Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

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.

OP posts:
BovrilonToast · 20/06/2016 17:28

Can you PM me her name so I can make sure my parents avoid her too please!

clam · 20/06/2016 17:29

My sister's in the SW and will need house-sitters in due course, as her dog has had a bad experience in kennels. Would you also mind PMing me?
Thanks.

CraftyPenguin · 20/06/2016 17:30

If she's getting her friends to bump her reviews, will you pm us her name so we can bump them back down?! The way she's acted is appalling.

clam · 20/06/2016 17:32

Hang on, if she doesn't drive, how was she going to go to and fro from your mum's house and hers in order to see to her own pets?

surfsister · 20/06/2016 17:32

well I house sit and certainly don't charge anywhere near that amount and certainly WOULD NOT ride anyone's horses!! That's a no no and if paid to sleep in she should have done so. If I have to leave a house for a night in an emergency only I ask my daugher/s to cover as they house sit too.
but maybe she washed and tumble dried the sheets? i do if I have time/facilities. don't use her again for sure.

DesolateWaist · 20/06/2016 17:35

Talk about first world problems.......

Well if you are going to be like that then nearly every this discussed on Mumsnet is a first world problem.

Someone allowing your cat to die and riding your horses without permission is very much not a first world problem. In fact I would think that someone failing to care properly for your livestock after they have been instructed to do so is some thing that someone from the third world would be able to understand and sympathise with.

clam · 20/06/2016 17:39

Pm me her name and I'll leave a review on her Facebook

Surely you can't do that if you haven't used her services yourself?

Or were you joking?

Original poster
Littlefluffyclouds81 · 20/06/2016 17:42

I don't think giving her name out for people to leave bad reviews is a good idea, we need to keep the moral highground here, particularly if solicitors are involved.

Re the driving - she gets lifts from her boyfriend or her dad, but I guess that means that animals are sometimes left longer than they should be, as presumably her bf and dad aren't at her beck and call.

OP posts:
Original poster
Littlefluffyclouds81 · 20/06/2016 17:43

However she pretends she does drive, but mysteriously there is never a car there when she is.

OP posts:
BabyHu1331 · 20/06/2016 17:45

I started a house sitting/pet care business 12 years ago, which my daughter now manages with a couple of part time staff. The insurance costs about £700 per year. In my experience some people say they are insured when they are not. If a pet is unwell, we keep in contact with the owners by text/phone/email and don't charge extra for taking them to the vet. At the end of the sitting we strip the bed and clean everything. And of course don't ride horses without permission! Unfortunately there are people doing house sitting who are not organised at all. Probably best to check up as much as possible. For example, on our Facebook page we have reviews and 500+ likes.

Shyposter · 20/06/2016 17:45

Clam

"Pm me her name and I'll leave a review on her Facebook

Surely you can't do that if you haven't used her services yourself?"us

In the same way that the sitter's own friends have left false positive reviews having never used her services? Not right, I agree, but only the same as the sitter has done.

That said, I wouldn't condone giving false reviews - I think the OP's mum needs to contact a solicitor for advice asap.

FuzzyOwl · 20/06/2016 17:47

I expect she can drive but doesn't, possibly because she doesn't have a car, but justifies saying she does drive because technically she can. Then again, maybe what she means is she will help herself to the cars at the houses she stays at whilst riding the horses and not staying overnight...

hawklady · 20/06/2016 17:51

She has lied to you. Never use her again and demand your money back.

clam · 20/06/2016 17:53

Sorry if this was said already and I missed it, but what is the aim of appointing a solicitor? What outcome is desired?
Compensation? To close her business down? Or to make her up her game and ensure she house-sits properly in future for others?

bumbleymummy · 20/06/2016 17:54

Well, if the person leaves their keys and hasn't stipulated in the contract that she shouldn't drive the car... Wink

sleeponeday · 20/06/2016 17:58

I really, really don't think fake reviews will be helpful here. People looking on her Facebook page will see the dates of the positive reviews - they aren't stupid, especially when spending hundreds of pounds, they will know that shill reviews are a genuine issue online. A flood of fake bad ones will just muddy the waters on who has the moral high ground.

