Advice please for my niece.

[CurlewKate]

My niece's friend catsat for her. She locked herself out, got. Locksmith and, because it was a security door and lock the bill is eye watering. The friend is refusing to pay, saying that it's their door therefore not her responsibility. Does this strike anyone as a remotely reasonable position? Is there anything she can do?

Never ask her to do it again ? Catsit/lock herself out ? Perhaps she should knock herself out

Was she catsitting for free or for payment?

Well if your niece doesn't pay they will go after whoever authorised the bill, surely?

Did the niece leave spares with someone? Did the friend attempt to contact niece to see if she had spares? Was friends being paid to catsit?

The friend was presumably doing a favour, so unless there were easily accessible spare keys AND the friend didn't make a good attempt to contact niece, I'd say it's niece's responsibility for not having a contingency for something very easily done.

If the friend however just immediately went to a locksmith in spite of there being an alternative solution easily available if she'd just notified the niece (who was easily contactable) - or the niece had told her before she left that there were spares available with x at y address - it's on the friend.

need more information to say.
Would a locksmith just come out and agree to change a lock without any proof the person asking is the homeowner?
Otherwise surely that's a great way for thieves to gain access!

If locksmith turned up and essentially broke into the house without any agreement from your neice just on the say so of someone who said they knew her and were cat sitting then that's on them to chase up payment with the person who utilised their services.

If at any point your neice agreed to the locksmith (even if a begrudging "well I'm halfway across the world so someone needs to get access to cuddles doesn't starve to death") then yes she has to pay - although the friend is being a bit cheeky not to offer to cover at least part of it.

Thank you-questions here I didn't think to ask in my "how dare this person try to rip off my wonderful niece who never did anything wrong in her life" mode! I'll be back with more information!