Home > Blog > Homeowner Doesn't Leave a Review
Quick Facts
| THS review window | 14 days from the end of the sit. after that, neither party can review |
| How the blind system works | Neither party sees the other's review until both submit or the window closes |
| Our approach | Write our review within 24-48 hours, then wait |
| If no review after 7 days | Send one gentle reminder message |
| If still no review | Move on. one missing review does not define a profile |
| What a missing review signals | Either the homeowner forgot, the sit ended awkwardly, or they decided to say nothing |
| Platform's position | THS cannot force a homeowner to leave a review |
A missing review is one of the most discussed frustrations in the THS community. The forum thread on this topic has nearly 2,000 views. You completed the sit well. You left the home clean. The pets were happy. You wrote your review within two days. And then nothing. The 14-day window ticks down and the homeowner's side stays blank.
Based on 18 sits across 11 countries with TrustedHouseSitters, we have received a review from every sit we have completed. Not because we were passive about it. We send a reminder message after a week if nothing has arrived.
This article covers the exact process, the message template, what the platform can and cannot do, and how to think about your profile when a review does not come. Start with our 25% THS discount when joining the platform.
Why Reviews Matter More on House Sitting Platforms
A review on TrustedHouseSitters is not the same as a five-star rating on a hotel booking. It is closer to a professional reference. A sitter with no reviews has no verifiable track record. A sitter with ten detailed five-star reviews has demonstrated, sit after sit, that they are trustworthy, competent, and worth the homeowner's keys.
This is why missing reviews sting more than they would on other platforms. Each review is evidence of a completed sit: proof that real homeowners in real homes trusted you with their animals and their property. Our THS blind review guide covers how the review system works in detail, including why writing yours first (within 48 hours) is always the right approach.
A single missing review on a profile with ten others is barely visible. A missing review on a profile with two is a significant gap. The earlier you are in your house sitting journey, the more each individual review matters, which makes the prompt and the follow-up more important at that stage.
Write Yours First, Every Time
The most common reason homeowners do not leave reviews is not that the sit was bad. It is that life resumed the moment they got home, and the review never made it to the top of the list.
You can address half of this problem yourself. Writing your review within 24 to 48 hours of the sit ending keeps the experience fresh and sets a social expectation. The homeowner sees the notification that your review has been submitted and is more likely to complete theirs.
THS uses a blind review system. Neither party sees what the other has written until both submit, or until the 14-day window closes. This means there is no strategic reason to wait. Writing your review on day one costs you nothing and increases the likelihood that the homeowner completes theirs promptly. In our experience, we are almost always first. The homeowner's review typically follows within a day or two.
If you have not yet built the habit of reviewing immediately after every sit, this is the single most impactful change you can make to your profile growth. Our checkout guide has the review as a standard step in the departure checklist.
The Seven-Day Rule
If a week passes after the sit ends with no review from the homeowner, send one reminder. One message, sent through the platform messaging system or WhatsApp, warmly and without pressure.
This is the message we use:
"Hello [name], hope you and [pet name] are doing well. We were just wondering if we could get a review, as it really helps us with getting future house sits. Unless there is anything you would like to discuss first, please feel free to reach out. Thank you again for the wonderful sit."
This message does three things well. It is warm and genuine rather than transactional. It opens a door for the homeowner to raise anything unresolved, which shows confidence and good faith. And it gives the homeowner a clear, low-effort prompt without making them feel pressured or guilty.
In most cases, the review arrives within a day or two of sending this message. Homeowners who simply forgot respond quickly and apologetically. Homeowners who were unsure how to feel about the sit either respond and have a conversation, or do not respond at all. and that silence is itself useful information.
Send the reminder once. Not twice. Not three times. A second reminder moves from polite prompting into pressure, which can create resentment and produce a worse outcome than a missing review would have. One message is professional. Two starts to feel like chasing.
What THS Can and Cannot Do
The platform cannot force a homeowner to leave a review. TrustedHouseSitters and all other house sitting platforms provide the tool and the window. Using it is at the discretion of each member.
