Home > Blog > When a Homeowner Raises a Concern After the Sit
Caro and I are not lawyers. Nothing in this article is legal advice. Every situation is different, every country has different laws, and platforms update their policies regularly. Before you respond to any serious concern or claim, take the time to research your specific situation. We strongly recommend pausing before reacting — a calm, researched response will always serve you better than an immediate panicked one. Taking responsibility for something you did not do because you did not know your position is one of the most avoidable mistakes in these situations.
Quick Facts
| Most common post-sit concerns | Damage claims, cleanliness complaints, pet behaviour questions |
| Single most useful protection | A timestamped video walkthrough filmed when the homeowner leaves and again before you depart |
| What THS can realistically do | Document the dispute and flag the account — they cannot adjudicate damage claims or force compensation |
| Disputed damage with no evidence | Almost always resolves as "he said, she said" — documentation is the only decisive factor |
| Undisclosed cameras | Mention it immediately, request they be turned off, message the platform if refused |
| Responding to a bad review publicly | Brief, calm, factual — your response matters more to future homeowners than the review itself |
| The Portugal reactive dog review | Five stars, one line — the short dismissive tone told its own story |
When a homeowner raises a concern after the sit has ended, the dynamic is different from an in-sit problem. You are no longer in their home. The conversation is happening without the shared context of being physically present. What matters now is documentation, composure, and a response that reflects well on you regardless of how the situation ends. Your videos are your evidence. Your public response is your reputation.
We have been fortunate. Across twenty sits in twelve countries, no homeowner has returned and raised a serious concern about damage or our conduct. The closest was the Portugal reactive dog sit. We went above and beyond for a difficult situation involving a dog with resource guarding behaviour that was never disclosed to us. When we asked the homeowner for a review, what came back was: "I highly recommend Konrad and Caro." One line. No warmth. No mention of what we had managed.
A short dismissive review is its own signal. Anyone reading through a profile who sees page after page of specific, warm reviews and then encounters one that says barely anything will notice the difference. The review does not need to say anything negative to communicate that something was off. In this case the tension was visible in what was absent.
This article covers what to do when a homeowner returns and raises a concern. How to use your documentation, how to handle disputed claims, what THS support can and cannot do, and how to respond publicly to a review that does not reflect the reality of what happened.
For how to handle mishaps while the sit is still in progress, the existing damaging property during a house sit guide covers that. All sits through TrustedHouseSitters. Use our 25% discount when joining.
The Walkthrough Video: The Only Real Protection
The THS forum has a recurring pattern. A homeowner returns after a sit, goes over their security camera footage, and notices damage. Sometimes the sitter caused it and did not mention it. Sometimes the damage was there before the sitter arrived and the homeowner, doing a thorough clean-down on return, has noticed it for the first time.
Without documentation, both scenarios look identical. It is the sitter's word against the homeowner's memory of how the property looked when they left. That is not a position anyone wants to be in.
The solution is a walkthrough video filmed in two stages. First, immediately after the homeowner leaves. Before you unpack, before you settle in. Every room, every surface, any existing damage, the condition of the furniture, the garden, the appliances. Film it on your phone, send it to yourself immediately via WhatsApp or email. The upload creates a timestamp. Keep the original in your camera roll. WhatsApp compresses files and can strip the embedded metadata. The second walkthrough happens after you clean up and before handover. The same rooms, the same areas. The two videos together show exactly what the property looked like at the start and end of your responsibility.
You never need to share these with the homeowner unless a dispute arises. The point is not to create a confrontational record. It is to have an objective reference that exists independently of anyone's recollection. If a homeowner raises a concern about something that was already present when you arrived, you can say "let me check the walkthrough video I recorded on day one" and the conversation changes entirely. A timestamped video is not an accusation. It is evidence. Our snooping and homeowner privacy guide covers the documentation habit in broader context.
On Undisclosed Cameras
In Kefalonia there was a camera on the balcony. It was disclosed. But even knowing it was there changed how I felt about the space. I could not fully unwind on the balcony because I was aware of being observed.
