive done absolutely nothing wrong and every single one of the homes I sat for would agree! NOT ONCE has THS reached out to me during this supposed ONE SIDDED investigation and THEY ALSO LEFT ME STRANDED in a major city! I’ve spoken to all the homes I sat for and none of them have any issues with me. (As I was checking ) I’ve sent over 13 emails, I’ve called THS and nothing! How are you doing an investigation ( a totally made up one) without speaking to the person supposedly whose account is under investigation and something which I know nothing about??? I know for a fact I’ve done absolutely nothing wrong. In fact I’ve only done the upmost job for this company whilst being a sitter! Their help and communication for paying members is horrendous and they simply do not care! They run their company out of the UK so US beware!! There is zero way to call them. You’re at the mercy of them “maybe” reaching out and “cherry” picking what they respond and whom they communicate with! Everyone needs to know about this! This COMPANY IS NOT TO BE TRUSTED!!

Susan
Susan
 

I have tried to cancel my membership as I don't need it anymore. All they do is Pause the membership for 3 months and then try to turn it back on. It is impossible to just LEAVE. This has been going on for months. Beware.

Ask the reviewer
Jann E.
Jann E.NSW2 posts
 

Trusted House Sitter MANAGERS are NOT VERY TRUSTWORTHY - the most concerning aspect is that TRUSTED HOUSE SITTERS archive your files (with all of your contact details, and photographs of your home) and do not delete them. OUR EXPERIENCE: Our… Read more

experience was one successful house sit. One that was marred by the approved house sitter's partner who waited until we boarded a plane for overseas and then entered our 'private bedroom space' to sticky beak. Three other house sitters who accepted the position CANCELLED ... * one 3 days before the engagement * none of the 3 cancellations contacted us ... it was just by us following up and keeping in communication that we found out that ...'they had a change of plans'. When we decided to withdraw from the site, the MANAGER [Name Removed] (TrustedHousesitters.com) stated that given we had a contract stating that … we had received at least one expression of interest WITHIN 14 DAYS OF THE LODGEMENT of our house sit … they had fulfilled their obligation, and there was no option of a partial refund of the $234 fee that we paid.

The most worrying aspect was that TRUSTED HOUSE SITTERS archive your files and do not delete them.

 Follow-up  · Given that TRUSTED HOUSE SITTERS only honour the part of the AGREEMENT that states you will receive a communication within 14 days ... that doesn't mean a successful interaction, just a communication ... that is all you can realistically expect from this organisation. I left in disgust, only to find that they 'ARCHIEVE' your files ... that is the… Read more

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Sazzi
SazziQLD2 posts
 

I sent this company details warning them about a sitter who recently looked after my house/pets and neglected my cat until she needed to be put to sleep when we arrived home due to severe dehydration. This sitter is still on their website as they refuse to remove her - be warned! Her name is [Name Removed] and she’s from Brazil.

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Priya R.
Priya R.
 

Not to trust! You have to have a minimum $1000 worth of damages to be able to make a claim and also pay $250 excess for this! That’s only if you own insurance doesn’t cover you for these loses. So what are you paying a website called “trusted house sitters” for exactly?! We were unfortunate to have [Name Removed] & [Name Removed] from Texas stay… Read more

at our house with their golden doodles this feb. They drank over £200 worth of alcolhol. They didn’t want to hide it either as they left 7 empty bottles in the same cupboard and 3 were gone. Whiskey, vodka and brandy all in a week! They hadn’t bothered to clean up after the dogs in the garden as we had to pick up 2 big shopping bags worth of poo! Our dog mostly poos on walks so was he even taken for walks each day? Our gas and electric bill was £60 more then when another sitter came the following week and when we are usually at home. We told them not to touch the thermostat as it’s left on timer but they could use the heater blankets and small electric heaters. They changed the thermostat to manual and left it near a cold window. They were also told to be considerate with usage around the house as bills are so expensive atm. We told them they are welcome to food and drinks in the kitchen and they took this to the excess! So much food was gone we didn’t even have ketchup when we got back :( We were still away when they were due to leave and another sitter was coming so my mum came to the hand over. I asked about the house and she said everything seemed okay but she wouldn’t have thought to check all the cupboards and garden and as ur wasn’t her house she wouldn’t have knowing if anything was missing. Especially when bottles were left and not binned makes it seem everything where it’s meant to be. So they put a review on for us and I did the same as everything seemed to have gone okay. But we were shocked to what we’re come home to and it’s been a really upsetting time for us knowing so people have smcome into our home and treated it with so much disrespect. How knows how my dog was treated and what he’d seen in the 7 days they stayed. Trusted house sitters won’t let us change the review nor will they compensate us for any losses. Trustee house sitters say toy can trust them but you clearly can’t. Read all the small print before signing up! Hopefully no else has to go through what we have.

