I’m only starting this thread to see what other sitters think and what they would have done.
At my current sit there is a very small pool - small enough for 2 strokes but nice to cool off in. Before the owners left I was told if I’m in it the two girls next door might stare at me as they’ll want to use it, but doubtful they would ask while I was there. The owners allow them to use it if they ask.
However, yesterday I was in the house reading when I suddenly heard splashing. I went down (2 flights down from the house) to find 2 girls splashing about and their parents from next door sitting by the pool. When they saw me they said “we broke in to use the pool as (the owners) let us”. I said it would have been nice if they’d asked……I mean, I might have been planning a pool party at that time 
Just curious to know if other sitters thought they were rude not to have asked me?
Yes, in the situation you described, I’d think it rude, because what if you wanted to use the pool, whether by yourself or with others. Or maybe you don’t want to be randomly surprised by anyone else in the pool. And that’s even if the homeowner had said they could use it.
In our second home, we let neighbors use the pool even when we were gone. But if I’d offered it to a sitter, I’d tell the neighbors, so they wouldn’t barge in.
It’s a bit of a breach of the 3rd party rule to be honest. I probably wouldn’t worry if the parents were tending to the girls.
Yeah I’d not be ok with that. Making light of breaking in is pretty rude especially if they know the owners are away - kind of makes it worse that the parents were clearly involved in disregarding common courtesy. It’s also an inconvenience to you in terms of not being able to use the pool yourself not to mention you are potentially the one charged with keeping the pool clean and have no control what they might be bringing to the pool which could make your job harder eg food, drinks etc. In my experience pool etiquette whether it’s in apartments, hotels or even backyard pools is not only a dying art…it’s completely non existent.
Definitely a no from me @Smiley . Common courtesy alone should be enough for the neighbour to show. What she IS showing is disrespect. It’s fine if the owners allow it but it’s not fine or acceptable for you to allow it.
I would be asking the homeowners to contact the neighbour and advise them not to use the pool whilst they are away. I know we are experiencing extreme heat in Oz at present but they will just have to deal with it. Tell them to fill the bathtub. Or do what I do and go in the pool naked. NOBODY comes near me when I do that, far too much for anyone to absorb
A definite “no” from me too @Smiley! No courtesy shown towards you at all and they have admitted they “broke in” too. Have they been back today to clean it for you???
A definite NO from us as well. Also the ‘staring’ you might have encountered! That’s just not right. Privacy should be taught from a young age.
I’d add to the chorus of nos although if the space between gardens was very open, and the kids were respectful/adults friendly I might be ok with it. It doesn’t sound like it was done very respectfully though!
@Smiley - the owners themselves say that they give them permission if they ask first .
Not even asking is extremely disrespectful to you.
You should be able to use the home and garden ( including the pool ) at anytime without anyone interrupting that peace .
Question is @Smiley are you happy with it - some sitters might be . However many wouldn’t be happy ( myself included) which is why the third party rule is there .
“In line with our sitter and pet parent guidelines, and to ensure the security and privacy of all members, pets and homes, we do not allow other people on the property whilst a sit is ongoing. ”
I agree with @ziggy that the homeowners should request that the neighbours don’t come into the garden whilst a sitter is staying there . (They really should have done this before they left )
You can contact the owners and say I was surprised when the family next door came and started to use the pool unannounced yesterday . If I had know that the neighbours would be free to use the pool during my stay I would not have accepted the sit as it’s against THS third party policy . Please advise the neighbours that they can not use the pool whilst a sitter is staying at the home .”
If they knew a housesitter was in situ, then extremey rude to do that without asking. How the parents could think that is appropriate is beyond me.
Absolutely a no-go for me. I wouldn’t want to be held accountable for the cleaning or potential damage.
I’d have done the same as you. They simply wouldn’t have realised that with THS we get the whole of the place to ourselves. They would have been naive to the rules, and the owners wouldn’t have realised they would have even thought of using it as they normally do either.
So, yes THS has rules which were breached, but it wasn’t deliberate, by the neighbours nor the HO. So as long as you had a good bond with the HO, I think I would have taken a light hearted approach on this occasion, and let them play while I chatted to the parents, who knows they may have had pets too .
The owners arrive home tomorrow morning so I shall tell them what happened, although I’m sure the neighbours will mention it too. If they had asked me I wouldn’t have minded as I was told they can use it. I don’t think it quite fits the third party policy, they weren’t inside the house.
@Smiley yes that makes sense as it’s the end of your stay . The situation might have been different if this was at the start of the sit and if you felt uncomfortable that it would continue to happen throughout the stay .
For future reference the third party policy applies to “the property “ which is not just the house it includes the attached land - it also specifically includes gardeners and such who can be there only if mentioned in the listing and discussed with sitter before the sit is confirmed so the third party does include the outside area of the property.
For some sitters the peaceful enjoyment of a garden and outside space is the main attraction of a particular sit and they wouldn’t feel comfortable sharing it with uninvited guests . Others will enjoy it , but a homeowner shouldn’t assume that a sitter will be fine with it . It should be discussed with the sitter before the sit is confirmed which is what the third party policy states ( even when the third party is a gardener or maintenance person ) it still applies that it should be discussed and agreed with the sitter first.
Yeah, this was my first thought - I mean, the intrusion itself is probably a deal-breaker for most, but I immediately thought, what if something happens to one of the kids, or they break something or leave a huge mess?
When the home owners returned on Sunday I told them about the pool incident and they did think it was rude and disrespectful of the neighbours. I told them about the third party policy