TRUST MY PET SITTER INTERNATIONAL - TERMS OF SERVICE
Last updated: 24th April 2024
Welcome to Trust My Pet Sitter. We are committed to ensuring you have the best possible experience when using our Services (as defined below).
When we talk about Trust My Pet Sitter “we”, “our” or “us” in these Terms of Service, we are referring to Trust My Pet Sitter International Ltd whose registered office is at 5 South Charlotte St, Edinburgh, EH2 4AN.
Please read these Terms of Service carefully as they contain important information about your legal rights, remedies and obligations. By registering to become a Member (as defined below), you agree to comply with and be bound by these Terms of Service.
BY AGREEING TO THESE TERMS DURING THE ACCOUNT SIGN-UP PROCESS OR ACCESSING OR USING THE TRUST MY PET SITTER SERVICE WITHOUT AN ACCOUNT, YOU ACCEPT THESE TERMS. IF YOU DO NOT AGREE WITH THESE TERMS, YOU SHOULD NOT ACCEPT THEM, IN WHICH CASE YOU DO NOT HAVE THE RIGHT TO USE THE TRUST MY PET SITTER SERVICE.
You understand and agree that we may change the Terms from time to time, and that any such changes will be effective when we post the modified Terms on the Trust My Pet Sitter Service, unless otherwise required by applicable law. Your continued access and use of the Trust My Pet Sitter Service after we post the modified Terms will constitute your consent to be bound by the modified Terms.
Please use the Glossary to understand the meaning of some of the terms used in these Terms of Service.
If you have any questions about anything in these Terms of Service, please get in touch with our Account Management Team.
OVERVIEW OF HOW THE SERVICES WORK
In consideration of Members registering and complying with the requirements of these Terms of Service, we will provide the following:
the ability for Pet Parents to make their property available to Sitters; and/or
the ability for Sitters to provide the services of caring for a Pet Parent’s property and/or pet(s); and
the right to use our other services as set out in section 2.
Pet Parents and Sitters are together referred to as “Members” or individually as “you”.
We will provide the Services to you for an unspecified period so long as you continue to follow the requirements for members, as set out in section titled Requirements of Pet Parents and Sitters.
The Services can be accessed via our website and/or mobile application at Trust My Pet Sitter.com (“Platform”).
Bookings. Pet Owners and Service Providers transact with each other on the Trust My Pet Sitter Service when they both agree to a “booking” that specifies the fees, time period, cancellation policy, and other terms for provision of Pet Care Services via the booking mechanism provided on the Trust My Pet Sitter Service (a “Booking”).
A Booking may be initiated by either a Service Provider or a Pet Owner or Pet Parent by selecting the type(s) of Pet Care Services to be provided and then confirming the booking with your Account Manager via Email, Telephone or Whatsapp.
If you are a Pet Parent or Owner and you initiate a Booking, you agree to pay for the Pet Care Services described in the Booking when you confirm your booking with your Account Manager via Email, Telephone or Whatsapp.
If you are a Pet Owner or Pet Parent and a Service Provider initiates a Booking, you agree to pay for the Pet Care Services described in the Booking when you confirm your booking with your Account Manager via Email, Telephone or Whatsapp. All requests are subject to acceptance by the receiving party. The receiving party is not obligated to accept your (or any) request and may, at their discretion, decline for any reason. You acknowledge that, once you complete a Booking, you agree to honour the price and other terms of that Booking, as acknowledged in the Booking confirmation.
SEPARATE AGREEMENT BETWEEN MEMBERS
When you arrange a Pet Sit via our Platform, you are entering into an agreement between yourself and a Pet Parent or Sitter (as applicable). It is entirely your responsibility to ensure that the requirements of the Pet Sit Listing/Sitter Profile are in line with your expectations and experience. We do provide guidance on how best to arrange a Pet Sit, but any arrangements you come to form part of the separate agreement between you and the Pet Parent and Sitter (as applicable). For avoidance of doubt, we are not party to any agreement, contractual or otherwise, between a Pet Parent and a Sitter.
You should use your best judgement before arranging a Sit/Sitter, or otherwise interacting with other Members via the Platform. You are solely responsible for making decisions that are in your best interests, including in relation to properties and pet(s).
