How much would you expect to pay for this please?

[TheReplacement]

19yo niece is staying at our house for a fortnight while we go away, minimal expectation to do anything other than stick a couple of sachets of cat food down a couple of times a day and maybe a bit of plant watering.

Didn't need her to stay over as her cousin (my DD) and her Mum would be nipping in to empty litter trays etc, the idea was to give her and boyfriend the chance stay together as they are usually in Uni 150 miles apart.

I will stock the kitchen with snacks and booze but how much should I pay them?

You are doing them a favour by providing accommodation, you don’t actually need them there, so I wouldn't be paying tbh but I would maybe clarify this with her mum in case she has other ideas and it would cause bad feeling. We gave house/dog sitters $100 a week ($50) when it was a couple who lived apart and they got the use of our house and pool over Summer. They basically took time off work to have a “staycation” so said they didn’t need paying but dogs need walking and one needed tablets with her dinner so giving them something seemed fair.

Eh? DD and DN’s mum are doing litter trays and all niece has to do is food? And she gets a fortnight at your house with boyfriend with snacks and booze provided?

I’m not sure I’d be paying DN anything! Pay your DD and DN’s mum who are actually doing the cat care (literally the shitty parts) and making special journeys.

I would provide food and treats and a place to stay and that’s it really. I wouldn’t be offering money. Or if you really feel you must, leave £30 for a takeaway or something. It sounds like they are already getting a good deal.

Nothing!!!!

Nothing. You are providing them with accommodation, food & drink.

I would only be leaving a full fridge, anything more is very generous.

I wouldn't expect to pay them anything.

I "house sat" for some friends at a similar age in similar circumstances. They were doing me a much bigger favour than I was doing them.

If you’re providing all food and alcohol for 2 weeks then I wouldn’t be paying her anything.

I wouldn’t be paying her anything , you are already providing food and a free house .

God I wish I had an aunt like you when I was 19!

Ask them to tidy up after themselves, change bed linen before they leave, leave the place as they found it. No need for paying, but you could get them some duty free if you’re feeling generous.

If you don’t really need her, then I wouldn’t pay her at all. You’re giving her a place to see her boyfriend.

Why would you pay them when you're literally gifting them a shag fest??

Jesus, I would've probably paid you at that age 🤣

Going against the grain I would give her £100 a week for food and treats - assuming she normally lives at home and eats from her mum's kitchen.

You're letting her and her fella use your place as a shag pad? Seriously?

They'll have mates round and God knows who else!

Seriously? She's getting free accommodation for two weeks with no responsibility. I wouldn't even be leaving her a well stocked fridge let alone money.

I'd still pay. I generally pay £10 a visit to feed cat so £20 a day. My cats like company.

Er, absolutely nothing. I wouldn't be letting her stay in the first place though, tbh.

Good lord - nothing. You're doing them a favour. Leave them a bottle of fizz and some takeaway leaflets if you want to give them a welcome.

She is a university student who I presume would live in her mum's house and eat all her mum's food in the holidays. She isn't going to be able to live on "snacks and booze" for 2 weeks. If OP doesn't pay her it's entirely likely her mum (OP's sister i think) will take her shopping and give her some money to manage. They will both probably wonder why her mum is paying for a second set of groceries for her to live in OPs house and look after her cats. It's OPs niece - I would assume OP loves and would be happy to be generous to - rather than feeling she should be grateful to look after her cats. Everyone saying they should be so excited to have a shag pad is grim - presumably they live away from home at university and have their privacy there.

Agree!

Why would it be a second set of groceries if her mum knows she's not going to be at her house for those two weeks?

And also you need to read the OP...

"the idea was to give her and boyfriend the chance stay together as they are usually in Uni 150 miles apart."

Why are you assuming the 19 year old has no money to buy her own food and snacks?

She doesn't actually need to be there to look after the cats, that's the whole point of the OPs post. She's allowing her to stay as a kindness. She doesn't need to pay them for the privilege.

In my experience most uni students come home for the long summer holidays and live off their parents. This may or may not be the case for OPs niece.

If she is not looking after the cats and is just using OPs house for a break with her boyfriend then I agree she doesn't need paying- in which case I would wonder why OP would make a post on a forum talking about OPs holiday and the need for her cats to be cared for? I read it as OPs sister and daughter "could" take care of the cats but presumably will be saved a lot of hassle if her niece lives there and looks after them, as well as the cats having more supervision and company.

I recently read a thread on here where most people agreed a neighbour was tight and irresponsible to not want to pay a school child £15 each day to feed her cats. On this thread you think it is outrageous for the OP to offer her adult niece a similar amount for presumably full time cat sitting.

I agree with PP £100 pw.

The payment is the luxury of being able to stay in a property alone for two weeks with all the privacy that enables her. She's not a school child doing the OP a favour. There is no expectation on her apart from feeding the cats occasionally which could be done just as easily by the other family members who are coming over to actually care for the cats in terms of clearing their litter trays.

The offer of her staying was a nice gesture and payment enough.