That seems fair enough, given your experience. I’d suggest you state ‘exterior’ before ‘security cameras’, for clarity. And check that all is well with the pets and the property condition when you arrive home.
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This looks good to me, and it is very reasonable of you not to mention the kids, or the driving on the lawn, but there is certainly enough to let future Home Owners read between the lines and know that this sitter did indeed abuse your trust.
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That looks good to me, I might leave out the last paragraph, as it sounds a bit preachy. I would be sorely tempted to mention the no kids request.
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Will do. Thanks!
My cameras overlook the front door, driveway and back door. The back door camera also overlooks part of the back yard as we have a private pond. The back door is where they did all of the entering and exiting. When we arrived home, both the back door, and the door that leads into the garage were both unlocked.
However, she did leave a few gifts which was a nice gesture.
You may decided to add this information to the review .
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@RMRL
Certainly an unsettling experience for you and your home- yes, the pets were cared for and that’s important , but seemingly complete oblivion about home security and acceptance of policy ( not just your rules!) by this house sitter:
Uninvited o/n guests, children, leaving without appropriate lock up. These aren’t little, trivial things. They are against policy. You were clear. More than once from what I read in this thread.
Please, please mention these things all factually without colour or emotion in your review, regardless of gifts left etc. I’d find it really helpful as a HO. The comments of fact are so much more helpful to me than whatever random number of stars are docked. Certainly, your next conversation ( and others for this sitter ) with a sitter would be informed by these experiences.
Hope all the beds used were at least changed for you. 
I would rather my house left locked, and pets safe, then being left gifts or goodies as a thank you, for example.
You seem like a really reflective, responsive and respectful home owner. It isn’t a great feeling when that is overstepped. Hope your return home is peaceful.
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So the sitter lied because she knew what she was doing was wrong …
Bottom line question @RMRL, would you or would you not recommend this sitter to other HOs? That really is the core purpose of your review
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I hate to say it, but I probably would not recommend. Even if I didn’t have cameras and was unaware of the overnight guests, the fact is, this was outside the agreed upon arrangement. Not disclosing this information feels like a breach of trust. It’s not about being “caught” by the cameras—it’s about the established guidelines set by THS and respect for my house.
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Mate, you sound like a very reasonable person and I can’t fault you for not provoking conflict while you were physically distant.
If you feel up to it, a “quick phone call to clarify a few things before we write the review” might be helpful. But I wouldn’t blame you for giving it a miss and just writing a balanced review.
It will be useful for you if future sitters at your home can see that you’re not afraid to give honest feedback in public. It’s good to let people know that you’re serious about your boundaries, so they know what they’re getting into. Anybody hoping to take advantage will be discouraged from applying for your next sit.
Anyway, it looks like no harm done. Chalk it up to experience! And happy New Year.
Your review is good, except that I would rewrite it to reduce the use of passive voice. Instead of “This was not communicated…” say “Mary did not ask if overnight guests were allowed…” Change “There were some concerns…” to “I was concerned…”
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percent agree.
Noted. Thank you.
Just realized that they left only about 1/2 shot of our Balvenie 14 year. 
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As you are likely aware, the window for posting your review is 14 days. I dread to think what else you are going to uncover. Don’t feel compelled to submit immediately
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(For what it’s worth)
I believe you buried the lede—future HO deserve to know your experience without any “sugar coating.”
I have many concerns regarding their deceitfulness/dishonesty/untrustworthiness/unscrupulous behavior in this exchange.
They claimed to have had a family
emergency and asked for permission to host a family dinner at my house. I approved on the condition that there be no children—our home is not child-safe and we have a pond. They had unauthorized overnight guests on multiple occasions, which I observed via my exterior security cameras. The cameras were disclosed in the Welcome Guide. The sitter/s also helped themselves to our liquor cabinet, including our fourteen-year old Balvene.
My pets were well-cared for and SITTER sent regular photo updates, which I appreciated. SITTER communicated promptly about the pets’ needs, such as food running low.
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I agree with @MaggieUU that you should wait a few more days before leaving your review, in case you discover anything else that should be mentioned.
They certainly seem to have taken advantage and abused your trust and generosity.
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No overnight guests without asking. You shouldn’t have to specify this, it’s courtesy because ITS YOUR HOME.
No, it’s your house. They knew you had a door camera. If you see someone doing something they shouldn’t be doing, of course you are going to want to look at the footage more often than you would otherwise, because now they have made you anxious. Anyone would be, so I think it’s unreasonable to suggest you should NOT view the footage! You just want peace of mind. I’m a sitter and hate it when HOs have interior cameras , but even I can understand how a HO would feel after seeing issues on exterior cameras. What happened to you is unreasonable. Definitely mention their breach of trust in the review. And report them to THS.
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Oops…’assess’ the damages…
That’s sufficient grounds to hire a hitman!
Some things are sacred.
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