THE SERVICES WE PROVIDE FOR MEMBERS
The services we provide for Pet Parents are:
the ability to create a Pet Sit listing
the ability to search for Sitters via a method provided by our Account Management Team;
the ability to choose and confirm a Sitter via your Account Manager on the Platform;
the ability to leave a Review for a Sitter who has completed a Pet Sit;
The services we provide for Sitters are:
the ability to create a Pet Sitter Profile listing;
the ability to search for Sits via a method provided by our Account Management Team;
the ability to choose and confirm a Pet Sit via your Account Manager on the Platform
the ability to leave a review for a Pet Parent after you have completed a Pet Sit for them;
THE SERVICES WE DO NOT PROVIDE TO MEMBERS
We do not provide guarantees for any of the following:
the safety of a Pet Parent’s home and/or pet(s);
confirmation of arrangements including dates of Sit;
whether the Sit will go ahead as arranged.
That your Pet Sit Listing or Pet Sitter Profile will be approved by us; and
a match with another Member to commence a Sit.
We do not actively provide any of the following:
house sitting and/or pet care services, the Platform is available for Members to be introduced and communicate with each other;
full Criminal Background Checks on all Pet Sitters;
validation of information in the Criminal Background Checks;
employment of any Pet Sitters;
checking the validity of Pet Sitter References;
endorsement of the quality or performance of Pet Sitters;
endorsement of the Pet Parent’s Home Listing details;
endorsement of any Reviews or Feedback provided by Members;
Employment
Trust My Pet Sitter International Ltd is not an employment service and does not serve as an employer of any user signing up to the Site. It is the Supplier’s responsibility to disclose any income made through bookings on the site and Trust My Pet Sitter International Ltd will not be liable for any tax or withholding, including but not limited to unemployment insurance, employers liability, social security, PAYE, NIC in connection with your use of the Site. You understand and agree that if Trust My Pet Sitter International Ltd is found to be liable for any tax in connection with your use of the Site, then you will immediately reimburse and pay to Trust My Pet Sitter International Ltd an equivalent amount including any penalties and interest incurred.
REQUIREMENTS OF PET PARENTS AND SITTERS
The following applies to all Members.
You will:
be an individual who is at least 18 years old;
comply at all times in full with these Terms of Service;
provide essential information about yourself (including name, email address and password) and keep your details up to date. Our collection and use of personal information in connection with your access and use of the Platform is described in our Privacy Policy;
keep your login details confidential and prevent any unauthorised access to, or use of, the Services via your Account;
promptly notify us of any unauthorised use of your Account;
not create a fake identity or impersonate anyone else;
not create an Account in breach of any of our policies or procedures;
only upload images of a certain format, size and resolution in accordance with our specifications (that will be notified to you at the time);
only use the Services for domestic and private use, and will not use the Services in connection with any business or other organisation or for any commercial purpose whatsoever;
respond to communications from other Members in a timely manner, but in any event, within 48 hours;
complete a pre sit Handover and a post sit Handover;
only cancel a Sit (or complete a Sit early) if there are extraordinary circumstances and you will immediately notify the Owner or Sitter and your Account Manager at Trust My Pet Sitter International Ltd (as applicable) of this;
not access all or any part of the Platform or Services in order to build a product or service which competes with the Services (including the Platform); or use other services to provide the Services (or any services similar to the Services) to third parties;
not attempt to copy (in any way possible), modify, transmit or distribute all or any portion of the Platform (including any software) in any form or media or by any means; and
provide us with Safety Contact Information so that you can be contacted about your Trust My Pet Sitter Account in the event of an emergency.
not be residing in a jurisdiction which our financial service provider has deemed high risk, such as Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Crimea region, and Syria.
The following applies only to Pet Parents. You will:
be responsible for vaccinating your own pet(s) and notify your Sitter should your pet(s) have any illnesses or ailments;
ensure you have adequate provisions in place for veterinary care of your pet (such as pet insurance); and you hereby authorise the Sitter to obtain veterinary care for your pet(s) during a Sit if you cannot be reached;
remain responsible at all times for any veterinary treatment that your pet(s) may require, including all costs and expenses incurred by the Sitter in relation to the same; and you will reimburse the Sitter for any such costs within 14 days of completion of a Sit;
ensure that no pets to be left under the care of a Sitter have ever caused a person or animal any physical harm (no matter how minor the injury);
notify a Sitter of any special requirements or behaviors relating to your pet(s) in your Pet Sit Listing and when you communicate with any Sitter and during the handover;
evaluate the suitability of Pet Sitters for yourself via direct communication with the Sitter where appropriate;
you will ensure that the details of your Pet Sit Listing is truthfully and accurately communicated with your Account Manager at Trust My Pet Sitter, and Pet Sitters;
only provide Member Content that accurately reflects the quality and condition of your home and or pet(s);
ensure that you have adequate home insurance and that this insurance also covers you for the occupancy of a Sitter in your home (you may need to check this with your insurance provider);
not have any inherently dangerous pets (such as venomous snakes or constrictors, primates, wolves or wolf hybrids, non-domesticated cats, alligators), or any animal with a history of attacks on pets or people;
not have any pets which aren’t explicitly listed in the details of the Pet Sit Listing or within communications between your Account Manager and/or Pet Sitter;
ensure your home is vacated for a Pet Sitter throughout the duration of the Sit, and that no third parties will interfere with the Pet Sitter’s enjoyment of your property;
adhere to our Camera and Recording Devices Policy. This includes having no internal recording or monitoring devices enabled during a sit.
