I agree with both of these answers. However, even with the meet and greet, background checks, gut feel, etc., there is no foolproof 100% way to know that these sitters are who they represent themselves to be. I had an negative experience with a sitter that I truly trusted (at face value), only to find out on our return that the house was filthy, there were remnants of pee and poop in the unfinished part of our basement, most of the food in my pantry was gone and some of my kitchen utensils were missing (I didn't realize this until several days later), but my dogs seemed 'no worse for the wear'. However, I have a gut feeling they probably didn't get much quality time from this person. So I'm not sure how one gets comfortable with trusting 100% that the individual will be honest, trustworthy and reliable and that your pets will be taken care of the way you take care of them. By the way, like the person asking the question, the sitter I hired was staying in our home for the visit. Not really encouraging, but hope this helps.