What THS can do: you can contact Membership Services to flag that a homeowner is not responding to your review reminder. In rare cases involving a pattern of non-review behaviour on a homeowner's profile, this can prompt a platform nudge. But for a single missing review from a single sit, the platform's position is that it encourages reviews without mandating them.
This is a reasonable design choice. Forced reviews would produce insincere ones, which are worse for the community than absent ones. The platform's value lies in the authenticity of its review system, and authenticity requires that participation is voluntary.
What you can do: your part of the process is in your control. Write yours promptly, send one reminder at day seven, and accept that the homeowner's participation is theirs to decide.
The Empty Review and What It Signals
An empty review slot on a homeowner's profile is a signal, as we cover in our blind review guide. A sitter's profile with an empty slot is a different kind of signal.
Future homeowners browsing your profile will see a gap. Most will assume the homeowner forgot or did not get around to it. This is the most common explanation and homeowners know it. A single gap on a profile of ten sits is essentially invisible. What matters is the overall pattern: multiple reviews describing the same positive qualities, specific details about sits, animals, and homes, a clear track record of reliability.
If you are early in your house sitting journey and are missing a review from one of your first few sits, it matters more proportionally. This is one reason the reminder message is worth sending rather than passively hoping. Each early review is foundational. Later in your profile's life, a missing review is a minor footnote.
The situation changes if the missing review follows a sit that ended on a difficult note. A homeowner who was unhappy about something and chose not to review rather than leave a negative review is choosing silence over criticism. That silence is a form of mercy, and from your end the appropriate response is to move on rather than to push for a review that may not be positive. Our what to do when a sit goes wrong guide covers those situations separately.
Responding to Reviews You Do Receive
On TrustedHouseSitters, you can leave a public response to any review on your profile. Caro and I used to respond publicly to reviews. These days we prefer to send a personal message directly to the homeowner on WhatsApp to thank them for the kind words.
The public response has a specific use: if a review contains inaccuracies or is unfairly negative, a calm and professional public response shows future homeowners how you handle criticism. Our negative review guide covers this in detail. For positive reviews, a warm private message is both more personal and more meaningful than a public thank-you that nobody will read.
Conclusion
A missing review is frustrating but rarely fatal to a profile. Write yours first, send one reminder after seven days, and move on if nothing comes. The homeowner's decision to review or not review is theirs to make, and the platform cannot override it.
What you can control is your own half of the process: the speed with which you write yours, the quality of what you write, and the warmth of the reminder message you send. Do those three things consistently and the vast majority of homeowners will review you.
For profile building strategy more broadly, read our getting your first house sit guide and our house sitting profile guide. Reviews are the most important element on the profile, and building them systematically from the first sit is what separates a strong profile from a weak one after a year of house sitting.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What should I do if a homeowner doesn't leave me a review after a house sit?
Write your own review within 24-48 hours of the sit ending, then wait seven days. If nothing has arrived after a week, send one gentle reminder through the platform or WhatsApp. Keep it warm and leave space for the homeowner to raise anything unresolved. Send the reminder once only. See our THS review system guide for the full approach.
Can TrustedHouseSitters force a homeowner to leave a review?
No. THS cannot compel a homeowner to review. The platform provides the tool and the 14-day window, but participation is voluntary. You can contact Membership Services to flag a non-responsive homeowner, but the outcome is typically a platform nudge rather than a guaranteed review. The review system's value depends on reviews being given voluntarily.
How long do I have to leave a review on TrustedHouseSitters?
14 days from the end of the sit. After that window closes, neither party can add a review for that sit. The blind system means neither party sees the other's review until both submit or the window expires. Write yours as early as possible: within 24 to 48 hours is best.
Does a missing review hurt my house sitting profile?
One missing review on a profile with multiple others is barely noticeable. Earlier in your profile's life, each review matters more proportionally. The most important thing is building a consistent track record: multiple detailed reviews describing the same qualities across different sits. A single gap in an otherwise strong profile is not a red flag for homeowners evaluating you.
