'I have cameras set up when my in-laws housesit. Is my MIL overreacting?'

"AITA? I have cameras set up when my in-laws housesit..."

We (me, wife, two youngish kids) have a pretty complicated house situation. Rabbits, guinea pigs, dog, fairly large home. We go out of town 4-5 times a year and my wife’s parents house/pet sit for us. Long story short my MIL, who I love dearly, is kind of a busy body snoop type lady.

She will go through cabinets, underwear drawers, etc. After figuring out how bad she is with this, catching her in my office, I put a locked handle on my home office. When I did this she had a meltdown about our cameras and how we (I) don’t trust her.

This came up through my wife, where my mil told her I’m a jerk and who knows what else for having control issues and trust issues and probably hiding secrets and whatever else. I brought this up to my FIL, saying hey we have cameras outside and in basement - he stopped me and laughed and said they have a blast staying at our home/farm property and he gets it, and don’t worry about his wife freaking out.

My stance is, I don’t want her digging through my basement or garage and definitely not my office. Which she has already done, since I caught her on these cameras. Basically her privacy isn’t violated unless she’s snooping. I never lock anything unless she’s housesitting. When they housesit I always “do something” for them - get their car detailed or some other thing.

Just gauging, am I an ahole here? We have cameras outside the house around the perimeter, in the unfinished basement (water leaks and MIL security) and in the garage (connected to garage door system). There are no cameras inside the living area of the house.

Here's what people had to say to OP:

mmmmm_pi said:

NTA. It is appropriate for you to disclose the existence of the cameras. House-sitting is to make sure the house is occupied, plants get watered, pets get fed, pick-up the mail, and generally have a bit of activity at the house so that it doesn't look like an easy target for thieves. House-sitting is not carte blanche for someone to rifle through your personal items.

druidays said:

NTA - it’s wildly inappropriate that your MIL does this.

Donutsmell said:

NTA, but your wife needs to be handling her mother when she starts name calling and hurling accusations just because you stopped her from being nosy.

Sudden-Owl-1319 said:

NTA. "This is my house. You don't have to stay if you don't want to." Leave it like that.

Medusa_7898 said:

NTA. She’s pissed her nosiness has been documented.

Haunting-Plantain870 said:

NTA. You have every right to place cameras wherever you want them, and if that means they get busted snooping, well, don't.