Let's face it: if you were looking for a pet sitter and saw a post with those kinds of accusations, that provided photographic evidence to back it up, and the sitter had no very convincing response to clear her name, you simply would not employ them. You'd move on to someone else. It wouldn't take a bunch of negative reviews - that would be enough, because it's a position of trust. Adding more fake ones, which she can point to as fakes and say there is a vendetta, will dilute the impact of her genuine, horrifyingly accurate one IMO.

CatchingBabies · 20/06/2016 18:04

I would be furious! I know nothing about horses but if my cat was left suffering like that rather than being taken to a vet I'd be complaining about her to everyone I could. Poor thing.

londonrach · 20/06/2016 18:08

Sleep on prior to today there was only one positive review then ops truthful one with house setters comments which arent nice following her comment, but she has put a photo of the horse with house setters husband and daughter on to back it up, on then two good reviews within 10 mins of each other. Do agree through dont put fake reviews. Let op deal with his via the proper channels.

Notmuchtosay1 · 20/06/2016 18:17

That is bad. I've done pet sitting for people (though not stayed over night) I would never dream of riding the horse. I'd be furious if it were me. I'm more shocked at the £600 for 10 days. One of our neighbours has 2 horses that need the paddock skipping out daily and she has 4 dogs to be walked twice a day. The house sitter is also the cleaner at said house. She was complaining recently at her pay for house sitting. When I asked how much she was getting, it was £50 for the week including the £25 for the cleaning. That is underpaid, but £600? I'd definitely find another house sitter.

cowssheephens · 20/06/2016 18:19

Can you please PM me OP, I hope she isn't the sitter I have lined up. Thanks.

MissK16 · 20/06/2016 18:20

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

DuckAndPancakes · 20/06/2016 18:21

MissK16

Calm down, dear. Jesus wept.

Totallypearshaped · 20/06/2016 18:22

So sorry to hear about your mistreated and ill used animals littlefluffy.
I think a legal way is the best way to go. A cease and desist notice for her using the pictures of her and her family illegally on top of your horses advertising her business for a start. She's exposed you to all kinds of risk by riding them.

If she's lying and saying "you gave her permission to ride the horses" and were compliant to her using these images, she's liable to pay you for any monies she makes using your property without authorisation or license from you.

I'm not sure that there are distinctions between slander and libel anymore, but telling the truth isn't either slander nor libel, so you have the high ground there too. Make copies of the pictures, and screen shot her FB page.

Your poor cat. My god. That's a case of cruelty there. And she obviously wasn't there, doing her job, if she failed to take care of and take humane action of a very poorly animal.

I'd sue for a refund, and sue for her misappropriating your property, I'd sue for using images to pass off that you are compliant in her business practice and for the costs of all vet fees in having your little cat pts, having the horses checked, and for emotional trauma of having to have your cat pts because of her negligence and cruelty too.

If you want to have your equipment tested I'd sue for those costs too, or to have them replaced, so you're confidence in them is restored.

Telling the truth with evidence isn't slander/ libel so don't be worried she's not got a leg to stand on. Make sure you have pictures and evidence.

Good luck.

LookingforMaryPoppins · 20/06/2016 18:25

This is outrageous! What an abuse if trust and responsibility.

Your mum should claim breach of contract!

£600 for 10 days house sitting is way over to odds even if she did stay overnight which it sounds like she didn't!

Let us know what happens

yougotitdude · 20/06/2016 18:30

Can you please PM me as well OP. We are in the SW and going to New York for a few days in September and looking at pet sitters.

In regards to your thread:

I would be furious. Complete breach of trust- and i'm sure she would of made you well aware of what she did if herself, boyfriend or the children were injured as a consequence of her actions.

As for the cat. There are no words.