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Janne
Janne54 posts
 

Good...except in ripping off renewals – Beware when renewing. I was offered a renewal price of $ 119 but couldn't renew on that screen. Went to enact the auto renewal and the price was $ 199. Obviously thought I wouldnt notice the difference in the 1s and 9s. Politely contacted customer service and was told I was lucky to be extended the $ 199 price. Seriously? Behaviour like this is illegal in Australia.

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San
SanQLD2 posts
  Verified

Refused to act on complaint of fraudulent behavior – THS staff refused to act on my complaint about the deceptive and fraudulent behaviour of a sitter. The THS staff simply cut and pasted a response. This sitter continues to use a fake reference. A sitter continued his application with us despite having accepted a shorter sit within our dates. He even provided me with a phone number to call the… Read more

husband of a referee despite no longer being available for our sit. He was clearly hoping to be offered our longer sit, willing to cancel the booking he already had. And, on the call to the husband of the referee, I learnt that the wife had not written the reference displayed on the sitter's profile. Rather, she had written a reference through the THS portal for a couple, the sitter and girlfriend. The sitter altered the original reference to cut out the girlfriend, and posted it as a genuine reference. This requires filling out an online form without providing identification, only an email address, which of course, is free to generate.

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Rhys J.
Rhys J.NSW3 posts
 

This service cannot be depended on – I would give this service 0 stars if the option was available. I booked a sitter 1 month from the stay. I was contacted by the sitter hrs before they were due indicating that they were unlikely to be able to sit. After that point they we’re uncontactable. I tried calling Trusted House sitters for over an hour for a solution. The live chat is a… Read more

fruitless service with irritating automatic responses.

I missed a family members wedding and was unable to get a refund for the $700 worth of flights.

Trusted House sitters said sorry for the inconvenience.

There’s much better services than this one. I used Madpaws for 10 years without issue.

Latest follow-ups

San
San10 posts
 

I was with Trusted housesitters for over eight years as a sitter and went all over the world based from Australia. When I went back to renew my membership two months ago and then I decided on the 14th day to cancel they would not reimburse my… Read more

membership that I’ve paid for the year. They have a new policy now that when you obtain a sit through them they charge you an extra $18 and if that person cancels you,you will get your $18 back. That’s a very new thing but I am so disappointed that when I asked for them to take it to the next level up to a team member to grant me my membership refund, which they state you have 14 days and when I asked for proof of them saying ‘no’ I couldn’t have a refund as they were happy to keep my money.They wouldn’t put it in writing. I would not go back with this company now after all these years when I’ve had five star reviews from all the people over the world. I just think their platform is missing some loyalty and not being honourable. It is all money orientated.

 Follow-up  · New policy is they charge you an extra $18 once you have a sit confirmed you’ve already paid your membership. You have to sit one week and then sit back to back the next week. You keep paying the extra $18 on top. Yes I’ve got a couple of seats based on my five star reviews over the last few years. The refund process is appalling. Doesn’t matter if you’ve got five star reviews and been with them for eight years it’s all about money.

Monique
Monique2 posts
 

I didn't have a great experience. My first go at getting a sitter and they pulled out 10 days before, couldn't find another and was left without. Had to pay a friend's kid in the end. Not worth the stress and uncertainty

 Follow-up  · Customer support did follow up to tell me that their compensation policy only applies to cats and dogs, not all other pets. That was a loophole I didn't notice when paying for the premium policy. I can't recommend to others.

