What Happens If a House Sitter Drinks Too Much Alcohol During a Sit

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Quick Facts

This article is written from a homeowner's perspective: as close to one as a sitter can get. Caro and I have completed 18 sits across 11 countries with TrustedHouseSitters and have never been on the receiving end of this situation. But the THS forum has documented it in detail: homeowners returning to find their fridge emptied, their display cabinet opened, their personal wine collection gone. One homeowner described a sitter retrieving a bottle of Czech liquor from a third-floor room accessible only through their son's belongings. That is not carelessness. That is a person with a serious problem being let into someone's home.

This article covers the full spectrum: from the entirely acceptable glass of wine a sitter brought themselves, to the behaviour that warrants a platform report, and what homeowners can do when they return to find things are not as they left them.

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The Spectrum: One Glass to Raiding the Cabinet

The question of alcohol during a house sit is not black and white. It sits on a spectrum that runs from entirely reasonable personal behaviour to theft, with several meaningfully different situations in between.

A sitter who brings their own bottle of wine and has a drink in the evening is doing nothing wrong. They are in a home for potentially weeks at a time and are allowed to live normally. Caro and I often bring a bottle of wine to sits, typically as a gift for the homeowner, but there is nothing unusual about a sitter having a drink of their own in their own time.

A sitter who was explicitly offered the homeowner's alcohol is also in the clear. "Help yourself to whatever is in the fridge" is an invitation. Accepting it is not a violation.

The line moves when a sitter begins drinking through the homeowner's personal collection without invitation. The alcohol in a homeowner's home is their property. Being permitted to stay in the home does not extend to using the contents. Caro and I do not eat or drink anything at a sit that the homeowner has not explicitly offered or left for us. This is not a rule. It is respect. Just because something is accessible does not mean it is yours.

The line becomes clearly unacceptable when a sitter actively searches for alcohol: opening cabinets, going through storage, entering private rooms. In one documented case, a sitter consumed all of the alcohol in a home within two days, including a bottle of Portuguese wine and Czech liquor that required going through a child's room on the third floor of the house. At that point the behaviour is no longer a question of personal conduct. It is property invasion, and in most countries it would constitute theft.

Why It Matters Beyond the Property Question

The property violation is the most visible problem. But the deeper concern for homeowners is what excessive drinking during a sit signals about the care their pets and home are receiving.

An impaired sitter cannot respond properly to a pet emergency. They cannot accurately assess whether an animal is unwell. They cannot wake quickly if something goes wrong overnight. The entire premise of house sitting breaks down the moment that person is not in a condition to be responsible or attentive.

I would not want an excessive drinker looking after my home and my pets. Not because of the alcohol itself, but because of what it means for the quality of care. A sitter who has had a few drinks in the evening and is otherwise behaving responsibly is a different situation from a sitter who is drinking heavily throughout the day. The first is personal choice. The second is a failure of the core obligation. Our what house sitters can and cannot change guide covers the distinction between sitter autonomy and the obligations that come with the role.

The Homeowner's Dilemma: Ambiguous Cases

The THS forum also documents the ambiguous middle ground. One homeowner discovered an empty wine bottle in the recycling and a vaping pipe during a sit, not sure whether this crossed a line, and asking the community what the standard should be.

An empty wine bottle in the recycling from a sitter's own purchase is not a problem. An empty bottle from the homeowner's collection without permission is a different matter. The homeowner who found it did not know which it was, and that uncertainty itself points to something worth noting.

The practical advice for homeowners in the ambiguous situation: if you are not sure whether the alcohol was the sitter's or yours, ask. A direct message: "I noticed a bottle I didn't recognise in the recycling. Was that something you brought?". gives the sitter a chance to clarify. Most sitters who brought their own will say so immediately. The ones who go quiet or defensive are giving you useful information.

The more egregious cases are less ambiguous. One homeowner returned to find that the sitters had drunk all the alcohol in the fridge and then gone through the display cabinet for more. There is no ambiguity there. That is a clear breach of respect and trust, and it warrants a clear response.

Should Homeowners Address This in the Welcome Guide?

The honest answer is that homeowners should not need to say "please don't drink my alcohol." The alcohol belongs to the homeowner. A sitter who needs to be told this explicitly is a sitter who either lacks basic awareness of what respect for someone's home means, or who already knows and is looking for a loophole.

That said, if a homeowner has a particular bottle or collection they are protective of (wine brought back from a trip, spirits with sentimental value) there is nothing wrong with a brief note in the welcome guide:

"Please feel free to use the kitchen and help yourself to the condiments and pantry staples. We ask that you don't touch the wine rack as those are for special occasions."

