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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to think you'd have to be desperate to charge a friend for storage space?

17 replies

soandsosmummy · 12/10/2011 19:02

I'm currently storing ten boxes of stuff for a friend while he's abroad. They are in my cellar which I only use for storage anyway. They cause me no inconvenience whatsoever.

Today this came up in conversation at work and my colleague was astonished that I wasn't charging him for the space. She says he's taking advantage of me and I shouldn't tolerate it. I think it would be entirely unreasonable to charge for this unless you're absolutely desperate for cash. I'm not running a business, I'm doing a favour for a friend.

What do you think?

OP posts:
Ungratefulchild · 12/10/2011 19:03

YANBU :)

FetchezLaVache · 12/10/2011 19:04

YANBU. I think if you delve a bit deeper you'll find your colleague probably doesn't have many friends (left).

PooseGimples · 12/10/2011 19:06

Soandso your work colleague doesn't sound very nice. You are doing what friends do- help each other out without expecting anything in return- your work peep sounds like she is mean (and friendless, I would think.)

YA def NBU.

pozzled · 12/10/2011 19:07

YANBU.

EricNorthmansMistress · 12/10/2011 19:11

Depends how good a friend. I am storing stuff for a friend of a friend and she is giving me £25 a month for it, it is space that we could use but not desperate for. The friend in question is leaving her bed here indefinitely and I'm not charging her. So it depends.

TandB · 12/10/2011 19:44

YANBU

We still have a few things belonging to a friend of ours that we stored for him when he went into the navy. That was 4 years and 2 house-moves ago.

It never occurred to me to charge him for it - although we do have one of his pictures on the wall because it is nice.....

AgentZigzag · 12/10/2011 19:50

I was going to say you'd have to be a bit miserable to make a few quid out of a friend leaving stuff with you, unless it was a real inconvenience.

But obviously Erics exempt from that judgement Grin

(Oooo you've got a cellar, any freshly dug patches in it? Is it a bit creepy having a cellar? Do you ever fall down the stairs when the light doesn't work? Grin)

EricNorthmansMistress · 12/10/2011 19:53

Well I got a call from friend saying 'hey I have a suggestion for you that will make you a few quid' so I went 'sure' :)

tigermoll · 12/10/2011 19:53

I stored some stuff with a friend, - she wasn't using the space and it didnt cause any inconvinence to her (as far as I know Smile)

When I came to get it back, I took her and her partner out for a meal and drinks to say thanks.

Thats how friendship works, I reckon.

troisgarcons · 12/10/2011 19:57

You do thinks for friends, so to charge would BU.

complexnumber · 12/10/2011 20:10

Storage is bloody expensive. If you take some in you are giving someone a very big financial saving.

It seems only reasonable that they should pass some of that saving on to you.

Or at the very least offer it to you so as you are in the position to decline.

spottypancake · 12/10/2011 20:18

Storage is very expensive as someone has pointed out. We had our stuff in store for 3 months during a particularly stressful housemove.

DB is moving house and I have some of their furniture stacked in my garage, my mum has some and his PILs have some of it as well. Nobody is charging Shock! If the items aren't inconveniencing you then it would be outrageous to ask for money. Your colleague is a meany!

WhereYouLeftIt · 12/10/2011 20:27

We stored friends' stuff in our basement for a couple of years while they were working abroad. We weren't using the room (house was a wreck, we were working our way around it one room at a time) so it was no inconvenience to us. We shut the door and forgot about it until they retrieved it.

I'd feel very odd about taking money for storage, it's a favour, isn't it? Especially when it costs me nothing (in either money or convenience) to give? Surely you'd feel responsible for it if you took money, e.g. if any damage happened?

Original poster
soandsosmummy · 12/10/2011 20:46

that is different then ericnorthmansmisstress if it was suggested as a paying thing from the start it would be something else altogether.

Fifteen years ago the friend in question paid my rent for two months when I was made suddenly unemployed and my benefits weren't coming through. I never asked him he just saw the need and did it - its one of the kindest things anyone ever did for me and I've never forgotten

OP posts:
Original poster
soandsosmummy · 12/10/2011 20:53

No freshly dug patches in my cellar. The house is Victorian. I love having a cellar it swallows so much clutter though a lot of spiders live there Grin

OP posts:
FabbyChic · 12/10/2011 20:54

Id not charge someone either, certainly not a friend, I doubt I'd charge anybody if the space was not being used.

AgentZigzag · 12/10/2011 20:57

'though a lot of spiders live there'

Great excuse for me to not go down amongst the clutter then, same as our loft Grin

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