£20 a night?

My kid who is 10 gets £20 a day for 2 visits morning and night to feed and play with the pets. I find it generous of my friend to pay my daughter that, so my daughter is very grateful and she is very thorough and spends a good time playing with the pets. I also help her make sure everything related to the pets is tidied away, and that she locks properly. She loves the job and misses the pets after she is done with the pet sitting. I think if you expect them to stay at yours definitely a bit more than £20 and provide food. I would probably be happier with paying them £20 for a couple of hours a day (morning and night)and they stay at their own home.

@Silverbook If they live 5 mins away they can pop in to see car but legally I’d say no to staying over no-matter how well I knew them or how trustworthy they were.

@Silverbook Errrm is it not illegal to leave under 16’s home alone where you live?
Legal for them to pop in check on cat, do litter tray, play with & feed kitty a few times a day & I would pay £20 for that but overnight is a nope for under 16.

The cat doesn't need overnight company. I'd say give a flat rate of c. 120 for the girl to pop in a few times a day to feed the cat/keep them company, but don't do overnights - 15 is too young, the NSPCC even advise not to leave someone under 16 alone overnight.

OP you really really can't predict what a 15 year old will do or how they'll feel being alone at night, no matter how mature and sensible you think they are.

https://www.gov.uk/law-on-leaving-your-child-home-alone#:~:text=The%20National%20Society%20for%20the,not%20be%20left%20alone%20overnight

I’m leaving my 16 year old this summer in charge of the house plus pets. I trust him implicitly, but I wouldn’t have done it at 15 as I think it’s iffy on legal grounds. I’m giving him £50 a week for expenses, but obviously it’s his own house so slightly different.

I’ve hurt myself and flooded bathrooms. I’m not a teen. Presumably they kniw and trust the sitter. However to leave your home and creature comforts for 10 days? £20 a day is nowhere near enough - and how will you leave enough food for 10days?
I think £50 per day absolute minimum and more for food.

I agree! My daughter is 15 and very sensible but I still won’t leave her (and her sister, 14) overnight without an adult in the house, let alone 10 nights! And I can’t believe the teens parents are allowing it. However to answer the question, I’d say £15-20 a night 😄

My dd did this for neighbour to look after cat and dog but bought her own food. She was 19 and a student. They paid £100 a night. London.

Yes I must admit I thought the same! They are basically only responsible for themselves… and cats.. and can call family if help or advice needed for anything. And perhaps could have a friend round?

There must be a generation of snowflakes being raised in some houses…

Times have changed for sure! When I was 15 I used to babysit 4 kids on my own in their house for long weekends. Feeding them, bathing them, amusing them, taking them out, being responsible for them.. I know that’s not ten days but.. 4 kids…!.. between 1 and 7.

No-one batted an eyelid.. and my mum was massively overprotective compared to all my friend’s mums back then

Feeding a cat is fine for £10 a day. That only entails someone dropping by for an hour. However, 15 years old is too young to house sit for 10 days. They could bring their friends round or be peer pressured into it once others are aware of an adult free house. The teen could hurt themselves or flood the bathroom etc.

I used to cat sit 4 cats, I was paid £25 a day.

It’s too much responsibility for a 15 year old and things can go wrong

Too much responsibility for a 15-year-old to feed a cat?!? Are people on this thread serious 😳 and I'm sure the cat would prefer to stay home than to be put in a cattery. But some posters seem to confuse 15 with 5.

How can it be too much responsibility for a 15-year-old to earn some extra money feeding the neighbours' cat?!? A 9-year-old could feed a cat!!

I would never have a 15 year old look after my house and pet got 20 days. Either lock up your house and board your cat or get a responsible person to house sit and look after the cat. A neighbour going in every day to feed and water the cat would be much more reasonable as an alternative in my opinion. It’s too much responsibility for a 15 year old and things can go wrong

For one of your teachers?!?!

Surely there’s some boundary crossing there?!

I did similar for one of my teachers at 15. There were several dogs, a cat and A LOT of houseplants, but I got £300 for a fortnight and felt so rich! No boyfriend or parties, but they’d said friends were welcome so we had 3/4 dinners and I hosted two sleepovers. The rest of the time I was by myself and yeah, played house! Loved it!

Will they not get lonely by themselves ?
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😉

£20 a night sounds fine :)

They won't be insured to be in your house all the time. There is no way I would let a 15 year old live in my house for 10 days.

My nervous rescue cat needs company if I'm away more than 5 days so I use Trusted Housesitters - no payment except to join the site. Less than 5 days I pay a cat sitter to pop in to feed her etc twice a day, £10 per visit.

Yup this.

I was a sensible teen who anyone would have trusted.

I would have done all the above then

Can't they just come in and gred the cat? Why do they have to stay?

I'm not sure on any level I would have a 15 yr old alone overnight in the house

For a 15 year old with minimal duties, for 10 days, why not offer them £100? Thats £10 a day and I know my 15 yo would of snapped your hand off for a hundred quid feeding the cat and evening chill outs watching tv. I think £20 a day is too much for that and as you said, they don't need to be there much at all. Maybe 15 an hour max.

The background was I was in care, and left care when I was 16.

It doesn’t really matter about the background, I just had/have no interest in that lifestyle. My point was that plenty of 15/16 year olds don’t throw parties and do drugs when left alone, and it’s legal to live independently as a 16 year old so it’s not outside the realms of possibility that a 15 year old would be able to handle 10 days alone.

Just pay whatever the 15 year old wants.
If you think it's too little, you can top it up at the end.

If you think it's too much, you've got no other option really ?

What was the background to that?
Because living independently at 16 is not usual in the UK.

I'm almost surprised at the kids parents encouraging him to house sit. I think it's pretty nieve to think nothing could go wrong.

I’m 25 🤦🏼‍♀️ there was ample internet when I was 15, believe me!