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AIBU?

To think this house sitter was bloody cheeky?

818 replies

Littlefluffyclouds81 · 18/06/2016 23:38

My DM recently got a house sitter for 10 days whilst we all went on holiday. She had used her once before and all seemed fine. She seemed very professional - took detailed information about all the animals, signed contracts, she is fully insured etc.

She was supposed to sleep at my DM's house each night, although my DM was aware that she would need to pop back here and there to exercise her own dogs (she lives with her parents).

She was paid over £600, and for that she had to look after 2 dogs and feed a cat. There are also 2 horses at my mum's, my mum's horse who is a big cob, and my daughter's pony. She wasn't expected to do anything with the horses.

While we were away the house sitter emailed to ask if it would be ok if her partner's kids came to meet the horses. My DM said that was fine. When we got back, my mum had a good chat with her and the house sitter said that the kids had come over and groomed my mum's horse, but not my daughter's pony because she was grumpy (she is grumpy).

I was the first to go into the tack room, and noticed that the bridles weren't in the right place. I didn't really think anything of it. But today my DM said that there is grease on the bottom of her saddle, from where the saddle pad hasn't been put on properly and it has rubbed the horse, which she wouldn't do. Also her bridle had been done up all wrong. The stirrups on both saddles were at different lengths to how they'd been left by Us. She suspected that the house sitter had taken the kids riding on our horses. This was confirmed when she went for a ride around the village today and a neighbour (who has booked the same house sitter) said that the house sitter had emailed a picture with the kid sat on her horse!

Not only is riding someone's horses without their permission incredibly rude, it is also a really stupid thing to do. She knew nothing about our horses, they could have had any kind of quirks, and putting 2 kids on them (when she doesn't appear to know much about horses herself) was just bloody dangerous.

Not only that, but my DM said there's no way that the bed was slept in for 10 nights, so she suspects that the house sitter had left the dogs overnight which she wasn't supposed to do.

WWYD? I absolutely think that something should be said to the house sitter, but my DM is veering towards leaving it, and just locking the tack room if she uses her again! She was paid a lot of money, and in my opinion, took the piss.

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ingeniousidiot · 18/06/2016 23:44

I'd be fucking furious if someone had done that with my horse. Totally irresponsible and dangerous. I can't believe that your DM would consider using her again. I once caught a young girl letting herself into my field to go and see the pony. Which would've been great - the pony hated kids and probably would've given her a good kicking.
Why do people think they can do this? How stupid must they be?

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apple1992 · 18/06/2016 23:46

I would be livid! Could be potentially really dangerous, and she has lied outright!

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AndNowItsSeven · 18/06/2016 23:49

How on earth could you calculate how many days a bed had been slept in?

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Littlefluffyclouds81 · 18/06/2016 23:50

I'm livid, I think my DM is in shock and just doesn't really know what to think at the moment. Had she ASKED if the kids could ride, my DM would have said no. Both of the horses have their foibles, but if you know them and know what you're doing, they're fine. Totally inexperienced people without us being there, no way.

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Littlefluffyclouds81 · 18/06/2016 23:51

AndNow - that's exactly what I said to DM Grin

She replied that you can just tell when bedding is fresh and when it's not, and it just seemed far too fresh for a bed that had been slept in for 10 nights.

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Littlefluffyclouds81 · 18/06/2016 23:54

I think getting the neighbour who has the photo to send it to us, then email the house sitter with the photo attached along with a rather cross email would be the best thing to do.

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ingeniousidiot · 18/06/2016 23:56

I'd forget the bed thing - sometimes my smallest sleeps straight like a little soldier and barely ruffles the covers. You have no proof about the bed - and tbh it sounds a little weird.

The horse thing just no. That doesn't happen - and I can't believe that she took pics and shared them. Just underlines how stupid and reckless she is.

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honeylulu · 18/06/2016 23:59

Has she already been paid?(Can you stop the cheque OP? Sorry couldn't resist). She has breached the contract in not staying overnight plus that she has breached the of mutual trust and confidence by trespassing on your property (both land and chattels) and risking damage to property. Plus she then lied about it.
Cannot get over how fucking thick is she? Emails a photo of kid on horse to another person she housesits for - WTAF?
If horse had bolted and child had been injured I wouldn't be astonished if the child's parents tried to sue your mother. Trespassers can and do (often not successfully I might add).
Strongly suggest your mother DOES raise it with her and asks for a refund (she prob won't get it and a small claim via courts more hassle than it's worth) and then makes sure she spreads the word locally especially among those who use her rip off services. They deserve to know.

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honeylulu · 19/06/2016 00:00

"duty of mutual trust and confidence" that should say.

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PovertyPain · 19/06/2016 00:02

Hopefully your neighbours will have second thoughts about using her. Cheeky fecker.

