Having pets and a place of your own is an absolute joy – but there’s no denying that both bring complications of their own.

And one of the most pressing problems for pet owners is what to do with their pets when they go on vacation; and for homeowners, the security of their property while they’re away can be a serious concern too.

So what better than to have a trusted friend house-sit, to care for the home and your pets too.

It feels like a win-win, but as the homeowner in this story shows, it can actually lead to more complications.

Read on to find out what happened.

AITA for telling my friend that she couldn’t bring her boyfriend’s kids over?

I’m leaving town for Christmas, and I asked my friend (53, female) if she would like to house-sit for me.

I live on the beach and she is always offering.

I have young cat and an aquarium that needs (very minimal) looking after, so I reached out.

But this homeowner had requirements when it came to her friend house sitting.

I let her know that I am fine with her boyfriend (41, male) staying or visiting as well (she won’t go anywhere without him), but I don’t want his four kids there (they’re aged fourteen, eleven, nine and seven).

My place is just too small, and I really don’t want the extra wear and tear.

I do have a guest room/play room for my grandkids, but I don’t want four other kids in there playing with their things.

I’m also little OCD about cleanliness and organization.

Let’s see how her friend reacted to these rules.

She seemed surprised that I was not welcoming of her boyfriend’s kids, especially during the holidays.

She tried to convince me how much fun a beach Christmas would be for them and that they (the kids) would only be there for a day or two.

She promised to clean up after them, buy their own snacks, etc., and re-iterated that she was doing it for free.

Read on to find out how the homeowner responded.

I know she was doing me a favor, but it is also something she is always asking to do because of the location.

She was visibly upset and offended when I told her no to the kids.

Would I be wrong for telling her that it wasn’t going to work and that I would find someone else even though she offered to do it for free?

AITA?

It’s understandable why her friend is always offering to housesit, since she has a home in a beautiful spot.

However, this is the holidays – and to have her friend housesit over the holidays, she’s basically saying that her boyfriend shouldn’t be with his kids, and that they should prioritise her home instead – which is absolutely not okay.

No one is going to enjoy the holidays this way – the homeowner will be concerned her home, cat, or fish are going to be harmed, while the friend is going to either be lonely without the kids or lying to bring them there. It’s not ideal for anyone.

Let’s see what folks on Reddit made of this.

This person thought she was right to make rules for her own home.

While others encouraged her to find someone else.

Meanwhile, this Redditor thought the holidays were the perfect excuse to decline her services.

It’s clear that this isn’t going to work out.

Sure the friend knows the kids and sees nothing wrong with them coming to the house, but the homeowner isn’t okay with that – and in itself, that’s okay.

To keep their friendship, it’s probably better that they forget about this arrangement.

Otherwise everyone’s going to have a horrible time.

If you liked that post, check out this story about a guy who was forced to sleep on the couch at his wife’s family’s house, so he went to a hotel instead.