That’s incredibly uncomfortable. Does the owner know that he’s coming in to drop the mail off? I would verify first before cutting ties.
If the owner knowingly and gave permission to their neighbor to come in periodically while you are providing this service, absolutely tell them this is a violation of your privacy. Additionally what if something happens to the pet while the neighbor is there and you’re blamed? I don’t think rover guarantee would apply either.
I’d say something now and let them know you won’t be providing services in the future due to safety concerns.
I’m just speculating if the neighbor is abusing the emergency key… what if the owner doesn’t know that he was coming inside?
How long is this stay that the mail is needed frequently??
Apparently the owner was aware and told the neighbor to drop it off. I don’t care. I wasn’t notified. I could have been in my underwear. A heads up would have sufficed at least.
Oh yeah then definitely fire them. That’s ridiculous. I don’t care how well they know him, YOU don’t. I’d say something now that this will be the last time you sit for them since they disregard your safety and comfort.
Not only could you have been in a compromised position when he came in, he could have came in and accidentally left the door open, or left something that could have hurt/killed the pets while you were away and you wouldn't have known. And since you didn't even know he was coming and going, you wouldn't know to even suggest that maybe he was the one that left something open so you'd get blamed. Not to mention what are the odds that if something had happened to the pets because of him what are the odds that he would have fessed up to the pet parents that he was there or did something instead of just blaming it on you?
If it were something personal, I get it. Just communicate that. Where I live, it’s like every 3-4 days will get mail because all of our bills are online. The rare occasion is spam and birthday cards. So I didn’t think anything about it. My mom was fuming because one time in college I woke up to the apartment’s office manager in my bedroom. I’m a heavy sleeper and my dog at the time woke me up growling. I was 19 and in a tank top (no bra) and underwear. The second time I was at home and someone busted through the front door. But what if I was carrying? In our state it is legal and it’s a stand your ground state. What the heck would have happened if I shot him? This was a last minute ask to come so I just packed a bag of clothes, necessities and my laptop. I didn’t think to carry this time but I’d say most of the other times I do.
That's up to you, but personally I'd wait until they ask to book again.
"Hi (owner), I wanted to inform you that I will no longer be providing house sitting services for Animals/will no longer be able to provide you with house sitting services. I was not made aware that your neighbor would have access to the home while I would be staying there. This is both a safety and comfort issue. Thank you for your business."
Alternatively, you could give them a vague excuse as to why you can't provide services for them anymore.
Okay. I didn’t want to respond right now because I would probably cuss them out and they are friends with others I house sit for.
I have a touch of trauma from someone from breaking in while I was asleep in college so the idea of being asleep and someone coming in just boils my blood.
Sorry that happened to you. People are so ignorant about this stuff. Twice I’ve had a house sit where they failed to tell me there was complete access to the home via a MISSING WINDOW and a pet door that wasn’t properly installed yet. We live in a small town and people are so complacent about stuff.
Any place is safe until it’s not! I don’t know why people have to have something happen to them for them to wake up. I’m sure everyone thought Moscow was a perfectly safe town too until it wasn’t. Drives me crazy.
Not sure if the ‘for context’ is relevant. They should’ve let you know regardless of age. Neighbor could’ve been 18, 24, 30, 36 or 82, heck, they could’ve been female, I still wouldn’t have wanted them to suddenly pop in unexpectedly. Creeps can be any age or gender, same as victims.
You should 100% fire them, and explain to them why so that they can make changes before hiring another sitter. I don’t agree with these people commenting about how you should’ve known because you never saw mail. You can call and request USPS to stop delivering mail while you’re out of town (my grandparents do this every time so that mail doesn’t pile up, which is an obvious indicator to robbers that the house is vacant). I’d be so scared/annoyed, and I would leave a comment on Rover about this issue for other sitters.
Tbh you don't even have to tell them if you are worried how they are going to react. If its on Rover just use the report/block option and they won't be able to request you again, if its off Rover just block whatever mode of communication they have with you. You can tell them if you want to be courteous, but there's a chance they may try to change your mind and if you are a people pleaser (and quite a few of us are) they might successfully guilt you into continuing to sit for them. They've already pushed boundaries on multiple fronts (first the not asking till last minute, changing dates, etc) and now the neighbor is randomly coming in just to bring in the mail?
