Homeowner Cuts Weekend Trip Short After Their House Sitter Breaks In Through A Window And Triggers A $250 Insurance Deductible
One careless moment turned a simple weekend job into a $250 argument.
A $70 a night house-sitting gig should end with a tired dog and a clean kitchen, not a broken door and an insurance deductible. But that’s what OP came home to after leaving a sitter in charge for one weekend.
OP and their partner went away with friends and hired a sitter to stay at their house so the dog wouldn’t have to be boarded. Everything looked fine until the middle of the night. Around 3AM, the sitter let the dog out and somehow got locked out of the house.
OP says their video doorbell showed the sitter trying multiple doors and even attempting to call them through the doorbell. The problem was that OP and their partner were asleep and didn’t answer.
By morning, they learned the sitter had gotten back inside by breaking the window on the back door. OP cut the trip short, sent the sitter home, and started calling for repairs. That’s when the real frustration kicked in. The glass couldn’t be replaced easily because of how the door was made, so replacing the entire door became the cheaper option.
The service they booked will cover the damage, but only after a $250 deductible. Now OP wants the sitter to pay that deductible because the lockout happened after the sitter left the key on the table instead of keeping it on them. OP also says they saw the sitter smoking outside on a pet camera, which makes the lockout feel even more avoidable.
OP’s partner thinks pushing the sitter to pay will be too harsh. OP thinks it’s basic accountability.
Scroll through the screenshots below to see how one late-night mistake turned into a debate about responsibility and money.
Let’s dig into details
Reddit.comOP and their partner went away for the weekend and paid a dog sitter to stay home and cater to their pup. Unfortunately, the dog sitter mistakenly locked themself out of the house
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By the next day, the couple found out that the dog sitter broke the window on the back door to get in. At this point, they cut their trip short, relieved the sitter and started making plans to fix the window
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OP wants the dog sitter to pay the $250 deductible that was triggered due to damage, but their partner doesn’t feel it’s right to make them pay
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Some additional information
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OP made a second edit to address questions
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The last bit
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We gathered some interesting comments from the Reddit community
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“It was a mistake, plain and simple. Would you have preferred she and the dog just camp out on your lawn with no food and water.”
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“Chalk this up to a learning experience and don’t penalize the sitter for your lack of foresight.”
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“YTA. what alternative would you have preferred the sitter to do?”
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Original post
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This is one of those situations where two things can be true at once.
The sitter likely did what they had to do in the moment to get back inside and keep the dog safe.
But leaving the key behind and getting locked out also created a problem that cost real money and stress.
The deductible feels like a fair line to some people and an excessive punishment to others.
Should the sitter pay the $250, or should OP eat the cost and move on? Share your thoughts in the comments.
