Hi @CatsAndDog
The term Pet Owner has also been discussed in a previous thread. I have attached a link so that we don’t get sidetracked from the original post of ‘Privacy invaded’.
Even without any statistics to back it up, I am pretty sure that rearranging someone’s, especially a stranger’s, kitchen cupboards must be a very rare occurrence. Perhaps there were some circumstances that made your house sitter believe she could do it. Or perhaps she is an organizing expert, thanking you for the sit by gifting you her expertise. I do not believe she’s done it to upset you and definitely not to invade your privacy. It was either a “thank you” or (if she was young) a lack of experience/knowledge in setting/following boundaries.
Thus, my advice would be to simply ask her jokingly something to the effect of “hmmm, I see you didn’t like the way my cupboards were organized?”
As for the door? Well, there could be a million reasons, none of which (imho) necessarily need to be classified as an invasion of privacy.
p.s. btw, did you like the new arrangement?
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I notice @BClark that you said you have explicit instructions
This is just my view from my perspective- telling a sitter to leave a door shut when they go out is entirely different to stating that they should not go into a particular room .
We have had the situation on more than one occasion that when we arrived the hosts or kids bedroom door was shut - we had no need or desire to go in the hosts/ kids bedroom . However the cat who was used to sleeping there miaowed very loudly and persistently outside the bedroom door to be let into the room .
So the dilemma- do we take the door shut as a sign we should not go in and that we should not let the cat go in?
The hosts had not told us that we should not go in and had previously mentioned that their cat loves to sleep on their bed - so do we let the cat in or not ?
On another occasion the dog we were looking after went missing - it was a very large house and the owner had left their bedroom door open - we would not have usually gone into that room but we needed to search under beds and chairs to find the missing dog - fortunately we did find the dog asleep on the owners bed .
Is it possible that something similar happened with your dog ?
If there are rooms that you don’t want to be used you need to make this very clear both in your discussions and written down in your welcome guide .
Sitters are generally made to feel at home by the hosts ; but also respect boundaries as long as it has been clearly explained what these are .
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If you don’t think invasion of privacy is the correct terminology.
The fact that the sitter rearranged the cupboards is intrusive and was unwelcomed . If it happened in my home I would not like it.
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We often have to move the owner’s items aside to a)keep them safe and b) make room for own things. This is especially true in the bathroom and the kitchen. We always take photos beforehand so that everything goes back exactly as the owner had it, even if things were left in a mess, we make sure we restore that same mess because that is obviously the way the owner likes it to be. So far, this method has never caused any problems. We are quite fastidious about leaving the home exactly as we found it. It’s what I would expect as an owner. Hope that helps to give you some vindication 
I don’t strive to put things back exactly as they were. After a few weeks I may have forgotten exactly how things were, but don’t see the need take photos.
Sometimes I remember and I will still leave it in the way that I rearranged things. In this place I moved a power strip that was on the other side of the room to the outlet behind the couch where I (and the dog) have settled. It is easy enough for the HO to put it back. And this is a relaxed and easy-going family, I am confident that they won’t deduct stars for that. They may not even notice.
In a previous sit, I had moved one of the bedside lamps downstairs to the living room. The HO liked it, said “Yes, good idea, we need a lamp there.”
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We suggest to sitters, especially longish term, that they photograph inside of or our storage at start of sit. They all agree this a win/win idea. At end of sit they don’t have to try remember where we keep our sieve, potato masher, etc and we don’t spend weeks looking for things. Years ago we had a very thoughtful sitter who left o lot of utensils on a counter top for us to put away as they couldn’t remember where they originally found them. And we do leave plenty of clear cupboard and freezer space for them.
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This is giving me an EEK moment. On a sit a few years ago, the absolutely fabulous kitchen had a drawer that was stuffed so full of dish towels they were falling out behind the drawer and preventing the drawer from closing completely. On the last day I washed the ones I’d used, and then in order to get everything to fit into the drawer I Marie Kondo’d the drawer. Here’s my own napkin and dish towel drawer, Marie Kondo’d. Fits twice what can go in the typical way. But, oops. Probably an overstep.
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I think when a person is staying in your house they should feel okay to use kitchen items and such. I am not sure why using kitchen items would be an invasion of privacy. When I sit, I cook a lot, wash dishes, and return them. But most of the time I don’t remember the exact order of things. I just try and put back items orderly.
I would say if you want people to stay at your house, and not use or move anything, that should be disclosed before hand.
I have gone through many cupboards looking for a blender, or a specific item and it never occurred to me that if I put things back differently that I would offend someone.
It’s very difficult sometimes to walk into a house where you don’t know where things are. I specifically remember a house where I could not find an oven mitt or kitchen towel the entire time and I looked everywhere.
The room also may have been entered to sweep or vacuum. I have also had dogs open doors. I just did two sits where the dog would open any door I closed! I did another sit where I opened many windows to cool the house down the house at night and shut them in the morning since there was no AC and the daytime heat was unbearable.
