It’s finally here, the moment we’ve all been waiting for: the TrustedHousesitters App!
You can now download iOS app in the app store or the Android app in the Play Store.
In this article, we’re only going to talk about the TrustedHousesitters app. If you’re new to THS or wondering if you should start using it, make sure to read our TrustedHousesitters Review (and use our 10% discount to sign up)!
Read more: TrustedHousesitters Review (And Tips for Using It!)
If you aren’t a member yet, click here to sign up with our 10% off reader discount.
For more about house sitting in general, check out our posts: How to Start House Sitting or Thinking of Using House Sitters.
Whether you are a sitter or pet owner, we can assure you that the TrustedHousesitters app is a GAME CHANGER.
While the app is not without its faults (we’ll get into those), the ability to get notified about, discuss, and manage existing house sits on mobile is key.
TrustedHousesitters App Features
Instant Notifications
This feature is the biggest advantage that using the TrustedHousesitters App has over the website. Notifications are the #1 reason why you should download it immediately if you are a member!
You’ll get push notifications about messages, new sits in your saved regions or favorited sits, new applicants to your house sit, accepted applications, and more.
As house sitters, we find the instant notifications invaluable for applying to new sits. As we’ve discussed before, applying immediately to newly posted listings is key for securing house sits. This is doubly true if you’re fairly new to the website.
Read more: How to Make Your House Sitting Application Message Win
A few years ago, THS would email sitters each new listing in their chosen countries. This was key for getting in an application asap. Unfortunately, they eliminated them as some users did not like getting all those emails. This was despite being able to opt out of the emails!
Now, the only emails you’ll get as a sitter are “daily digest” emails of new sits in your selected countries. Since this email only goes out once a day, some of the house sits listed are almost a day old. There have been countless sits I’ve clicked on from this email that had already been closed to applicants. In popular destinations, pet owners get many qualified applicants. Closing off applicants soon is a good strategy to avoid getting overwhelmed with too many applicants!
One major drawback of the “saved searches” feature is that you can only have 10 searches saved. For full-time house sitters or people that are open to a wide variety of countries or cities, 10 searches are absolutely nothing. I’m continually having to refine and delete my searches when I want to add new ones. Hopefully they’ll expand this soon!
Also, while you’ll get push notifications for saved searches, sometimes I find I get so many notifications when I reconnect to WiFi or data (such as overnight), that it’s helpful just to go to the “saved searches” area and check all saved searches with the pink “new” dot.
Still, all this is to say that using the app is a must for house sitters. This is especially true for newbies and if you’re looking at popular destinations. Though we must warn you, don’t start off trying to house sit in places like NYC!
Read more: NYC House Sitting 101
Messaging
Applying to house sits as soon as they are posted is essential as a house sitter. However, until the launch of the app, it was virtually impossible to apply via mobile phone. Though we had to resort to it on occasion, the messaging system through a mobile browser was horrible.
With the TrustedHousesitters app, you can easily receive and respond to messages from pet owners or sitters if you’re looking for one. You’ll get a push notification on your phone whenever you have a new message. We’ve found that this speeds up the process in discussing and securing sits, as people tend to check their email (where emails about new messages are sent) less frequently.
One feature we wish that the app and website would add is being able to message other sitters if you’re a sitter (or even other pet owners if you are an owner). That way, you can get in touch with other members to learn about their experience with a particular sitter or owner. While the review system does exist for both sides, often sitters do not utilize it unless they had a truly terrible experience. We’ve heard countless tales of sitters not reviewing owners that weren’t exactly bad house sits, but weren’t ones they’d repeat either.
Read more: How to Avoid Bad House Sits + 5 Tips for Avoiding Bad House Sitters
Search for Sitters or Sits
Viewing sitter profiles or sit listings is super easy through the app. Simply go to “Search” and click on “sits” or “sitters” depending on your needs. You can also get inspiration for sit locations or browse house sitters located near you.
For sitters, THS will give you “inspirational” sits on the front page, but they’re all over the place. I find it much more useful to search for a location. Use the map function (shown in screenshots below), you can get a grasp of sits available in places you’re interested in. Tap to apply directly to any of the sits you find!
Pet owners can also easily search for sitters through the app, which will automatically show sitters near your phone’s location. You can also type in the location in the search bar and find sitters there as well.
Keep in mind though, that sitters may have a certain location listed, but they may not be there if they are currently house sitting or full-time nomadic house sitters (like us). Our “home base” is in NYC and we often get invited for sits in NYC since we come up on the main page. This is why reading sitter profiles in full and checking their calendar for availability is key when looking for a sitter.
Access Welcome Guide
Whether you’re a house sitter or a pet owner, having instant access to the Welcome Guide is key. This guide contains all the information that a sitter needs to know about caring for a home and pets.
It’s super thorough and we always request that pet owners fill it out before leaving on their trip. It’s easy to forget to include routine things about your own home. By filling out the guide, you’ll have everything covered!
Pet owners can edit and send the Welcome Guide through the app, while house sitters can access guides that have been shared with them for their confirmed sits. This is especially helpful for referring back to in the early days of a sit, when you’re still getting used to the pet and home routine.
Manage Dashboard
Along with the welcome guide, Trustedhousesitters app users can manage other aspects of the sit. These include accepting sit invitations, confirming sits, Some features of this are still yet to come to the app, such as editing your profile as a house sitter.
TrustedHousesitters App for House Sitters In Summary:
As sitters, the key features include:
- ability to get push notifications about desired regions or favorite sits
- apply immediately via messaging
- easily access the welcome guide
- search for and view sits
TrustedHousesitters App for Pet Owners In Summary:
For pet owners, the key features are:
- search for nearby sitters
- close listings to applications
- respond to applicants
- edit and share welcome guide
If you are already a member and your phone supports the TrustedHousesitters app, there’s no reason not to download it straight away. While the app is still a bit buggy, it has gotten better over time, and hopefully, the developers will continue to improve on some features.
If you’re not a member and still on the fence, don’t forget to read our comprehensive TrustedHousesitters Review and sign up with the 10% discount for our readers.
Anything else to add about the TrustedHousesitters App? Add your comments below. Keep in mind that we are users of the app ourselves and have no affiliation with the company. If you are having difficulties with the app, please direct them to TrustedHousesitters directly!