Do you meet her out and about? If so, I would print off the photo, ask her if her children were on the horses and wait for her answer. If she says no, then hand her the photo. If you send her the photo you will give her time to make up some crap about them only sitting on the horse for a photo.

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Blondie1984 · 19/06/2016 00:02

I would hit the roof - god knows what could have happened - your horses could have been really injured or traumatised from that - not to mention the fact that your housesitter wouldn't have been insured had anything gone wrong....

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Littlefluffyclouds81 · 19/06/2016 00:09

Unfortunately yes she had been paid. We got back nearly 2 weeks ago. She does seem to be quite dim though re the email, my mum said maybe she just doesn't think she did anything wrong, and assumed we wouldn't mind, but that doesn't add up because she would have mentioned that the kids had ridden, and not just groomed the horses. So she has been sneaky about it.

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thisisafakename · 19/06/2016 00:16

six hundred pounds for 10 days house sitting? Is that normal? She sounds awful. If she had been your mum's friend and not been paid, I would think she had been a bit silly. But to get paid £600 and do this and then possibly not even stay overnight is awful. Definitely confront her. I would be pissed off that she brought her partner and kids round too if she was being paid that much. She should be working, not treating it like a holiday.

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LowDudgeon · 19/06/2016 00:20

£600 for 10 days??? That's a ridiculous amount for popping in & out for 2 dogs & 1 cat esp if she didn't sleep in every night. She has definitely taken the piss massively by using your horses too.

You can't prove the bed but you can prove the riding. You do need to say something but I can understand how difficult it is Confused

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Lilylonglegs · 19/06/2016 00:21

Thing is the kids may just have sat on it to take the photo, especially if they don't know how to ride, and she may just have washed the sheets. I think a lot of people would have after a week.

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BitterAndOnlySlightlyTwisted · 19/06/2016 00:21

Six hundred quid for ten days of house-sitting? Bloody hell, I'd stay at your mother's for that sort of money. And bring my own bed linen. I love dogs and am scared of horses, so there would be no danger of them being handled by a numpty who doesn't know them.

This house-sitter is a complete idiot and totally irresponsible. Spread the word so she doesn't get to earn such easy money ever again.

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Kidnapped · 19/06/2016 00:22

Christ hell, no.

You do not fuck about with other people's horses. What if there had been an accident?

I agree with your mum that the bed had not been slept in (mums know these things) so the poor dogs were left alone most nights.

Her partner's kids just groomed the horses? My arse.

Honestly, it is the perfect storm of taking the piss, huge entitlement and being a greedy, dishonest person who did not look after the animals in her care.

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Littlefluffyclouds81 · 19/06/2016 00:22

It does seem like a lot! I've no idea what the going rate is, I've never had a house sitter myself. My DM was fine about her partner being there, she asked last time she house sat if that would be ok, and my DM had no problem with it, she'd met him and he seemed like a nice bloke. She also didn't mind the kids coming over to MEET the horses, but riding them was not agreed.

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Littlefluffyclouds81 · 19/06/2016 00:27

Grin bitter - I'll pass on your details! I'm tempted to offer to house sit for them for half the price, only then she might start charging me for babysitting....

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GarlicSteak · 19/06/2016 00:31

If I'm borrowing (or caretaking) someone else's house, I change the bed on my last day and wash the bedding. It's only polite.

I don't know how shocking it is to borrow a horse - but she should have asked, obviously. Can't your mum just have words with her?

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Littlefluffyclouds81 · 19/06/2016 00:35

I guess it's possible she washed the sheets, but she didn't last time she stayed there. But maybe she had some kind of period or sex related incident with them and gave them a wash at some point.

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Inertia · 19/06/2016 00:40

So presumably somebody else was looking after the horses- or at least feeding them? Did that person say something?

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Gide · 19/06/2016 00:43

Man, I'd go ballistic if someone rode my horse without permission! Email her the pic, OP! Would love to hear her reaction.

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trafalgargal · 19/06/2016 00:44

You've no proof she didn't sleep in the bed unless your Mum has an alarm and you can check the logs so I don't think there's anything you can do about that.

With regard to the horses - if they could work out (or someone with them could) how to saddle a horse maybe there was someone there with experience ? I'd just ask her straight what actually happened with the horses .......more for your own peace of mind- and find another housesitter.
Is she the only person who could have ridden them though - surely other people had access to them to look after them whilst you were away. I'd have thought a rider would be more likely to be the culprit Horses are quite big and scary to non riders .

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Littlefluffyclouds81 · 19/06/2016 00:44

No one was looking after the horses, they had plenty of grass and water, and had the option of coming in out of the flies whenever they wanted, so they were fine.

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