Monique
Monique   

Not necessarily a reflection on the site, more the whole process

Gwen G.
Gwen G.NSW
 

We booked a house sitter . There were some problems. We asked that she arrived 2 days before our departure to allow our dog and her to get to know each other. She spent those 2 days out for 9 hours sightseeing. She totally ignored the dog. We'd put… Read more

in the ad that he shouldn't be left for more than 6 hours. We were apprehensive on our departure. We booked her until 2 days after our planned return, in case of flight delays. We explained that we had self contained accommodation She could use till her next sit. On the day prior to our planned return she sent me an email telling me that she was leaving mid morning on the day we were due arrive home. We were very worried and fortunately managed to get home by late afternoon. My neighbours tell me that she left before 7am. That means that our dog was alone for at least 9 hours. The house was dirty. My mail was soaked in the mailbox because she hadn't emptied it. She did no housework at all. I'm pleased to say that our dog was fine. People really shouldn't use this sitter, if they have pets and want their house cared for. It was all about her holiday. I tried to contact Trusted Housesitters. Only got the robot. Eventually I was told someone would email me. They haven't. If they do not think a sitter abandoning a sit is serious, then they shouldn't be in business.

 Follow-up  · Trusted housesitters did email after 4 days. Situation couldn't really be resolved. The sitter had left before the end of the sit.

Recent reviews

Trish
Trish2 posts
 

Buyer beware, you cant speak to anyone other than BOTS and call centres. Their site is terrible to use, they want so much private information/photos from you that they share with everyone on their site.

Find out how TrustedHousesitters compares to other Services

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Stephen chapman
Stephen chapmanVIC27 posts
 

Don’t trust this company, all they care about is money, you pay a fee to join and then you pay a fee of $18 when you get a house sit on their lower plans, money hungry

Danimel
DanimelNSW
  Verified

Very misleading and unsupportive. I joined thinking it was an Australian site. As I had set up my account and listing before I realised they would not allow a refund of any amount. They also promoted that if you didn’t receive any sitters in the first sit that you could be refunded. This is not an option. My listing was pre Christmas 2026 and I’m receiving unsubstantiated saves in February.

Asha
AshaVictoria6 posts
 

I tried to join, they withdrew my money but I am unable to upload my ID, so I can't use the site at all. I have tried to contact them with no success. In the meantime it is too late to apply for the house sitter job I was interested in. I am really upset and angry because I was really excited about joining. Update: I got a reply from Trusted… Read more

House Sitters, someone called Noelle. The information she sent me did not help. The email said that if I experience any further difficulties to contact her again. I have done this and clearly said what the issues are but I have had no response. So I have paid money but still can't use the site! I do not have a lot of money, paying this fee was a lot of money for me. Trusted House Sitters, Please help your customers out when things go drastically wrong. Please Trusted House Sitters, please care about your customers. I have paid a lot for a product that I can't use.

2nd Update: I have not heard from you Trusted House Sitters, can you please stay in touch with me? Hello, Hello are you there? Can you answer my edited review please? You said you would help me, and you asked me to stay in touch, so want on earth are you doing?

Asha
Asha   

Have I now been charged around $20 for this owl photo as my ID photo? I don't even remember asking… Read more (+3 replies)

Barb
BarbQLD
 

Have been using them and having a good experience the last 10 years, now they introduce a $18 sit fee for both the homeowner and sitter! on top of the $160 membership - considering they never help you with anything and take no responsibility, this is outrageous. They even once told me I was not able leave a negative review of a sitter who showed… Read more

some very concerning behaviour towards my pets. overall the standards seem to be dropping with many sitters applying to do overlapping sits (applying even when they have been accepted on another sit), or wanting to bringing their friend, husband, significant other when they aren't listed on their profile and we've never met them.

Jo Rosie
Jo RosieVIC12 posts
 

Really disappointed with this business. Refuse to give me an email address so I can give them feedback. They have just introduced booking fees, as well as charging an annual fee. I will no longer recommend them, especially as I cannot contact them.

luke.m.emery
luke.m.emery
  Verified

Not safe. Not helpful. Use Rover instead and get paid and get proper support as a sitter Buyer beware. If you are a sitter and a sit you have booked gets cancelled, a premium policy will only cover you for a sitter cancelling. If you find a sit to be uninhabitable, or dangerous, or not as described and you choose to leave, trusted House sitters… Read more

will not cover you costs.