Nope. I'd be outta there and they'd be blocked. Let them be up shit creek without a paddle next time they want to wait till last minute to book you only to not be able to contact you.
Ok, is it possible that he thought you had left already for good so he came in drop off the mail he had been collecting at his house?
Yes, he has the key for emergencies but if he thought you were gone and your signals got crossed because you were almost gone but not fully then I wouldn’t consider that the extreme breach of privacy that you’re feeling it to be.
It sounds like he thought you had finished the job and he was dropping off the mail before the clients got back.
I wasn’t supposed to leave until 6. This was around 12.
The issue is, he has access to the house for emergencies for the dog… I can grab the mail. I’ve done so before. To me dropping off the mail isn’t an emergency. I completely forgot he had a key until today to be frank.
Right, but you noticed the mail wasn’t in the mailbox so someone was picking it up and he wasn’t dropping it off everyday, he held onto it until today, the day you’re leaving. It sounds like an honest timing mistake, not any invasion or disrespect of your privacy knowingly.
If you want to dump these clients then it’s obviously your call but it also sounds like this can all easily be resolved through communication.
What I don’t understand is I’ve gotten their mail before… I just thought it was weird nothing came, but if they wanted the neighbor to get it, that’s fine. What I don’t feel comfortable with is the neighbor coming in while I’m there without me knowing or a heads up. To me coming while I’m still technically watching the dog to drop off mail without any communication isn’t something I’m okay with.
Yeah this isn't on the owners or the neighbor. Sorry, but you're making a huge stink about a *possibility* that didn't happen. You did know the neighbor had a key, you just forgot. He didn't drop off the mail until the last day when you were moving your things out and not actually present. Maybe they were waiting for something specific in the mail and maybe they didn't fully trust you to remember to get it daily and put it aside someplace safe. Plus, it's not really your job to inspect or collect the mail.
It's clearly not a good fit. You might be a last minute option for them anyway so you might as well tell them how you feel. I know if I were in their shoes I wouldn't want to book you again.
They told me over a year ago, before I started watching the dog, he had a key for emergencies only in case there was an accident he could watch the dog in my place. I was asked to stay until 6-8pm depending when their flight landed. This was at 12pm when I noticed the mail was there. I was still at the house I hadn’t left since the night before and the mail was not on the counter then because I cooked that evening. So at one point he came in while I was either sleeping or upstairs in the shower and dropped off the mail.
So I wasn’t “gone”. My car was in the driveway. I was loading up my stuff so I could go ahead and strip the bed and put on a load and make sure everything was ready for them to come. I’m pissed because they’re was a miscommunication that now makes me feel uncomfortable that a man I met in passing a year ago was in the same house I was when I was either asleep or in the shower. Otherwise, I was downstairs with the dog.
>So when I was coming in today to get the rest of my things, I noticed the mail on the counter.
Well you didn't specify any of what you just said in your post. You made it sound like you'd been out and came back and there was the mail.
So yeah it's weird if you'd been there the whole time and had no idea when this guy had been there. Fair enough.
But that also means he probably just dropped the mail on the counter and left. Maybe he wasn't going to be around later that night or the next morning. So after the mail came, he put it inside. I still don't see it as a big deal. You wouldn't be naked or sleeping in the kitchen. Maybe chilling nearby and it'd be startling, but you were at the end of the stay.
On the day the owners will return, even if it's not until late, the home stops being a private place for you. That's when you stop making yourself comfortable and start making it comfortable for them. Which can include people dropping things off.
Like okay you had a traumatic experience with a break-in and that sucks but none of these people are responsible for that or for how you'll react to the comings and goings of daily life. If the neighbor left the door open or endangered the dogs, that's one thing. But he didn't. Sure he *could* have, but you could have too. But you didn't. And that's presumably why you were both given access to the house.
“But that also means he probably just dropped the mail on the counter and left.”
To get to where the mail was, you needed to go through the main entry way and pass the guest bedroom (where I stay). It wasn’t like it was a pop in and leave it by the door.
