PLEASE include this info in your review of the sit. Include these facts, nothing emotional (like how it made you feel). Help future sitters!
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Iâm really confused @Rhe - you donât want to leave, you donât want to tell the son to leave, you donât want to turn the cameras off, you donât want to tell the owners how you feel and you donât want customer services to tell the owners theyâre in the wrong or inform them that you feel uncomfortable. What advice from forum members would have helped make the situation better for you? 
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Sometimes folks just want to vent or want empathy. But yes, theyâre often not good at saying that and instead their posts read like they want help. Or maybe they have no idea what they want and just randomly think thereâs something magical that reaching out can accomplish.
BTW, even if this thread doesnât help the OP, it might help other folks who encounter such situations in the future.
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@Maggie8K - I agree it will help other members but only if the sitter leaves a review that is a true reflection of their experience. That should be easier with the blind review system. If they donât the homeowner will think it was acceptable behaviour and just continue as before.
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For a week, I might also choose to stick it out.
@Cuttlefish I think it is good that sitters post such experiences here. I find the HOs behaviour absurd. Why do they even want a sitter? Is is for the pet or is it for the son??
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Yes, itâd be best for other sitters to know to avoid the host. Unfortunately, some sitters still wonât feel comfortable with writing factual reviews, for various reasons. I wish they would, too. But if not, even a thread like this might help other sitters, maybe if they come up with fallback plans in case something like this happens. I notice that in some threads people feel like they have no agency and thatâs just not the case.
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@Rhe thanks for coming back to the forum to update us .
I do understand your decision ; even if I might have made a different one . I also know how awkward it is when you feel (due to practicalities ) that you have no choice but to stay for the remainder of the sit .
Hopefully the new blind review process that is in operation will enable you to feel that you can leave an honest ( non-emotional) review to warn future sitters .
When the sit is finished you can also choose to leave feedback to THS which gets noted internally against the HOs records . With this feedback you can choose whether or not you want THS to contact HO about it or not . This system wasnât in place when we had our curtailed sits earlier in the year .
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Iâm not saying it isnât good to post @pietkuip - it absolutely is. The OP sounded as if they wanted advice and were given loads but didnât heed any of it. My point was âdid we miss an alternative solution for the sitter situation?â if so, Iâd like to know as it would help all of us.
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Hi Cuttlefish, I did indeed post about my situation seeking advice and opinions, and I received many useful responses. Having considered all the various possibilities, I have decided to stay for the remaining few days. Just because advice/opinions are not heeded does not make hearing that advice useful.
Again, the sheer practicalities of leaving the sit outweigh the benefits. If I had a nice home of my own nearby I would return to it, but I donât.
As for telling the family the son should not return (heâs away for tonight and back again tomorrow), I also have some sympathy - I donât know his situation, but perhaps he has no other place to go.
Those factors donât negate the fact that the sit is not as advertised, and not what I had originally signed up for.
In an ideal world, THS would remove the ownerâs listing until they had added details about the security cameras and possibility of third part visits. Again, I hope THS doesnât contact the owners during my stay, as this would land me in a disagreeable situation.
So, the reason for my post was to gather some options to consider, and, yes, perhaps to vent (and appeal for some sympathy!).
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Nobody should be subject to their privacy being violated. HOs who donât remove/disable indoor cameras for a sit should not be able to list with THS period.
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I understand why you have stayed.
I dont understand why you havent informed the home owners that you are unplugging the internal cameras (as this is entirely within your control).
I also dont really see why you cant have a conversation with them about the son staying, and separately with the son about his alternatives. I appreciate itâs not a comfortable thing to do but it is possible to do politely.
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Hello, I leave for another sit tomorrow. Here is the message I plan to send to the HO. (Please note, I am very shy of conflict (Iâve been scarred before), and part of me just wants to let THS deal with it)
Dear HO
I hope you have settled back in. ABCD is a delighful dog, and the house is warm and well-appointed. I know you are relatively new to Trustedhousesitters, but there are two key factors about this sit that breech the THS code of conduct, and need to be clearly stated in your initial listing.
The first are the internal cameras, which, according to the THS rules, need to be declared from the outset and switched off during the sitterâs stay.
The second issue relates to having your son stay. He is a pefectly affable person, and I completely understand that he is between houses and needs a place to stay, but again, third parties are not allowed.
Being upfront from the beginning about these two significant issues is essential in order to comply with the THS code of conduct, and avoid penalties from the site.
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Is the tone appropriate, in your view?
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@Rhe
It would be good if you could formulate that into your actual review of the HO- as its now blind you & the host wonât see each others reviews in advance- so they wonât be influenced by what you write. But if you send that as a direct message to them you are quite likely to get a less than desirable review from them! Protect yourself- you have already suffered enough on this sit.
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I think Iâd add somewhere in there âif you are going to continue your membership of THS then there are two things you will have to change in order to comply with their Ts & Cs as a home owner. No internal camera and no third party guests (see notes below to help clarify) and go from thereâŚ.spell it out a bit more but still respectfully. Also ask support to remind/advise her of the same 
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First I want to send my sympathy for the really hard time youâve had on this sit and fully appreciate you not wanting to be confrontational. Whilst the opening of your draft to the HOâs is great I donât think saying that the âtwo key factorsâ need to be clearly stated upfront is the right approach - both are against THS Terms and Conditions and as such should never form part of a listing. THS need to advise the HOâs that neither cameras nor third parties are permitted for sits advertised on their site. I hope your next sit runs smoothy.
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