To think you wouldn't expect this service for free?

[littleladyluna]

I am currently house and cat sitting for a client for five weeks. I met the next door neighbour while in the garden yesterday who asked if I could water her plants while she was away on holiday for four weeks. I told her I'm sure I could, and that I'd drop over a client enquiry form the next day. As I was already at the house next door for the duration I told her the charge would be £5 a day.

She said nothing, but the look on her face and the sound she made when I told her there would be a charge told me that she wasn't expecting to pay.

AIBU to think you don't expect 60 potted plants in your courtyard garden to be watered everyday for four weeks for free?

To all the people saying that's a lot.

Your only charging 8.33p per pot if your doing it once a day (obviously half that figure if your doing it twice)

If the neighbours not happy just don't do the job. You can't work for free!

I think water plants every single day sounds excessive. Fair enough every day when there's a heat wave, but it won't last 4 weeks!

I think that she must have thought you were going to do it for free just because you happened to be next door and getting paid for that.

Also if someone is paying £5 a day for the service I would expect it to be done properly everyday whereas as if someone does it for free I would think that it is unreasonable to complain if it is not done properly.

Also whenever I look after my gardening mad neighbour's plants she usually buys me some fancy planted pot for myself last year it is was some potted agapanthus, which then means I have to look after them which is getting me into the habit of looking after my garden.

If I look after her dog in my home for a few days she usually gives me some money and then a gift "from the dog". (I say usually because when the dog stayed with me and she was in the hospital I wouldn't accept any money).

Please don't water the plants twice a day, they don't need that much water even in this weather!

Once every two days at most is adequate.

Twice a day is really unnecessary, it's better to give a good soaking every other day.
It seems very expensive to me, but I guess that's London rates. I'm in Devon, where we'd do it in exchange for the ripe tomatoes 😀

Hmm, good point re: frequency of watering.

Maybe quote her for 5 quid a day, every second day?

I thought every day was fine, but I live in Australia, where it is usually 35+ degrees during summer.

I think a fiver a day is a gift, I don't think she has given it a second thought that you are actually working whilst next door and this is your living. I think she simply thought "oh the woman helping next door isn't doing much, I am sure she will water my plants whilst she's here".

Cheeky woman. YANBU.

I agree marci, I do it in exchange for runner beans Forest of Dean.

I usually come twice a day to open curtains, collect post, keep an eye on the house. I always test the soil before I water. Just like I keep an eye on the amount of food the cat eats. The service is about the peace of mind that someone is checking. In theory if we had another heatwave you could rest easy knowing that if necessary the plants were getting more water.

Thanks so much for your answers. I'm over my initial irritation and don't mind the mixed bag of responses.

Crunchymum you're welcome to pm me.

an automatic watering system is about £75. + the faff of setting it up. (and any extras you may need.

to do the other 40 plants)

Jeezo, my ex pays £5 a day for two children to be kept alive

It's £35 a week, that's nothing on top of a holiday etc. Established scrubs would cost more to replace.

You're not just paying for the plants to be watered, you're paying to have a trusted person to come into your home. That person can also spot any leaks/signs of burglary etc, so your getting a home check, as well.

Someone doing it as a favour (even though they're paid), doesn't have the same responsibility. Hence the OP needing to have a client form filled in and then the contract is put in place.

It might seem like a simple task, which it is in itself, but the OP can be handed a householders keys and nothing untoward will happen. There's very few people that can do that.

Marci, here have .

Littleladyluna sounds like a great service and peace of mind. Esp for people with pets and plants

Sounds reasonable op! I guess she was thinking you would do it for free as you were there anyway, which is very unreasonable.

£140 for FOUR weeks work, and people are saying that is expensive.

It's more than reasonable.

£5 per day to go round for half hour is cheap. I payed a sitter/dog walker to look after my cat 2x per day and I think that's cheap.

People don't consider that you are making a living and there's more work/value involved than just watering some plants.

if it rains - the watering will be not needed - £5 A DAY when it has been dry for 2 or 3 days is all that is needed - how the other half live!

if it rains - the watering will be not needed
That's not necessarily true if the plants don't get enough rain because they are tightly potted or under a pagoda or something.

Gosh I didn't even realise there was a service..I just hope for the best when I go away. I do however get someone to feed the g.pig

How much do you pay for that, Sharon? (I need that too!)

Totally reasonable, it's your time. You are doing a service and it's not just randomly squirting a hose at some plants for 5 mins. Plus you're in London so of course it's more expensive. It's up to her whether she takes you up on it! The expectation that you would do it for free is annoying (if she did)

I thought YWBU till I got to the end of your post and realised it was 60 plants (I imagined four or five plants in the living room up till then). For 60 plants it like a very fair price to me, but perhaps pp are right and she didn't realise you were doing it to make a living.