'I see you on the camera': Brother breaks into his sibling's cabin with his 6, 8, and 10-year-old kids despite being told they couldn't use it, so the 28-year-old property owner remotely shuts off all the utilities

Author image for Jesse Kessenheimer
Jesse Kessenheimer • Writer and Editor
Dec 7, 2025 2:00 PM EST

Planning a weekend away in the mountains requires a certain amount of effort, especially if you're a family of five. You need to book accommodations, figure out your driving schedule, pack up enough food, and ensure you've coordinated with the property owner leasing you their space. Most crucially, it seems that your accommodation would be the most vital, and thus most frequently double-checked, particularly in frozen environments. Clever travelers would never show up with snow boots in hand, mittens balled up, and sleds in their trunk without first confirming they had a warm place to sleep. 

But here's the thing: Not all travelers are clever and diligent like this, and most of all, many travelers on a budget are willing to assume their family member's belongings to avoid paying their way at all. 

This dubious father of three thought that he could hoodwink his younger brother, a property owner of a nice little cabin by the lakeside. By ignoring his refusal of a free stay, the eldest decided that he was entitled to a free vacation at his sibling's expense. Forgetting that his brother originally denied him because he trashed his cabin the first time, this brother felt that his family shared everything, despite their long-standing, terrible track record of disrespectful behavior. 

Some holiday home dwellers want to freeload off of their family members, but because of the property owner's surveillance cameras, remote utility switches, and his smart thermostat, this vacation got the cold shoulder. 

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  • Family sitting outside of the cabin in the snow
    via blueorangestudio

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.
     

  • AITA for remotely turning off the utilities and locking my brother out of my vacation home after he broke in?
    via EconomySubstance16
  • AITA for remotely turning off the utilities and locking my brother out of my vacation home after he broke in?
    via EconomySubstance16
  • I (28M) bought a small lake cabin about three years ago. I rent it out on Airbnb occasionally to cover costs, but mostly I keep it for myself. My brother (32M) and his wife (30F) have three kids (6, 8, and 10). Last year, I let them stay
    via EconomySubstance16
  • there for a weekend for free. It was a disaster. They left trash everywhere, broke a window blind, and let their dog scratch up the hardwood door. They never offered to pay for repairs or even apologized. After that, I
    via EconomySubstance16
  • told them: "No more using the cabin unless I am there." Fast forward to this past Friday. Dave called me and asked if they could use the cabin for the weekend because Sarah needed a "break." I said no. I
    via EconomySubstance16
  • explained that I had guests coming the following week (truth) and I didn't have time to clean up after them. He begged, saying he promised to clean, but I stood my ground. I said, "The answer is no, Dave.
    via EconomySubstance16
  • Do not go there." Saturday morning, I get a notification from my Ring doorbell. I open the app, and there is Dave, Sarah, the kids, and the dog, unloading a cooler. It turns out Dave had memorized the
    via EconomySubstance16
  • keypad code from last year (I admit, I'm an idiot for not changing it, but I usually just rotate codes for guests and have a master code for family). I called Dave immediately. He didn't answer. I texted: "I see
    via EconomySubstance16
  • you on the camera. You are trespassing. Leave now." He texted back 20 minutes later: "Relax. We're already unpacked. We'll clean up, I promise. Don't ruin this for the kids." I saw red. I didn't want to
    via EconomySubstance16
  • call the police on my own brother in front of his kids, so I went the nuclear option. I opened my smart home app. I remotely changed the door codes. Then, I cut the WiFi.
    via EconomySubstance16
  • Man bundled up in the cold snow.
    via Comstock

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.
     

  • Finally, I went into the smart thermostat settings and locked the temperature to 50°F (it's currently about 40°F outside where the cabin is). I also turned off the electric water heater remotely. I texted him:
    via EconomySubstance16
  • "The door code has been changed. If you leave the house to go to the store or the lake, you will be locked out. There is no internet, no hot water, and the heat is off. You have one hour to pack up and leave
    via EconomySubstance16
  • before I call the Sheriff to report a break-in." They lasted about 45 minutes before I saw them angrily packing the car on the camera. Now my phone is blowing up. My mom is crying,
    via EconomySubstance16
  • saying I'm heartless for "freezing out my nieces and nephews" and that I should have just let them stay since they were already there. Dave says I'm a control freak and that
    via EconomySubstance16
  • I ruined their weekend over a "grudge." I feel justified because he explicitly went against my "No," but my mom saying I endangered the kids with the cold has me second- guessing myself.
    via EconomySubstance16
  • ouijabore NTA "Endangered the kids with the cold" and it's 50°? Please. Yeah it's chilly but it's not like the lake house was their only refuge. Sounds like Dave is used to doing whatever and having it excused by mom.
    via ouijabore
  • foreverzen69 NTA He had proven he couldn't be trusted with using the lake house, he doesn't get to use it. The fact that he asked, was told no, and still showed up anyway is a disgusting display of audacity.
    via foreverzen69
  • And I'm sure the kids had warm clothes, an hour would surely not have put them in any serious danger. Cold and miserable, maybe. But not in danger.
    via foreverzen69
  • SillyMoose25. NTA - if they wanted to be able to use it as a resource they should've taken care of it. You didn't ask for much. The actual nuclear option would've been calling the cops on them and not letting them know.
    via SillyMoose25
  • Your mom is upset because this is friction in her family and she doesn't want that so she wants you to just go along with your brother. But that's not fair to you.
    via SillyMoose25
  • They also didn't need to sit in the house the last 45 mins. Your brother and his sister-in-law are the ones that made their kids sit in the cold.
    via SillyMoose25

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