That is a reasonable, non-accusatory way to set a clear boundary without implying you distrust the sitter.

The better conversation to have is the positive one: explicitly telling the sitter what they are welcome to use. "There is beer in the fridge, help yourself" removes ambiguity and makes the sitter feel welcome. It also removes any defence of "I didn't know it wasn't for me."

What Homeowners Can Do When They Return to a Problem

If a homeowner returns and suspects a sitter has been drinking excessively (empty bottles that were not there before, the alcohol visibly depleted, bottles moved or broken) the response should be measured and documented.

Photograph everything before touching anything. The state of the home on return is evidence. If bottles are missing from the cabinet, photograph the empty spaces. If the recycling contains bottles you recognise as yours, photograph them. Timestamp everything.

Message the sitter directly with a specific question rather than an accusation. "When I returned I noticed the wine rack had been opened and several bottles are missing. Can you clarify what happened?" This gives the sitter an opportunity to respond. Some situations turn out to have an explanation. Most that do not will be evidenced by the silence or defensive response.

Leave an accurate review. The review system exists precisely for situations like this. A factual note stating that bottles from the personal collection were consumed without permission gives future sitters and homeowners the information they need. It does not need to be emotional. It needs to be specific. Our THS blind review guide covers how to write a review that is fair, factual, and useful.

Report to the platform. THS and most major house sitting platforms allow homeowners to flag conduct that violates the platform's terms. A single incident may be the first time this has happened with this sitter. It may not be. A documented report means that if the behaviour continues across other sits, there is a record that supports removal from the platform. The platform cannot investigate without documented proof, so the photographs and message thread matter.

The Sitter's Perspective: How Not to Be This Person

As a sitter, the standard is simple. Bring your own if you want to drink. Do not touch what belongs to the homeowner unless they have specifically told you it is available. Treat the home the way you would want someone to treat yours if you handed them the keys.

Caro and I bring a bottle of wine as a gift for the homeowner on arrival. If we want a drink during the sit, it comes from what we brought or what was explicitly offered. We do not open fridges looking for what might be available. We do not interpret "help yourself to the kitchen" as extending to personal collections.

This is not a restrictive standard. It is the natural extension of what it means to be a respectful guest in someone else's home. A homeowner who trusts you enough to hand you their keys has made a significant decision about the kind of person they believe you to be. Maintaining that trust requires behaving like the person they thought you were in the video call.

The question worth asking before reaching for anything that belongs to the homeowner: how would I feel if they came home and saw this? If the answer is comfortable, proceed. If the answer is awkward, stop.

Conclusion

A glass of wine a sitter brought themselves is fine. A bottle from the homeowner's collection without permission is not. Going through private rooms or personal cabinets to find alcohol is a serious breach of trust and potentially theft.

For homeowners who return to find evidence of excessive drinking: photograph everything, ask the sitter directly, leave an honest review, and report to the platform if the behaviour warrants it. A documented record protects other homeowners and may result in the platform taking action if a pattern emerges.

For sitters: the standard is the same one that applies to every other aspect of the sit. Treat the home the way you would want your own home treated. The alcohol in that fridge is not yours unless you are told it is.

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Frequently Asked Questions

• Is it okay for a house sitter to drink alcohol during a sit?

  Yes, in moderation and from their own supply or what the homeowner has offered. A sitter having a drink they brought themselves is entirely normal. The problem arises when a sitter consumes the homeowner's personal alcohol without permission, searches through the home for more, or drinks to the point of impairment. Impaired care is the core risk for the pets and the home.

• What should a homeowner do if a sitter drank their alcohol without permission?

  Photograph everything on return, message the sitter directly with a specific question, leave an accurate review, and report to the platform. Ask first, document what you find, and let the review and platform report speak factually. See our THS review guide for how to write a review that is useful rather than emotional.

• Does TrustedHouseSitters cover theft of alcohol or personal property by a sitter?

  The THS Sit Protection plan may cover damage but the specific terms depend on circumstances and evidence. See our insurance guide for what each platform plan covers. Document everything before making any claim.

• Should a homeowner put rules about alcohol in the welcome guide?

  Not as a default. The homeowner's alcohol is their property and a sitter should not need to be told not to take it. However, if a homeowner has a specific collection they want to protect, a brief note in the welcome guide is a reasonable and non-accusatory way to set that expectation. Even better is telling the sitter what they are welcome to use, which removes ambiguity entirely.

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