Price, low ball the market and there is a %of the population that will always value price above all else and you will start getting requests. This may sound cold and counterproductive, however now you have people reviewing you and as long as you keep your stats up the Rover alto will keep your name high on the list.

At this point you will be tiered and cranky because you will feel like you have given away your time for 30-60 days but now you have clients and hopefully Rocer’s IT working for you.

Finally Jack up your rates to well above the median rate, and have a plan to keep up with inflation. Your client type will change from those price focused owners to owners who are more discerning. And you will be competing for business with The Walt’s of the wOrld.

My belief is you have to walk into this basically giving away your service to build a reputation and client base. (Side note Rover could do so much more to prevent impoverished newbies) Giving it away I consider where people are charging less than 45/night (Do the math you are not making min wage)

However once you look like mother Teresa with all of your feedback and you are showing at the top of the list you start trying to get compensated for the level of effort you are actually putting in. ;)

Effective initially, leading to inherent risk for the CTR. My rub is that we are providing higher quality of care than traditional boarding facilities yet the business model and the market are acting irrationally paying less getting more, to the detriment of us CTRS.

Walt thanks again for your feedback. I agree the business models are different and places rover CTRs at a disadvantage. I’m not saying they should dictate final rates but they could set a minimum rate that is economically viable. My point on insurance was that most people would not find it cost..

Rover does NOT offer insurance. I don't think everyone understands that their guarantee is in no way shape or form insurance. I am sure someone out there learned this the hard way.

Finally, I am concerned less with the 20% (I of course wish it was less), and more with the fee they charge to the owners. This inflates the cost of Rover boarding and makes any effort by the contractors to increase their prices less of a "deal" when compared to traditional boarding facilities

Uber was used to show how a platform can leverage technology, fin tech, and customer interaction while maintaining a competitive business model that is on par with the traditional service (taxi).

This risk is directly related the lack of insurance and the inability to purchase insurance based upon the business model. I am not convinced that most sitters understand their liability and lack of coverage for businesses under standard renters and homeowner policies.

Thanks for your thoughts, I understand that Rover doesn't explicitly set our rates, however, they do suggest a low rate when you are first approved, and second, they could establish an economically viable base rate by geographic area. Rover should relook the risk they have their contractors assume

Markets generally operate in a predictable coherent patterns mixed with periods of irrational outliers. However what amazes me about this platform and services renders is that it defies the traditional price-quality equilibrium. In that as level of service and satisfaction increase so should the willingness to pay-price of service.

However in this business, I observe the exact opposite. If I board my dog a doggie retreat ah spends 16-20 hours a day in a 5x5 steel cage that are in rows next to other dogs. And for this I pay $75-100 a night.

However, if someone trusts me to board their dog in my home, they get 1:1 attention and interaction throughout the day and are part of the family. Much higher level of service but for some unknown reason after Rover takes a questionably high cut of 20% I take home maybe 10-15% of what a boarding location does.

A couple of questions for everyone, how can we marshal our sitter community to consider to a minimum daily rate based upon criteria of service.

1. Why have we accepted a business model that behaves irrationally and what can Rover do with their 20% to help re-educate or change the perception that our rates should somehow be less than at a boarding facility.

2. How does rover charging clients a booking fee impact our ability to be compensated for our excellent service given the irrational market

3. Consider Uber isn’t giving away free rides just because you are not in a cab, those ride share apps are an example of how parity in rates with the other tradional business could work.

Bottom line if we all are giving the level of service I believe we are, how much longer are we going to accept not valuing our time or talents?

Separate background check for the second person along with other requirements. My wife and I do this together and have two names

Homeowners insurance will be the first payer if in a housesitting environment. That said many policies have clauses that minimum the insurance companies liability. Especially renters. Now if you are boarding consider having specific business and identification coverage.

To clairify Rover doesn’t offer insurance, please please take a moment to read their terms and conditions and what specifically is covered and if it’s covered they only pay after your insurance is involved and after a $250 deductible. The guarantee may not be what you hope it is.