give sitters prior notice of any weapon that will be present in your premises during a sit. All weapons that are present at your premises must be properly stored and secured and where possible, out of sight. All weapons present in a listing must be secured regardless of whether they’ve been disclosed.
The following applies only to Pet Sitters. You will:
abide by all of the Pet Parent’s requests or instructions that are stipulated in their Home Listing and Handover Notes;
contact the Pet Parent if the pet(s) requires veterinary care;
get approval to take the pet(s) to the vet for treatment and get the Pet Parent’s agreement to pay for any costs incurred. If you can’t reach the Pet Parent and the pet’s health is at risk, you will contact the vet specified in the Handover Notes and/or contact your Account Manager without delay;
pay any veterinary expenses up front and request the Pet Parent to reimburse you for all costs incurred;
immediately contact the Pet Parent in the event of any damage to property and get their approval for repair. In the event of an emergency, and you are unable to contact the Pet Parent, you will pay for the repair of any damage caused, and request the Pet Parent reimburse you for all costs incurred (provided you have not caused the damage yourself);
not leave any Sit early under any circumstances, especially where this results in any pet(s) being left unattended, without first informing the Pet Parent and giving them reasonable time to arrange alternative pet care. If you do, you will immediately receive a lifetime ban from the Platform;
before arranging a Sit, have suitable insurance in place that will cover you for any travel and medical expenses;
only upload Member Content that accurately reflects your house and pet sitting experience;
not allow any other person(s) to participate in the sit unless they have been approved in writing by the Pet Parent;
ensure that all Sits will be completed within your current membership term (unless we have given you written permission otherwise, however please be aware that this could involve additional costs); and
ensure that pets will remain at the Pet Parent’s property overnight, and will not be taken away from the house without prior approval from the Pet Parent.
provide notice of and obtain consent from owners for any secured weapons that you intend to be on your person or in your possession while attending a housesit, prior to booking.
CONSEQUENCES OF NOT COMPLYING WITH REQUIREMENTS FOR TRUST MY PET SITTER MEMBERS
In the event that a Member does not comply with the Requirements of Pet Parents and Sitters the following shall apply. We may:
issue you with a warning;
suspend your Account so you will not be able to access the Services during the suspension term;
permanently block your access to the Services;
immediately terminate these Terms of Service and delete your Pet Sit Listing and/or remove your Pet Sitter Profile;
report any offenses committed to the appropriate authority;
The application of these sanctions is entirely at our discretion and we can choose whether to apply any one or all of them at any time.
FEES
You will pay the Trust My Pet Sitter Service Fee as part of your booking fee, which is calculated as at 10% of your assignment fees for Pet Sitters.
You will pay the Trust My Pet Sitter Service Fee as part of your booking fee, which is calculated as at 10% of your booking fee for Pet Parents.
All amounts and fees stated or referred to in these Terms of Service shall be payable in the currency available and selected by the Member.
It is up to you to keep your details registered with us (e.g. billing information, payment card details and email address) accurate and up to date in order for us to take a payment for Pet Sitting.
We may increase the price of any of our Services at any time and where we do so, we will email you. We will aim to give you at least 30 days notice of any such price increase.
Please note that all payments made under these Terms of Service are processed by a third party (Stripe, Inc.), however, we are committed to protecting your personal data and so it will be handled in accordance with our Privacy Policy.
TERM AND TERMINATION
The following applies to Pet Parents and Pet Sitters:
The following applies to all members:
If we terminate these Terms of Service in accordance with clause 6, you will not be entitled to a refund of any kind.
We reserve the right to suspend or terminate your access to the Platform and/or Services at our sole discretion. If your access to the Platform and/or Services is suspended then you will remain listed in the Member database but will not be listed on the Platform until we notify you in writing that your suspension has ended.
If your Criminal Background Check has returned as ‘failed’ and the appeals process has been exhausted, we reserve the right to permanently suspend your access to the Platform and/or Services.
