Home > Blog > How to Cancel a House Sit on TrustedHouseSitters
Quick Facts
| Feature launched | April 14, 2026 |
| Where to find the cancel button | Inside the chat thread with the pet parent (app or website) |
| App update required? | Yes — update to the latest version to access the feature |
| Cancellation policy changed? | No |
| Booking fee refund for pet parents | Within 5 to 7 business days |
| Can you leave a review after cancelling? | No — reviews require a completed sit |
| What happens to sit dates | Automatically relisted for new applicants |
| Premium benefit | Sit Cancellation Plan for pet parents |
TrustedHouseSitters has introduced a new cancellation feature for sitters, announced on April 14, 2026. For the first time, sitters can cancel a confirmed sit directly through the app or website, without contacting Membership Services or waiting for the pet parent to initiate anything. It brings the sitter experience in line with the options already available to homeowners, and it is a welcome change.
Cancellations are rare in house sitting, and the overwhelming majority of sits go exactly as planned. But when something unexpected happens, knowing how to handle a cancellation correctly protects you, the pet parent, and your profile on the platform.
What Has Changed
Until now, sitters who needed to cancel a confirmed sit had two options: contact Membership Services directly, or work through the pet parent. Neither was fast, and both placed an unnecessary burden on all parties. THS has addressed this by introducing a direct cancellation flow for sitters on both the app and website.
The cancellation button lives inside the chat thread between you and the pet parent. The logic is sound: the chat is where your entire relationship with that homeowner lives, and placing the cancel option there serves as a natural nudge to have a conversation before proceeding. When you cancel, you also have the option to leave a private note for the Membership Services team explaining your circumstances. Worth using if your situation is sensitive or if you want something on the record.
This change mirrors what pet parents have been able to do for some time and brings a welcome consistency to the platform. THS has been clear that the policy itself has not changed alongside this new feature. For a broader look at how THS works, our TrustedHouseSitters review covers the platform in full.
How to Cancel a House Sit: Step by Step
Make sure your app is up to date first. TrustedHouseSitters requires the latest version to access the new cancellation feature. When we updated the app ourselves on the day of the announcement, we were not yet able to locate the cancel button, so the rollout may still be in progress on some devices. If you cannot find it after updating, try the website version, or contact Membership Services directly in the meantime.
Once the feature is visible: open the TrustedHouseSitters app or website and navigate to your confirmed sit. Go into the chat thread with the pet parent for that sit and look for the cancel option within the conversation. Before you tap it, send the pet parent a direct message explaining what is happening. THS actively encourages this step, and it is the right thing to do regardless of the circumstances.
When you proceed with the cancellation, you will have the option to leave a private note for the Membership Services team. After confirmation, the pet parent receives a notification and the sit dates are automatically relisted for new applicants without the homeowner having to do anything. If you use a calendar to coordinate multiple sits, update your schedule as soon as the cancellation goes through.
Before You Hit Cancel
The most important step happens before you touch the cancel button. Contact the pet parent directly and tell them what is happening. This is not just good etiquette: it is part of the TrustedHouseSitters code of conduct that every member agrees to when they join. A pet parent who hears from you personally has time to start making alternative arrangements, reach out to previous applicants, or ask a neighbour before the listing even goes live again.
Most homeowners respond to honesty with genuine understanding. When we had to shorten a sit in Lullin, France, by a day after a family member became seriously ill, the homeowner was accommodating from the moment we explained the situation. Difficult circumstances are handled far better through a direct conversation than through a formal process. The sooner you communicate, the more options the other person has.
If you want to understand what kind of communication builds that trust from the start, our guide on what to ask a homeowner before you house sit explains how to lay the right groundwork during the video call stage.
What Counts as an Extraordinary Circumstance
The cancellation policy has not changed. A confirmed sit should only be cancelled in extraordinary circumstances, or if both parties agree. THS does not publish a precise list of what qualifies, but the community and Membership Services treat the following as clear grounds: a death in the family, a serious illness or hospitalisation, and situations where a sitter is physically unable to travel: a border refusal, a cancelled flight with no viable alternative, a medical emergency.
What does not qualify, and where you are likely to face scrutiny, is cancelling because of a disagreement with the homeowner, a change of personal preference, or because a better sit came along. The same standard applies in reverse: a pet parent cancelling because a family member decided to stay home, or because a casual conversation made them uncomfortable, is not an extraordinary circumstance. Unfortunately this kind of cancellation does happen. If you are on the receiving end of it, our article on recovering from a house sit cancellation covers your practical next steps.
It is also worth reading our conflict resolution guide if the cancellation is connected to a broader disagreement with the homeowner.