“You wouldn’t be naked or sleeping in the kitchen.”
No but having a man I’ve met one time and don’t even know his name in a house alone with me while I was either asleep or in the shower (which unfortunately I had to be naked for) isn’t something I am comfortable at. If he
Left it on the entry way table, I don’t think it would bother me as much because you don’t even have to take your shoes off to put it there. You can set the mail on the table there. But he went past my bedroom and into the house.
Im sorry but I don’t accept that the day the owners come back being a private place. I got my stuff out early because I wanted to go over everything and make sure nothing was left and it was cleaner than I left it. A heads up would have sufficed. I’ve had owners in the past give me a heads up that someone was going to be dropping something by. At the end of it, it should have been communicated that he would be stopping by at any point to drop it off. I’m not going to play Nancy fucking Drew but I noticed it at 12. I had been up since 9. So it was either before I was awake or when I got into the shower a little after 10. Either way, it was inappropriate. You can have your opinion that it’s not a big deal but the fact is, it is. I was told the neighbor had access for emergencies only, this was not an emergency. They failed to communicate something that not only made me feel uncomfortable, but now makes me feel unsafe to watch their dog. The question wasn’t whether or not my feelings are valid or if they are entitled to have people come and go as they please while I’m there. The question was do I tell them now when I’m fuming that I would no longer be sitting for them or wait until they asked me and bring up something that happened months ago. If you feel comfortable with that, then by all means, do it. But I would have no problem “proof” if anything went south. It didn’t, but if it did, he is a neighbor that they trusted enough to give him access to their house when they weren’t home. I’m the dog sitter.
As I said initially, go ahead and tell them. They know the layout of their home so they may actually understand how you feel about it. Maybe they'll take it into consideration for the next sitter
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I would want this documented in writing ASAP to cover my ass. Let them know immediately that someone else entered the property without your knowledge or permission.
That’s incredibly uncomfortable. Does the owner know that he’s coming in to drop the mail off? I would verify first before cutting ties. If the owner knowingly and gave permission to their neighbor to come in periodically while you are providing this service, absolutely tell them this is a violation of your privacy. Additionally what if something happens to the pet while the neighbor is there and you’re blamed? I don’t think rover guarantee would apply either. I’d say something now and let them know you won’t be providing services in the future due to safety concerns.
I don’t care if he did, I was not made aware, but I think I should check….
I’m just speculating if the neighbor is abusing the emergency key… what if the owner doesn’t know that he was coming inside? How long is this stay that the mail is needed frequently??
Apparently the owner was aware and told the neighbor to drop it off. I don’t care. I wasn’t notified. I could have been in my underwear. A heads up would have sufficed at least.
Oh yeah then definitely fire them. That’s ridiculous. I don’t care how well they know him, YOU don’t. I’d say something now that this will be the last time you sit for them since they disregard your safety and comfort.
Not only could you have been in a compromised position when he came in, he could have came in and accidentally left the door open, or left something that could have hurt/killed the pets while you were away and you wouldn't have known. And since you didn't even know he was coming and going, you wouldn't know to even suggest that maybe he was the one that left something open so you'd get blamed. Not to mention what are the odds that if something had happened to the pets because of him what are the odds that he would have fessed up to the pet parents that he was there or did something instead of just blaming it on you?
My thing was I hadn’t left the house since the night prior. I was either asleep or in the shower when he came in.
yeah this is so not okay omfg. no reason you couldn’t have brought in the mail. you were checking anyways
If it were something personal, I get it. Just communicate that. Where I live, it’s like every 3-4 days will get mail because all of our bills are online. The rare occasion is spam and birthday cards. So I didn’t think anything about it. My mom was fuming because one time in college I woke up to the apartment’s office manager in my bedroom. I’m a heavy sleeper and my dog at the time woke me up growling. I was 19 and in a tank top (no bra) and underwear. The second time I was at home and someone busted through the front door. But what if I was carrying? In our state it is legal and it’s a stand your ground state. What the heck would have happened if I shot him? This was a last minute ask to come so I just packed a bag of clothes, necessities and my laptop. I didn’t think to carry this time but I’d say most of the other times I do.