Whether or not we choose to terminate these Terms of Service will not have an effect on any other rights or remedies which we may have.
CONTENT AND PLATFORM OWNERSHIP
In consideration of the payment of the Trust My Pet Sitter Service Charge, you hereby assign to us with full rights guarantee to all intellectual property rights in all FRR Content and you hereby waive any claims you may have in the FRR Content. This means we own the FRR Content and will enable us to edit or delete any FRR Content.
You hereby grant us an irrevocable, perpetual, non-exclusive, sub-licensable, royalty-free worldwide licence to use, copy, perform, publicly display, reproduce, adapt, modify, transmit, broadcast, prepare derivative works of, and/or distribute Member Content in connection with providing and/or promoting the Platform and the Services.
You hereby confirm that you have created the Member Content that belongs to you and you are the author of the FRR Content that belongs to us and that our use of both will not infringe the rights of any third party.
You hereby confirm that any content you upload to the Platform will not violate the Code of Conduct, our Acceptable Use Policy or these Terms of Service.
You hereby acknowledge and agree that we own all intellectual property rights in the Platform and/or Services. This includes the (i) technology and software used to provide the Platform and/or Services; (ii) the content on the Platform (save in respect of any Member Content); and (iii) any trademarks and logos. You hereby acknowledge and agree that you do not have any intellectual property rights to, or in, the Platform or Services.
DISPUTES BETWEEN MEMBERS
We will help Members resolve disputes only in accordance with the Member Dispute Process.
Any outcome of the Member Dispute Process is entirely at our discretion and is a final binding decision.
YOUR RIGHTS
As a consumer, you have legal rights in relation to the Platform and/or Services. Advice about your legal rights is available from the Citizens’ Advice Bureau or Trading Standards office.
OTHER IMPORTANT TERMS
Only you and us have the rights in these Terms of Service.
You hereby agree that you are not our employee, partner, agent or legal representative of any kind. You will not make any statements, representations or commitments of any kind, or to take any action that could legally bind us.
If we do not take any action against you this does not mean that we forgo any rights, we may have under these Terms of Service.
If any part of these Terms of Service are found to be invalid, unenforceable or illegal, (“the Offending Part”) the Offending Part will be severed but the remaining provisions will remain in full force and effect. If the Offending Part belongs to a provision that is enforceable or legal, then the whole clause shall be modified so as to give effect to the intention of the parties.
You will not assign or transfer any of your rights or obligations under these Terms of Service to any other person.
We may at any time assign, transfer, charge, sub-contract or deal in any other manner with all or any of our rights or obligations under these Terms of Service, provided that your rights and obligations are not affected.
We may amend these Terms of Service from time to time, however, we will aim to give you advance notice of any major changes.
On termination of these Terms of Service, the clauses of these Terms of Service that reasonably should survive termination will remain in effect.
Any notice we give you will be sent by email to the email address linked to your Account.
If we cannot perform the Services for you because of events beyond our reasonable control (e.g. strikes, lock-outs or other industrial disputes whether involving our workforce or any other party, failure of a utility service or transport or telecommunications network, act of God, war, riot, civil commotion, malicious damage, compliance with any law or governmental order, rule, regulation or direction, accident, breakdown of plant or machinery, fire, flood or storm) we will suspend the Services for the duration of said event. If these events cannot be resolved in a reasonable period of time, we may terminate these Terms of Service.
LAW AND WHERE TO BRING PROCEEDINGS
These Terms of Service are governed by Scots law and you can bring legal proceedings in respect of the Services in the Scottish Courts.
If you live in England you can bring legal proceedings in respect of the Services in either the Scottish courts or the English courts.
If you live in Northern Ireland you can bring legal proceedings in respect of the Services in either the Northern Irish courts or the Scottish courts.
If the member is a consumer resident in another European Union member state, nothing in these Terms of Service will affect the member’s ability to rely on mandatory provisions of the law of their member state of residence.
For more information please visit http://ec.europa.eu/consumers/odr/
LIMITATION OF LIABILITY
Please read these following clauses carefully as they clearly set out everything (i) we do not accept responsibility for; (ii) do not take liability for; and (iii) you assume responsibility for.
We do not accept any liability for:
any additional sums incurred by the Member as a result of the processing of their Trust My Pet Sitter Service Charge Fee (such as bank charges);
any loss of profits, loss of business, depletion of goodwill and/or similar losses;
the acts or omissions of our agents and subcontractors to the Member arising under or in connection with these Terms of Service and the Services.