I highly recommend using Rover instead, which means you can also get paid house sitting. Avoid this company like the plague.

I found this out the hard way when a sit I was on looked like it had broken front and door locks. I asked what would happen if the host didn't fix them. They told me the following, even if the host didnt fix the locks.

That I should stay in the house for at least 3 days to allow the sitter to find other arrangements. With no ability to lock the house and secure it while I sleep. Or to keep my belongings secure.

That I should tell the host I want to leave and then ask them to give me money to cover my emergency accommodation. So essentially giving the host all the power here.

That the emergency accommodation that comes with the premium trusted House sitter plan, only covers you it the host cancels the sit. So any other situation isnt covered. Things like turning up and finding someone else sleeping in the house, or that there are no front doors, or that the house in dirty, uninhabitable or otherwise. You are not protected in any of these situations. In fact if you choose to leave for your own safety, they consider this you cancelling the sit.

I honestly thought they were joking. And they kept asking me the same question about what I wanted them to do. I had to repeat 7 or 8 times that I wanted them to understand the danger of the situation and not ask me to stay in a house that doesn't lock. Or give me support to deal with a situation that wasn't my fault. Their response was simply that dangerous situations like this aren't covered unless the host cancels your sit. Which puts all the power in the hands of the host. If you were stuck in the middle of nowhere and the sit wasnt safe or the host made you feel uncomfortable, you would have no support and no protection. Frankly, that's beyond negligent on the part of Trusted House Sitters.

Bottom line is. If you choose to leave a sit for a legitimate safety reason, you aren't covered even if you have premium membership. It's up to you to sort yourself out.

I was a big fan of this site until i found this out. I even referred several friends. That won't be happening again. I likely won't renewing my membership and once my existing sits are booked, I won't be booking any other sits through them.

Such an appalling way to treat sitters when we essentially drive revenue to this company.

Kate
KateNSW
 

I have had two pet sitters leave during their stay. First time I was interstate for a close family member’s funeral and had to fly back early, right after the funeral. Second time I had to fly back on Christmas Day (sitter left Christmas Eve, leaving my cat alone). There is zero support when you are left like that, only cattery, and the sitter… Read more

would not assist (just left) and I had to drive to a random location to get my keys - on Christmas Day. Do not use

meg R
meg RVIC8 posts
  Verified

I paid for a membership of this website but it then asked me to provide ID verification which isn't accepted outside the USA. I'm not from the USA and I couldn't go any further. The chatbot just sent me around in circles trying to resolve it. $109 wasted. Also noted that very few house sits available in South America which is where I want to go.

Arantxa A.
Arantxa A.
 

Horrible company. They don't vet the sitters so you could have any given person in your house taking care of your dog. It happened to me: she brought family to my house; she didn't maintain the house, neglected the dog, damaged a few things, and you name it. THS (assuming you get the membership with insurance) only cover after $1,000 of damages… Read more

but they don't take a deposit. So, you eat the damages. It would be better to pick someone randomly from the street!

Find out how TrustedHousesitters compares to other Services

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Tim
Tim
 

Avoid this company Terrible customer service. Extensive delays in responding to communication, taking several days to respond and mostly not responding at all. I’ve had my listing stuck in pending status now for over a week when their policy is to review within 12 hours. Their concern was that I used stock photos off the internet, however this… Read more

accurately depicts my home and any prospective sitter would be required by me to have a fave to face meeting regardless. Their AI chat bot is useless too.

Avoid this company

3rdWorldInternet
3rdWorldInternet5 posts
 

A horrendous experience, with a so called 5 star sitter. Arrived late, brought an unagreed co sitter, and another dog - despite clear written and verbal instructions not to do so - putting out tiny Chihuahuas at risk. Lied, stole from us and left a mess. Do not use this site or service. People who move from house to house are broken, untrustworthy, liers and thieves - do not let them into your home, period.

marybethinaus
marybethinausNSW5 posts
 

I have 2 components tor review. First is the actual house/pet sitting. I was very happy with my sitters. There were no dramas and I felt that my cat was well looked after. The second area was on the admin side. Housesitters said that I would get a reminder about my renewal. But then I noticed I got charged for another year. I looked… Read more

through all my emails in differnt accounts, and never saw one. I contacted support. They were so helpful. They didn't question that I may or may not have gotten the renewal reminder. They offered to extend the new year's service by 2 months longer or offer me a refund. Since I don't expet to travel for the next year, I asked for a refund. The support person had no issue with this and I got my refund within a couple days.

