Someone’s been in my bedroom

savernake forest story was a total shite, stupid made up story. The writer was obviously on something if they really believed it happened.

Next time maybe get a separate lock for the bedroom and keep it locked while away. There's no reason why a pet sitter or neighbour should have access to your entire home just to feed the cat!

And then you can also lock away anything valuable or personal in your room like a safe, so you have some peace of mind while away, knowing that they haven't got access.

What the fuck!!!

Really no comparison.

Williams was a dangerous predator who broke into people's homes and stole hundreds of underwear and other "trophies" from women and young girls. He also broke into houses and raped and killed people. This was all about fetishism and an escalating pattern of a serial killer.

Most likely she was busy with DC and asked if he could pop in to feed the cat.

Don't remember it but someone then did a (photography) art project based on this - house sitting for people and photographing themselves dressed in the home owner's clothes, posed in a room of theirs, sometimes with their pet.

I seem to remember it being in Stylist or a colour supplement magazine for a paper (when they did such things)

Aaaand that was the point when I never let keys go to people when on holiday.

I'd set a camara up and go away to snare them in again. Write a note saying your recording them and taking it to the police and leave it in your draw.

I'd never know if a hoard if teens had lived in my house for a week while I'm away so I applaud your tidiness.

You underestimate people!

Sounds like you were lucky. Our boiler isn’t that fancy!

How well do you know the husband? I assume you live on your own with your kids? Do you go out to work or WFH? I don’t want to make you paranoid, but I’d change the lock barrel just to be sure no one has a copy of the key. New barrels cost about £30. If someone really has been snooping in intimate bedroom drawers, especially a man getting a thrill from it, they could be tempted to come in again.

I’d also directly ask the neighbour. There could be a perfectly innocent explanation, like she brought her kids round and they were messing. You’re entitled to ask politely if she’s been in your bedroom. But suggest you do it in a friendly way where she feels it’s safe to fess up. Maybe something like: “I just wanted to check it was you who’d been in the bedroom. If not, then I’m worried my mum’s been over while I was away and poking around”.

Not a book, short story.

Just to add, also agree with the keyholder what you do/don't want to be contacted about.

DFIL declared he wouldn't want to be contacted about anything while away. He was quite shocked that others might feel differently.

Are the neighbour's kids teenagers,OP? My boyfriend and I (both 16 at the time) used to avail ourselves of his nan's bungalow keys when she was away and have secret underage sex sessions in her bed 😱
Obv as an adult I'm appalled at our behaviour, but 30 years ago the invasion of privacy and bad hygiene didn't occur to us....wejust seized the opportunity and went for it.

You should always leave someone with a key, because when your boiler tells you via push notification the pressure's gone and it's leaking and you're in a foreign country, you're screwed otherwise. If our neighbour hadn't had a key we would have had to replace the whole ceiling (and probably parts of the walls).

When the most likely scenario is that the person you gave a key and invited into your home while you away was snooping around in your bedroom, is it helpful to bring up ghosts, people squatting in your attic and serial rapists/murderers?

My DM was an inveterate snooper. She would always 'justify' it in a way to give herself the moral high ground.

You would not believe the number of letters which 'fell' out of envelopes and had to be read in case they were important, cupboards which had to be checked for mice etc etc. Always presented as her doing the snoopee a favour.

Knowing this, DH created an ingenious hidden catch to go on a particular bedside cupboard. The 'key' was a simple piece of dowling. You had to know how the catch worked to be able to open the cupboard.

If we were going away, anything private went in that cupboard.

It was never mentioned by DM but I can bet it drove her wild, knowing there was a cupboard which she couldn't open.

Scary stuff...or total and utter, hairy bollocks depending on how you look at it.

He'd have been in the laundry basket as well I bet. Dirty pig!

This happened to a friend of mine. She suspected a neighbour (male) who was feeding her dog whilst she was away. She set a little trap and placed some bits of paper on her drawers so that if they were opened the paper would be displaced and sure enough when she came back from her trip the paper had moved. He'd been in her underwear drawer!

She confronted him and asked him whether he was aware that she had cameras in her house (she didn't - just calling his bluff) and when she said this his face just dropped. He said he wasn't snooping, it was a one-off, please don't tell my wife etc etc. Dirty pig. She warned a couple of the other neighbours who she knew he also house-sat for. She's since moved!

The most likely scenario!

If you are not going to ask about it from the neighbour who had access then I would either get cameras or lock the door for next time.

Phrogging sounds like a lewd sex act!

That is one of my fears!

I was going to suggest this as well @Hakunamatoto

Oh lordy @oakleaffy some men are just vile 😱