How Cancellations Affect Your Profile and Reputation
If a sit is cancelled before it starts, neither party can leave a review. Reviews on TrustedHouseSitters must relate directly to a completed sit, so a cancellation removes the review opportunity for both sides. That is fair, but it does leave a transparency gap.
Our view is that THS would benefit from displaying a cancellation rate on member profiles. A sitter who has cancelled multiple sits without clear cause should carry some visible indication of that, just as a pet parent who repeatedly cancels should. Currently there is no such signal on either side. It is something worth watching as the feature develops.
In practical terms, a single cancellation in real extraordinary circumstances will not appear anywhere on your profile and will not affect your review score. What matters most is how you handle it. If you are ever on the receiving end of a difficult review connected to a cancellation dispute, our guide on handling a negative review on a house sitting site has useful advice on responding constructively.
What If a Pet Parent Cancels on You
This new feature is specifically for sitters, but pet parent cancellations are worth addressing because they affect your plans just as significantly. We have had a sit cancelled when a homeowner's adult son decided he wanted to stay at his mother's house rather than his own apartment. The only practical response was to accept it and move on. Refusing or pushing back would have risked a poor review and gained nothing.
If a pet parent cancels and you believe it falls outside the code of conduct, contact THS Membership Services to flag the situation. THS may investigate if the cancellation appears to violate platform rules, and that process can result in action against the pet parent's membership. Keep a record of any conversation in the lead-up to the cancellation, particularly if the homeowner's reasoning seems thin or pretextual.
Our Experience: Shortening a Sit in Lullin
We came close to a full cancellation during a sit in Lullin, France, caring for two outdoor cats named Piton and Muscaton. A family member became seriously ill and we were not sure whether we would have the chance to see them if we did not leave quickly. We contacted the homeowner immediately, explained what was happening, and together we worked out a solution: we left one day early, and the homeowner arranged for a neighbour to feed the cats that day. Both cats were independent and the arrangement worked well for everyone.
What made that situation manageable was the conversation. We did not wait and hope things would resolve. We explained what we were facing, the homeowner responded with understanding, and we found a middle ground that worked. That is exactly how difficult situations should be handled on a platform built on trust.
If you are thinking about long-term house sitting, the relationship you build during initial contact makes a real difference when the unexpected happens. A homeowner who feels respected and well-informed is far more likely to meet you halfway.
Conclusion
The new TrustedHouseSitters cancellation feature is a welcome and long-overdue addition that treats sitters as equal participants rather than the party that always needs to ask for permission. The cancel button is placed inside the conversation where the relationship already lives, and the auto-relisting of sit dates means pet parents lose as little time as possible finding a replacement.
The policy has not changed. Cancellations should be rare, should happen only in real extraordinary circumstances, and should always be preceded by a direct conversation with the pet parent. If you are new to TrustedHouseSitters and want to understand the platform before your first sit, our getting started guide is a good place to begin.
We are Konrad and Caro, full-time travelling house sitters with 17 completed sits across 11 countries. If you have a question about cancellations or anything else house sitting related, DM us @housesittersguide on Instagram. We answer everyone.
Frequently Asked Questions
Has TrustedHouseSitters changed its cancellation policy?
No. The policy remains the same: a sit should only be cancelled in extraordinary circumstances, or if both parties agree. What has changed is the process. Sitters can now initiate a cancellation directly through the app or website rather than contacting Membership Services.
Where is the cancel button on TrustedHouseSitters?
Inside the chat thread between you and the pet parent, available on both the app and website. You will need to update your app to the latest version to access it. If you cannot find it after updating, try the website version or contact Membership Services directly.
Can I leave a review if I cancel a sit?
No. If a sit is cancelled before it starts, neither the sitter nor the pet parent can leave a review. Reviews on TrustedHouseSitters must relate to a completed sit.
Will I get a refund on the booking fee if I cancel?
The booking fee refund applies to the pet parent, not the sitter. Pet parents receive a full refund within 5 to 7 business days and are only recharged once a new sitter is confirmed.
What is the TrustedHouseSitters Sit Cancellation Plan?
A Premium membership benefit that provides added protection if a sit is cancelled. It covers pet parents for the cost of alternative care arrangements under specific conditions. Our subscriptions and insurance guide explains the conditions in full.
Can I cancel a sit that is already in progress?
Neither sitters nor pet parents can cut a sit short without both parties agreeing. If you face extraordinary circumstances mid-sit, contact the pet parent immediately and give them reasonable time to make alternative arrangements. Then contact Membership Services so the sit duration can be updated on both accounts.
What should I do if a pet parent refuses to agree to a cancellation I need?
If your reason is a real extraordinary circumstance, proceed with the new cancellation feature and document your situation using the private note to Membership Services. THS does not require mutual consent when the circumstances are legitimate.