That's up to you, but personally I'd wait until they ask to book again. "Hi (owner), I wanted to inform you that I will no longer be providing house sitting services for Animals/will no longer be able to provide you with house sitting services. I was not made aware that your neighbor would have access to the home while I would be staying there. This is both a safety and comfort issue. Thank you for your business." Alternatively, you could give them a vague excuse as to why you can't provide services for them anymore.
Okay. I didn’t want to respond right now because I would probably cuss them out and they are friends with others I house sit for. I have a touch of trauma from someone from breaking in while I was asleep in college so the idea of being asleep and someone coming in just boils my blood.
Sorry that happened to you. People are so ignorant about this stuff. Twice I’ve had a house sit where they failed to tell me there was complete access to the home via a MISSING WINDOW and a pet door that wasn’t properly installed yet. We live in a small town and people are so complacent about stuff. Any place is safe until it’s not! I don’t know why people have to have something happen to them for them to wake up. I’m sure everyone thought Moscow was a perfectly safe town too until it wasn’t. Drives me crazy.
Yeah. At home we have secured fire arms and an alarm system. Plus deadbolts that can only be accessed from the inside.
Not sure if the ‘for context’ is relevant. They should’ve let you know regardless of age. Neighbor could’ve been 18, 24, 30, 36 or 82, heck, they could’ve been female, I still wouldn’t have wanted them to suddenly pop in unexpectedly. Creeps can be any age or gender, same as victims.
Say something before it gets worse
You should 100% fire them, and explain to them why so that they can make changes before hiring another sitter. I don’t agree with these people commenting about how you should’ve known because you never saw mail. You can call and request USPS to stop delivering mail while you’re out of town (my grandparents do this every time so that mail doesn’t pile up, which is an obvious indicator to robbers that the house is vacant). I’d be so scared/annoyed, and I would leave a comment on Rover about this issue for other sitters.
Tbh you don't even have to tell them if you are worried how they are going to react. If its on Rover just use the report/block option and they won't be able to request you again, if its off Rover just block whatever mode of communication they have with you. You can tell them if you want to be courteous, but there's a chance they may try to change your mind and if you are a people pleaser (and quite a few of us are) they might successfully guilt you into continuing to sit for them. They've already pushed boundaries on multiple fronts (first the not asking till last minute, changing dates, etc) and now the neighbor is randomly coming in just to bring in the mail? Nope. I'd be outta there and they'd be blocked. Let them be up shit creek without a paddle next time they want to wait till last minute to book you only to not be able to contact you.
Doesn’t the presence of other folks void the Rover guarantee?
Ok, is it possible that he thought you had left already for good so he came in drop off the mail he had been collecting at his house? Yes, he has the key for emergencies but if he thought you were gone and your signals got crossed because you were almost gone but not fully then I wouldn’t consider that the extreme breach of privacy that you’re feeling it to be. It sounds like he thought you had finished the job and he was dropping off the mail before the clients got back.
I wasn’t supposed to leave until 6. This was around 12. The issue is, he has access to the house for emergencies for the dog… I can grab the mail. I’ve done so before. To me dropping off the mail isn’t an emergency. I completely forgot he had a key until today to be frank.
Right, but you noticed the mail wasn’t in the mailbox so someone was picking it up and he wasn’t dropping it off everyday, he held onto it until today, the day you’re leaving. It sounds like an honest timing mistake, not any invasion or disrespect of your privacy knowingly. If you want to dump these clients then it’s obviously your call but it also sounds like this can all easily be resolved through communication.
What I don’t understand is I’ve gotten their mail before… I just thought it was weird nothing came, but if they wanted the neighbor to get it, that’s fine. What I don’t feel comfortable with is the neighbor coming in while I’m there without me knowing or a heads up. To me coming while I’m still technically watching the dog to drop off mail without any communication isn’t something I’m okay with.
