But that isn't the worst part.If you do this at night and the inhabitants see you,they simply reply "Sorry -friend- it seems you've wandered into a private area...".Would you call a complete stranger walking into your home friend?And you wouldn't call your house a "private area" either,your response would be more akin to "GET THE HELL OUTTA MY HOUSE!" and if they were any nearby you'd probaly call the guards immediately.Now,you could argue this may be abit unfair for the thieves,but in Oblivion I think you were given two or three warning by the inhabitant to leave the house before they call the guards,and they just follow you around the house until you leave/use up your warnings.Now I think thats throwing too much fairness at the thief.
Maybe these private area and warnings were made more for places like the castles and other public buildings with private areas,but a big part about being a thief if that you start of small stealing from houses.Houses being a starting point,maybe there shouldn't be that many difficulties in robbing them for a thief,but maybe Bethesda could think of alternatives?Something like,if you walk into a bulky nord's home,they restrain you and throw you outside?(For some reason I imagine Nords thinking of the town guard as untrustworthy,in less civilized areas of Skyrim anyway).
Oh,and I never liked the fact that you couldn't sleep in an owned bed either.You may think this may make inns and houses a smaller part of Skyrim,but I think it would be hillarious if the owner of the bed were to find you and shoutat you/fight you or get a guard to arrest you for sleeping.What do you guys think anyway?