Do I just need to accept that the house is more likely to get messy/damaged with nanny minding the kids?

Well there's a few things. Eating food where you've said no to, that's not right and shouldn't happen.
Jumping on the cushions, whilst it's fun, if you don't want it to happen then reiterate that, she should be able ro respect your home.

Drawing on the table legs could have literally taken a minute to happen, I presume she has apologised and tried to remove it?

Permanent paint, I presume after or during an activity? Can you or do you have a table cover/ plastic sheet for further activities?

You do need to sit down and talk about this. I understand how busy she'll be and some things are minor or can be prevented

We have 4dc and i used to feel the same if my dm watched them, my house is clean and tidy then dm let's them run riot making a mess, including once oil based face paint on a carpet. I spoke to her about it and made it clear it wasn't ok, she does now make sure they behave.

Noooo. We have a nanny. The house looks like the cleaner's been after she's been with our DC.

Sit her down one day and reiterate a few things, eg:

• Eating at the kitchen table only
• Drawing " "
• No jumping on the sofa

You know your own kids. Are they / some of them likely to be defiant and challenging? Is there an issue there? Because if they behave for you (within reason) but not for her that isn't great.

Yes and No.

By dirtier, I mean that she continuously allows the kids to have messy food (bowls of pasta and ice cream) in the sitting room on the fabric sofa despite me asking her not to.

That is not acceptable. You have told her not to allow them to do that, so it should no longer happen.

Also, she allows them to take the cushions off the sofa and jump on them to the point that they are all stained.

Do the children know that they are not to jump on the sofa cushions? Does your nanny know that they cannot be used for that, or making a den, or whatever else?

Along with this, I've discovered that under her watch, one of the kids scribbled felt tip all over the kitchen table legs which are white, and this won't wash off.

That I feel could happen under your watch. Children may be nicely colouring on paper one moment, then you turn your back and they suddenly are doing it somewhere else.

I think you have to set the expectations clearly. Your nanny is not a mind reader, they don't know your house rules unless you tell them. Once you tell them though they should be applying those rules.

Are your children old enough to understand the rules, so you and nanny could go through the house rules with them, so they know that nanny knows, and they don't then try to get away with things which are not allowed (they probably will still try on occasion).

I’ve used nail polish remover to get rid of felt tip. Be careful, it’s not for all surfaces but gets pen off the kitchen table.

The felt tip will probably come off using a magic eraser.

I wouldn’t want my boss to refer to my job as ‘minding’ though just FYI!! A babysitter might mind, a proper nanny should be doing a lot more than that!

Errrr nooo.

I’m a nanny and wouldn’t dream of letting someone else’s house get like that. She needs to have much firmer boundaries.

In fact all the house accidents in my job tend to happen in mum’s watch, because she’s really lax with boundaries and discipline.