If you arrive at a sit and discover cameras inside the home that were not disclosed in the welcome guide or the pre-sit video call, the response is direct: mention it to the homeowner immediately, and request they are switched off or covered for the duration of the sit. If the homeowner refuses, message THS support to document the situation, and do not leave the pets unattended until there is someone else to take over care. Cover the cameras in the meantime. This is not about having something to hide. It is about a basic right to privacy in a space you are living in.
Undisclosed indoor cameras are a terms and conditions violation on THS. The platform takes this seriously even if their ability to act quickly is limited. The member dispute process. Email to support@trustedhousesitters.com, titled "Member Dispute," with your membership ID and a detailed account. Creates a formal record. Our TrustedHouseSitters disputes guide covers the full process and the 30-day window that applies.
What THS Support Can and Cannot Do
This is the most important thing to understand clearly about THS support before relying on it: THS is a matchmaking platform, not a financial arbitration service. They do have a formal member dispute process — email support@trustedhousesitters.com within 30 days of the sit ending, with your membership ID and timestamped evidence — and they do investigate. They can and do remove members from the platform for serious violations. What they cannot do is tell a sitter to pay compensation, tell a homeowner to drop a claim, or verify what happened inside a private home without direct evidence. The outcome of a formal THS complaint is platform-level — a member flagged or removed — not financial.
When something goes wrong, contacting THS support is worth doing. But for documentation and record-keeping, not for rescue. If a homeowner raises a serious unfounded claim and you have reported the situation to THS first, the record of your complaint creates context. It shows you acted formally and professionally before any escalation. If THS receives multiple complaints about the same member, they can flag or remove the account. That process is real, if slow.
For anything serious. A theft allegation, a significant property damage claim, anything that involves real money. The documentation you hold is worth more than anything THS can do. A timestamped video and a clear message trail resolve most disputes. For claims that persist, that evidence is what matters to an insurance company, a platform dispute team, or, in extreme cases, a legal process. The platform is a supporting record. Your own documentation is the foundation. Our house sitting disputes guide covers what THS formally investigates and the evidence formats they accept.
Handling the Post-Sit Message
When a homeowner contacts you after the sit to raise a concern, the structure of your response matters.
If you caused the damage or the concern is valid: acknowledge it directly, state what you know, and offer a resolution. The same approach as an in-sit problem. Fact, responsibility, offer. Still applies, but with the additional context that the homeowner is now home and processing the experience of returning.
If the concern involves something you did not cause: reference your documentation calmly and without accusation. "I actually filmed a walkthrough when I arrived and again before I left. I can send you the relevant section if that would help clarify things." This is not aggressive. It is professional.
If the concern seems to be building toward a significant or unfounded claim: stay factual, keep the communication on the platform where it is timestamped, and avoid long defensive responses that could be read as escalation. Short, clear, documented.
The one thing that makes post-sit conversations deteriorate quickly is emotional defensiveness. A homeowner who has returned to find something they did not expect is already in a state of mild stress. A sitter who responds with detailed justifications and explanations before acknowledging the homeowner's concern makes it worse. Acknowledge first. Reference evidence second. Offer a resolution third.
The Disputed Claim and the "He Said, She Said" Reality
The uncomfortable truth about a homeowner claiming damage that the sitter denies is that without evidence, neither party can prove their version. This is not a failure of the platform or the process. It is the nature of a dispute between two people who were in the same property at different times.
The forum thread where a homeowner discovered damage through security camera footage weeks after the sit is instructive. In that case, the footage was decisive. The damage was clearly visible, clearly caused during the sit, and the sitter had not mentioned it. The homeowner had the evidence. The conversation had a resolution.
In most cases no such footage exists. The homeowner noticed the scratch after a thorough clean. The sitter has no specific memory of it. Neither is lying. The walkthrough video resolves this instantly because it shows what was there before the sitter arrived. Without it, the only path is a conversation that may not reach a satisfying conclusion for either party.
A serious false claim. Theft, significant damage, something that involves substantial money. Moves into a different category. In that scenario, your message trail, your walkthrough videos, and the platform's dispute record are your protection. A homeowner who pursues a significant claim without any evidence is in a weak position legally. Harassment or unfounded accusations made through the platform can themselves become a reportable matter.
When the Concern Becomes a Review
Sometimes the homeowner does not contact you directly. They simply leave a review.