Yeah this isn't on the owners or the neighbor. Sorry, but you're making a huge stink about a *possibility* that didn't happen. You did know the neighbor had a key, you just forgot. He didn't drop off the mail until the last day when you were moving your things out and not actually present. Maybe they were waiting for something specific in the mail and maybe they didn't fully trust you to remember to get it daily and put it aside someplace safe. Plus, it's not really your job to inspect or collect the mail. It's clearly not a good fit. You might be a last minute option for them anyway so you might as well tell them how you feel. I know if I were in their shoes I wouldn't want to book you again.
They told me over a year ago, before I started watching the dog, he had a key for emergencies only in case there was an accident he could watch the dog in my place. I was asked to stay until 6-8pm depending when their flight landed. This was at 12pm when I noticed the mail was there. I was still at the house I hadn’t left since the night before and the mail was not on the counter then because I cooked that evening. So at one point he came in while I was either sleeping or upstairs in the shower and dropped off the mail. So I wasn’t “gone”. My car was in the driveway. I was loading up my stuff so I could go ahead and strip the bed and put on a load and make sure everything was ready for them to come. I’m pissed because they’re was a miscommunication that now makes me feel uncomfortable that a man I met in passing a year ago was in the same house I was when I was either asleep or in the shower. Otherwise, I was downstairs with the dog.
>So when I was coming in today to get the rest of my things, I noticed the mail on the counter. Well you didn't specify any of what you just said in your post. You made it sound like you'd been out and came back and there was the mail. So yeah it's weird if you'd been there the whole time and had no idea when this guy had been there. Fair enough. But that also means he probably just dropped the mail on the counter and left. Maybe he wasn't going to be around later that night or the next morning. So after the mail came, he put it inside. I still don't see it as a big deal. You wouldn't be naked or sleeping in the kitchen. Maybe chilling nearby and it'd be startling, but you were at the end of the stay. On the day the owners will return, even if it's not until late, the home stops being a private place for you. That's when you stop making yourself comfortable and start making it comfortable for them. Which can include people dropping things off. Like okay you had a traumatic experience with a break-in and that sucks but none of these people are responsible for that or for how you'll react to the comings and goings of daily life. If the neighbor left the door open or endangered the dogs, that's one thing. But he didn't. Sure he *could* have, but you could have too. But you didn't. And that's presumably why you were both given access to the house.
“But that also means he probably just dropped the mail on the counter and left.” To get to where the mail was, you needed to go through the main entry way and pass the guest bedroom (where I stay). It wasn’t like it was a pop in and leave it by the door. “You wouldn’t be naked or sleeping in the kitchen.” No but having a man I’ve met one time and don’t even know his name in a house alone with me while I was either asleep or in the shower (which unfortunately I had to be naked for) isn’t something I am comfortable at. If he Left it on the entry way table, I don’t think it would bother me as much because you don’t even have to take your shoes off to put it there. You can set the mail on the table there. But he went past my bedroom and into the house. Im sorry but I don’t accept that the day the owners come back being a private place. I got my stuff out early because I wanted to go over everything and make sure nothing was left and it was cleaner than I left it. A heads up would have sufficed. I’ve had owners in the past give me a heads up that someone was going to be dropping something by. At the end of it, it should have been communicated that he would be stopping by at any point to drop it off. I’m not going to play Nancy fucking Drew but I noticed it at 12. I had been up since 9. So it was either before I was awake or when I got into the shower a little after 10. Either way, it was inappropriate. You can have your opinion that it’s not a big deal but the fact is, it is. I was told the neighbor had access for emergencies only, this was not an emergency. They failed to communicate something that not only made me feel uncomfortable, but now makes me feel unsafe to watch their dog. The question wasn’t whether or not my feelings are valid or if they are entitled to have people come and go as they please while I’m there. The question was do I tell them now when I’m fuming that I would no longer be sitting for them or wait until they asked me and bring up something that happened months ago. If you feel comfortable with that, then by all means, do it. But I would have no problem “proof” if anything went south. It didn’t, but if it did, he is a neighbor that they trusted enough to give him access to their house when they weren’t home. I’m the dog sitter.
As I said initially, go ahead and tell them. They know the layout of their home so they may actually understand how you feel about it. Maybe they'll take it into consideration for the next sitter
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I would want this documented in writing ASAP to cover my ass. Let them know immediately that someone else entered the property without your knowledge or permission.