Kristie
KristieVictoria11 posts
 

They claim sits rarely get canceled because of their code of conduct, but twice this year I have had my housesitters cancel with less than 3 weeks to spare. This occasion is the worst from TH because 3 days ago I tried to contact them over chat and their bot claims no one available, they will respond via email. But no one responds. So I jave no… Read more

one to look after my pets for an overseas trip and ZERO acknowledgment or help from trusted housesitters.

Cassandra S.
Cassandra S.
 

No Longer Trustworthy or Protective of Homeowners We’re incredibly disappointed in TrustedHousesitters for failing to uphold their promise to protect homeowners. Despite providing clear evidence and admission from sitters violated the platform’s code of conduct, the company did nothing. This leaves future homeowners completely in the dark and… Read more

vulnerable.

What’s most troubling is the false sense of security they provide through their so-called "vetting process." When complaints are dismissed and no accountability is enforced, that process is meaningless. Our requests for even basic protective action were flatly denied.

This is especially disheartening because we’ve had multiple positive stays in the past. We once believed in the platform and its mission. But sadly, without accountability, TrustedHousesitters cannot be trusted.

Now that we know the risk involved due to their negligent practices, we would not feel safe using the service again and would recommend for prospective homeowners to look elsewhere.

CTD86
CTD86WA5 posts
 

I understand they have a policy against removing reviews, but even if you feel unsafe (as the person who enaged someone to sit) and wish to change something they won't let you and absolutely don't care. Good to see their rules are more important than safety. Never again.

Luis S.
Luis S.
 

Upon opening the account stats that you are elegible for a refund if you don’t find a sitter ! However, if this time exceeds 14 days the refund is no longer issued ! Misleading publicity

3rdWorldInternet
3rdWorldInternet5 posts
 

Booked a so-called 5 star sitter for a 5 week holiday and had a horrendous experience. Sitter put our tiny dogs at risk of harm by moving another dog into the house with her, despite explicit instructions not to bring other dogs to the house. Sitter brought an un-agreed co-sitter for two weeks, and we’d no idea who this person was. Sitter… Read more

threatened to leave three weeks into the sit and reversed her threat when her alternate plan fell through. She lied, left a mess, didn’t look after the dogs, stole from us, and had the audacity to leave us a bad review! If you are foolish enough to use this service at least get external security cameras fitted. Without this we would have had no idea what was going on. Tried to contact Trusted House Sitters for help and follow up - absolutely pointless, they don’t care and won’t intervene. We changed all our locks and security codes. Never again arrgghhh!

Lee
LeeVIC3 posts
 

I used this site to find a housesitter for a month over Christmas. The housesitter used my car and racked up almost $1000 in fines! The housesitter now won’t answer my calls and Trusted Housesitters won’t help at all - saying that if a complaint is raised after 30 days they won’t investigate it (the fines didn’t arrive within 30 days of the… Read more

housesit) and they won’t let me change my review of the sitter to warn people about her behaviour.

The police are now saying that I’m on the hook for the fines because I can’t identify the sitter and I wasn’t in the country!

Don’t use this site - their customer service is pathetic and you can’t trust the reviews people leave in their site.

Juan D
Juan D
 

Awful customer service and payment options. Welcome to 1990! Did you pay with a card over a year ago and it expired? You must remember the card and pay with the same one. Sorry, we do not accept new cards! Why would we? Do you want to pay with a new card? Sure, set up a call in hour limited working hours in the UK. We don't care you might be in an… Read more

opposite timezone. Payment did not go through? It is definitely your card issuer, we are perfect. Btw, if you want to pay, you need to be specific on currency, if it does not match your card, your bank cannot decide to do their job and execute payment applying conversion, only we can! But if there is a problem, is the bank's fault. Not ours...

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