Ok. Be honest.

[Namethecat]

I've just been having a chat with a friend and she surprised me some what ,so I thought I'd ask for you lovely lot what you would do. Be honest !
I've been looking after a friends house for the last few weeks whilst they have been away. Checking post, watering house plants etc. I usually go in twice a week. This is what I do. Open door, pick up post, put it to one side, walk to kitchen, check plants to see if dry, water if needed. Leave house. Lock door. Go.
My other friend has asked if I have a good poke around, go upstairs, look in cupboards/ wardrobes etc and was surprised when I said I didn't. So question - Do you if you have keys to someone's house ?

Looking through possessions and drawers is a no-no - but if you're looking after someone's home for several weeks I don't think it would hurt to go upstairs and have a proper walk around now and again, in case of leaks or other problems not affecting the downstairs. A bedroom ceiling could have fallen in and you'd not know!

No way! I’d be terrified that they had a security camera out to catch me 😂

No - I may have a look in their garden to see if they have some nice plants but otherwise no - it's their personal property.

I have spares to a couple of houses. I never use them and I would never snoop. Someone a snooper wanted us to give them a spare key to our home. It is never going to happen.

A friend of mine has installed wireless cameras. She got them cheap online.

I have my friend's keys and I often look after her house. I would never poke around in there. Why would you?

No
Even if I was tempted for whatever reason I wouldn't , id be too scared of leaving something not quite how it was and them knowing I had!
I know plenty of folk who would though!

Nope, I'd not snoop.

I may go through other rooms just to check noone was hiding or to air them by opening doors etc.
But I wouldn't poke through a person's stuff.

@Nona they don’t know he’s still using it and I suspect they trust him since he comes across as very nice and respectable/respectable. Has made me think less of him.

My DP's mum wandered around while we were away. She took the underwear out of my washing basket and home to wash, then came back and put them in my wardrobe. DP had already asked her not to take any washing. She won't be getting the spare key again. Maybe I'm overly private, but I don't even want my own mother to wash my knickers

I wouldn't poke round in someone else's home, as I know how horrible it feels when someone does this to me! My mother is terrible for it - she's gone through my stuff my whole life and I resent her for it massively. Even after I left home she loves a good snoop round - as a result I have to make sure she is never unattended in my house. When she came to stay once I had to work, so I put locks on my bedroom door and on the front room/home office door so she couldn't snoop through my personal stuff and my ex's business paperwork (needed locking away anyway due to data protection). She was really offended that I locked the rooms as I went out, saying if I told her more she'd not have to snoop! If she didn't snoop then yell at me about what she found, I may have a more open relationship with her ?

A friend once looked our other friend's cats while she was on holiday and she told me she'd found some antidepressants in our friend's underwear drawer. I was disgusted that she'd gone through the drawers and told her so - she was absolutely baffled that I'd think it was so wrong as she thought it was just 'a bit cheeky, but I'm nosey and everyone else would do the same'. Er, no. They wouldn't.

Nobody will come on here to say yes they snoop.

True. Though my mother probably would if she was on MN - she'd give a long unconvincing argument for why she was perfectly justified

My worry is that of course everyone will say they don't snoop, but I secretly fear that not many of those people really wouldn't, given the opportunity and no chance of being caught. People are inherently nosey curious, just look at how much people gossip in general... I think I have issues around this though, due to my nosey mother!

No I wouldn’t snoop, and never have.

When feeding friends animals though I’ve picked up post from the mat and put it on the side, checked all the rooms to ensure there is no vomit, disembowelled small creatures, piles of poo etc.

I’ve even emptied a bin as it was honking and they were away for a week in the summer, I didn’t want them to come back to a kitchen full of maggots and flies

My rule of thumb is don’t do anything you wouldn’t want someone to do in your house. So use the loo or grab a glass of water - no problem. Sleep in a bed or rummage through drawers - definitely not!