Cleaner invited friends over AIBU

[Nestingbirds]

We have an arrangement with our cleaner that she takes care of our animals when we are away for a few days. She usually stays in the annexe but this time stayed in our house due to refurbishment.

We had an agreement when this started that we would prefer she didn’t have visitors apart from her long term boyfriend. He is away atm. She was totally on board, and said she would feel the same if it was her house.

We pay her really really well, and leave her lots of treats including fresh flowers. She told me she likes the time she has to herself, and all is well.

Only our neighbour texted me to say there are people coming and going from our house and sent me her ring doorbell footage. Not only is she having friends over, she isn’t actually spending time with the animals or cleaning (we pay her separately for both) as the rest of the time she has been out. We never leave our dog all day. Whilst we obviously don’t mind her going out, and want her to be happy, I just feel taken for a ride as she is clearly not there doing either.

I have messaged her to see how she is, hoping she would be honest about her friend coming over and staying for hours in our house, but she has continued to lie to me.

I feel like I can’t trust her now. Wwyd?

That's not true.

It reads to me like she wanted to steal your identity. I can bet my life that she played the fantasy role of making everyone believe she lived in that house!
She needs help…

Ok in my very large town in the SE… it’s practically impossible 😆

That was true a while back, but not now. They had availability even on the day I requested. I thought it would take ages to find someone.

But the other times you have been away and have returned…. Has everywhere been covered in dust and bathrooms unclean?

and wouldn’t the neighbours can have picked up visitors? And heard the dog crying?

I think I would tell the other family as I would feel bad if she done the same to them and I hadn’t warned them. Maybe that’s me though? They can make their own minds up once they know.

I have a dog sitter who has my key and lives in my house when I am away, and I trust her 110% and have recommended to many others. This arrangement has been going for years and I know how upset I’d be if she didn’t follow any of my ‘rules’. There aren’t many, but the very few there are I expect them to be stuck to.

Same round the NW, you usually have to join somebody's waiting list and it can take months for a spot to come up.

Even so I'm glad the OP has got rid of the snide cleaner, it's better to have no cleaner than a dishonest one, and it sounds like she's found something now anyway.

It's all for the best.

Unfortunately every single time I’ve had cleaners I’ve had dishonesty and theft. Every. Single. Time!!! Whether it’s the lovely lady other people recommended or the professional looking company. The amount of stress it’s caused over the years 😩

soory, i think i would find someone else
If you can't trust someone in your own home who can you trust?
she has abused the trust you put in her.

No, because we usually use a small annexe, it isn’t covered by ndn’s camera and has its own entrance. We are just renovating it now.

The dog stays in there usually, and the cat gets fed twice a day and let out (or sometimes goes to the cattery for a longer holiday)

We haven’t had any reports of our house being used in the past, but then ndn may not have noticed as it was only the dog being left crying for ages (really upset ndn to listen to) that she even felt she should check someone was looking after our dog.

And you’ve come back previously and the house has been covered in dust and dirty?

Wow I’ve read the whole thread and as a cleaner (often straying into housekeeping territory) & a dog owner I’m appalled that you’ve experienced this! I value my clients & the trust they have in me & go out of my way for them. I was going to say I can’t believe others experiences too but unfortunately I guess there’s always those that take advantage. I think you’ve done the right thing, she was clearly too comfortable with the set up.

So first time that she’s ever left the dog out crying?

I just think it’s so strange that she seems to have gone completely off the rails with the dog and the cleaning on one weekend when all been ok other times

If you mean London, you're talking nonsense.

No, never, but then we haven’t returned early before. It used to be absolutely gleaming. The opposite situation. But then we arrived home as arranged. I don’t think this happened on purpose, as she could just resign if she ever felt like leaving. We would have given her a lovely send off.

Oh dear!

No, London is a city
i live in a large town in the south east

Why are you being goady and annoying? Are you the same person who was commenting incessantly earlier? The point is that the cleaner has been sacked now, and OP can move on. Your stupid questions achieve nothing.

Oh so she’s cleaned throughly before but just in the last day.

and the neighbour hasn’t ever been aware of the dog crying all day and left outside?

I am NOT making excuses for her. She sounds as though she has warranted begging kicked to the curb years ago! I just find it strange that previous weekends not even a whiff of an issue

I am not being goady
The cleaner sounds awful

@Hiver

so what? Op give her her job back? I don’t think

But Hiver there wouldn't have been a 'whiff of an issue" this time if OP had not come back early, and the neighbour had not heard the dog and checked her security camera.
Things like the bottle of wine would have been noticed and forgiven as one offs, as has happened previously OP says.

I was all for giving her the benefit of the doubt, but having read your updates I agree she needs to go.
Not for the lack of cleaning whilst you were away - you came back early, and it might of been immaculate if you hadn't - but for the lack of care for your pets.
She wouldn't get back in my house.

No way

I would have sacked her years ago on the basis of what the op has described

The dog usually stays in the annexe and it’s nowhere near my neighbours house, so if she had been left before no one would know (it’s very sad to think this has happened before) they stayed in the house this time and my dog wasn’t crying outside - my neighbour could hear her inside. Which is unusual hence her checking. Our dog isn’t left all day.

Believe me I feel something approaching fury that my dog has suffered like this. And my elderly cat hasn’t even been outside and had an overflowing litter tray.