How to respond publicly is covered in detail in the negative review guide on this site. The principle worth emphasising here: a calm, factual public response to a bad or unfair review tells future homeowners more about your character than a page of five-star reviews does.
The sitter on the THS forum who received a one-star review after eighteen positive ones was advised by the community to respond briefly, professionally, and without visible emotion. The community's assessment was clear: a one-star review reflects more poorly on the homeowner than on the sitter when the surrounding context is strong positive reviews. Your response confirms or undermines that initial impression.
The Portugal reactive dog review. Barely five stars, one short line. Demonstrated this from the other direction. We did not need to respond to it. Our other reviews, the specific detail in them, and the contrast with that one dismissive sentence did the work. Future homeowners reading the profile will draw their own conclusions.
What a bad review cannot undo is a consistent pattern of genuine sits handled well. The long-term repair is more sits, more real feedback, and the record that builds from doing the work properly. Our building trust guide covers how that record compounds over time.
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Post-Sit Concern Response Guide
| Situation | First response | What to reference | What to avoid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homeowner claims damage you caused | Acknowledge, take responsibility, offer to compensate | Your walkthrough video to confirm the damage occurred during your stay | Defensive explanations before acknowledgement |
| Homeowner claims damage you did not cause | Reference your arrival walkthrough video calmly | The timestamped video showing the property's condition on day one | Accusations or emotional responses |
| Undisclosed cameras discovered | Notify homeowner immediately, request they are turned off | THS terms and conditions, platform support for documentation | Staying silent or simply covering them without raising it |
| Significant unfounded claim (theft, major damage) | Keep communication on platform, respond factually and briefly | All documentation, message trail, walkthrough videos | Long defensive messages, anything that could be read as escalation |
| Homeowner leaves a bad review | Wait 24 hours before responding | The facts of the sit, kept brief and professional | Emotional responses, paragraph-length rebuttals |
| Homeowner contacts you weeks after sit | Reference documentation created at the time | Timestamped videos, timestamped messages from during the sit | Agreeing to something you do not remember or cannot verify |
Frequently Asked Questions
What should I do if a homeowner contacts me after the sit claiming I caused damage?
Reference your walkthrough videos first. If the damage was there when you arrived, your arrival video shows it. If it was not, the departure video shows the property's condition when you left. Share the relevant section calmly. "I have a walkthrough I filmed on arrival that may help clarify this. Happy to share it." If the damage did occur during your sit and you did not report it at the time, acknowledge it directly and offer a resolution. Honesty at this point is significantly better than denial with no documentation to support it.
What if a homeowner discovers damage through their security cameras after the sit?
If the footage is accurate and you caused the damage, acknowledge it. The footage removes ambiguity and denial serves no purpose. If the footage shows something that looks like damage but you have no recollection of causing it, request to see the specific recording, reference your walkthrough videos for context, and approach the conversation as a joint assessment rather than an accusation. The forum case where a sitter's child kicked garden lights shows that footage is often decisive. Your best protection is to have caused no damage and to have your own documentation showing the property's condition throughout.
What can THS actually do when a homeowner raises a dispute after a sit?
They can document the complaint, flag the account, and in serious cases remove a membership. They cannot compel compensation, adjudicate damage claims, or verify what happened inside a private home without direct evidence. Use THS support to create a formal record, not as a primary resolution mechanism. For anything involving significant money or serious allegations, your own documentation and a professional message trail are the assets that matter.
Should I respond to a bad or unfair review on THS?
Yes. Once, briefly, calmly, and factually. A measured public response tells future homeowners more about your character than the review itself. The THS community consistently advises: do not respond emotionally, do not write a paragraph, do not attack the homeowner. State the relevant facts briefly and close professionally. If the surrounding context is strong positive reviews, a one-star with a calm response will often read as more persuasive to future homeowners than additional five-star reviews. Our negative review guide covers the full response strategy.
What protection does a sitter have against a serious false claim?
Your documentation. A timestamped walkthrough video from arrival and departure, a clear message trail on the platform, and a member dispute filed with THS create a record that a homeowner making unfounded serious claims cannot easily override. Without evidence, serious claims remain "he said, she said". Which is a weak position for a homeowner trying to pursue compensation or a platform ban. In truly extreme cases involving theft allegations or legal action, this documentation is what professional and legal processes rely on.
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