I think you should just ask instead of thinking about all the possible reasons.
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I’m hiring you for a house sit @Val 
No pets, no vacation planned, I’ll just leave. You can Marie Kondo to your heart’s content.
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Also, if it was a scenario, where the sitter reorganized things, I could understand why you might not like it, but you should also realize that it was probably not done maliciously. I think it would be sad if a sitter had a star deducted for trying to do something nice while providing good pet care. If I spent a lot of energy providing excellent care for a pet and was given a slightly negative review because I tried to do something extra for the owner (even if it was not appreciated), I would certainly feel like the owner was looking for flaws. And that feeling would turn me off for pet sitting.
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@SunshineAndAloha I think the key here is: ask first. Your intentions may be good, but that’s not how it will always come across to the other party.
F.ex. if I’d have a sitter who’d be keen on gardening and wanted to do something to my yard and asked about it, I would be delighted. But if they didn’t ask and would do it anyway, I would not like that.
Same with dog (or cat) training. I would be very upset if I found out the sitter had been training my dog without asking me first. But, if the sitter would discuss the matter with me, it might be possible.
This post did not discuss things being misplaced because you didn’t remember where something was originally, but a sitter who intentionally re-arranged all the kitchen cupboards and drawers.
Anyway, I think that communication is the key here.
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@BClark Sorry to hear of this situation with your sitter. Appreciate you bringing your concerns and questions here, for other owners and sitters, to offer feedback. These types of conversations help all of us to understand what occurs on both sides of the owner/sitter platform. We come across various types of individuals, and clearly not all are going to agree on the expected behavior and protocols of being in someone else’s home. As sitters, we are first and foremost, responsible for the care of the pets, as indicated by the instructions of the homeowners. Secondly, we are tasked with caring for their home, also in the manner set forth by the homeowner. Deviation from either of these tasks, can be seen as not following the owners requests. Respect for the belongings of the owner, as well as a degree of privacy, should be mutually understood, without any need for discussion. At the end of the day, all sitters should behave as guests, who also happen to be caring for pets, and act accordingly. Best of luck in your next experience and hope these types of occurrences can be avoided. It might be helpful to explain to potential future sitters, your concerns about past behavior.
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Although I’m not sure why the sitter would rearrange everything like that, I’ve definitely had the urge to do so on a few sits! I imagine they truly felt they were helping? I have seen a post where the homeowner gave raving reviews about the reorganizing a sitter did, she even mentioned it made more sense now…maybe your sitter was hoping to be seen as an master organizer!?
I know I’ve definitely put things back in the wrong spot, especially if they leave a dishwasher to be emptied! A lot of times I’ll just neatly place unknown items of the counter though as to not hide them!
As for the doors being opened, I’ve only ever done this when I hadn’t seen the cat in awhile. Although my brain knew I didn’t let the cat in the closed room, it convinced me that maybe their was a secret entrance! But ofcourse I made sure to close the door.
I’m giving benefit of the doubt here and assuming it wasn’t malicious!
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Everyone has a right to their feelings about privacy - it’s just a matter of making these known, firmly, in advance.
I know I have said something thing like “There’s probably nothing in that room that you’d need” and then been mildly affronted when the sitter hadn’t interpreted that as “Don’t go into that room”. I don’t think anything should be said after the event - nothing to be gained.
For myself, if a sitter wants to rearrange cupboards that means they are at home keeping my dog company and not looking for an occupation elsewhere.
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Sometimes, I can’t recall where things were… now I take photos at the beginning of the set. But wonder what degree the rearranging was.
On one sit off THS, I cleaned out every cupboards because it was an absolute mess. The wife was so happy, she posted it on her social account. Burt said her husband would mess it all up. He told me I am the best act sitter ever.
I come across atrocious cupboards now and then - food debris stuck… but with THS sits, I try to keep the cleaning minimal as to not offend but the owners, who’ve noticed, always thanked me for doing it.
I recently was on a sit, and the owner allowed my friend to visit. I’ve known her for over 25 yrs but hadn’t seen her since before the pandemic. I was annoyed that she fiddled with a guitar. When I asked her to not touch things, she acted like the guitar is like using pots and pans! And few other actions led me think - am I overreacting? I also had another friend who visited during a sit did a similar thing. But of course if you asked the sitter specifically not to do something… and a damaged was caused, I’d sure to ask explain it.
Rearranging the cupboards is odd but not completely strange. Maybe they had a bit of OCD. I did a sit where the room was closed as it was his office and the kid’s bedroom was closed as well. I didn’t go in EXCEPT for the time that after a half hour of looking for the cat I couldn’t find it so I opened the door looked in, called the cat and closed it again. Otherwise I would never have gone in that room
No way would I open a closed door in someone else’s home unless I saw smoke or water seeping out from under it.
First feel the door!
If it is hot, don’t open it.
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I know. It really was a terrible joke. In my defense, it was the middle of the night. 