You assume full responsibility for the choices you make before, during and after your participation in a Sit. You hereby agree that as part of a Sit you will enter into a contract between yourself and a Pet Parent or Sitter (as set out in clause 1.3 above) and you hereby voluntarily assume all of the associated risks, such as:
health risks such as illness, bodily injury, disability, or death;
property risks such as theft, damage, loss or destruction of your goods and chattels;
the Verification Check and Criminal Background Check as these are carried out by Sitters themselves;
the care and supervision of any minors;
the care and supervision of any pets;
any travel and subsistence costs; or
invasion of privacy (e.g. by use of CCTV or monitoring equipment).
and you hereby agree that we have no liability to you in respect of any of these risks.
To the maximum extent permitted by law (e.g. we are not negligent and do not owe you a duty of care) you agree that we are not liable for any injury, death, loss or harm that occurs to that occurs to anyone during a Sit or in any way related to a Sit.
In no event shall we (including our employees, agents and subcontractors) be liable for any losses arising out of your breach of these Terms of Service or if you fail to follow any reasonable instructions we may give you.
We are responsible for:
death or personal injury caused by our negligence;
fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation carried out by our employees;
intentional, wilful or wanton misconduct of our employees;
performing the services with reasonable skill and care; or
any other liability that cannot be excluded by law (including the Consumer Rights Act 2015).
We are responsible for any loss or damage caused by us that is foreseeable as a result of us breaching these Terms of Service or failing to use reasonable skill and care, but we are not responsible for any loss or damage that is not foreseeable. Loss or damage is foreseeable if it was an obvious consequence of our breach or if it was contemplated by you and us at the time these Terms of Service were entered into.
Our maximum liability to you under these Terms of Service is limited to the Trust My Pet Sitter Service Fee you pay on successful completion of a Pet Sit, and for Pet Parents the amount paid for the current Pet Sit.
You will reimburse us for all losses and expenses that we suffer as a result of a third party bringing a claim against us due to your breach of these Terms of Service.
GLOSSARY
Account means the area on the Platform associated with your email address
Criminal Background Check means the criminal record checking service provided by a third party agency, for all sitters who reside in the USA, subject to our Criminal Background Check policy.
Essential Information means the personal data required to create an Account via the Platform (including first name, last name, email address and password)
Feedback means the comment and rating (out of five) left by a Pet Sitter about a sit they have completed for a Pet Parent
FRR Content means any Feedback, Reviews, References
Handover means communicating the essential details of an arranged Pet Sit face-to-face and handing over the keys to start/finish the Sit, clearly setting out your expectations
Home and Contents Protection means the guarantee providing protection against property damage and theft up to $50,000, subject to our Guarantee Terms provided at the point of purchasing the protection
Home Listing means the facility on our Platform where you can set out the responsibilities for the provision of pet sitting including pet care that you want Sitters to comply with
Member Content means any content (including text, photographs, images, videos and any other materials) that relates to your Pet Sit Listing and/or Sitter Profile
Member Code of Conduct means the guidelines for Members’ behavior when using the Platform and interacting with other Members
Member Dispute Process means the policy described in clause 12
Trust My Pet Sitter Support means the customer service/support team of Trust My Pet Sitter who will deal with all enquiries regarding a membership, use of the Platform and/or Services.
Pet Parent means the member who makes their property available to Sitters and who engages a Sitter in respect of such property. The term Owner is interchangeable with the term Pet Parent.
Platform means the online platform accessed via the website www.trustmypetsitter.com or mobile application
Reference(s) mean an external comment and rating (out of five) left by a third party person for a Pet Sitter’s profile
Review(s) means the comment and rating (out of five) left by a Pet Parent about a Sitter who has watched their pet in the Pet Parent Home
Safety Contact Information means the emergency contact details provided in your Account settings so that we can contact you urgently if necessary.
Services means the ability for individuals to make their property available to sitters; and provide the services of caring for a Pet Parent’s property and/or pet(s); the right to use our other services and the right to have full access to the content on the Platform as set out in clause 1.1
Sit means the arrangement and completion of the house and pet sitting services carried out directly between the Pet Parent and the Sitter
Sitter means the member who provides the services of caring for the property and/or pet(s) of the Pet Parent
Sitter Profile means the information you provide to a Trust My Pet Sitter Account Manager about yourself such as your hobbies and interests, why you’re looking to pet sit, and any house/pet sitting experience you have
Verification Check means confirming your email address, telephone number via our 3rd party agency, collecting an external reference(s) for a Sitter, or completing an ID Check or Criminal Background Check via our 3rd party agency
