To charge for electricity when lending house to neighbours?

[Frenchkippy]

We will be away over Christmas period and neighbour has hinted that her house will be overflowing. We are happy to help her out in lending rooms to her guests but can we ask for contributions toward heating etc? Heating will need to be on for the two weeks that we are not there (when it would otherwise be switched off). Without sounding mean to neighbour how can we ask that they or their family pay for it?

Why the mass hysteria about OP kindly offering her neighbours family a place to stay.

Just ask for a nominal payment.

I’d rather have people in my nose - much better to be lived in and kept warm and obviously occupied. In fact I pay to have ‘strangers’ stay at my house to cat and house sit.

Anyway.

I would ask for a contribution - realistically it’s not going to cost more than £20/night is it? So ask for £20/night and ask that it is left clean and that the beds are all re-made and sheets etc washed and dried.

When I was a child, we used to have loads of relatives over from France for Christmas. We borrowed the house next door at least once. It was kind of our NDN but didn’t seem particularly strange. I don’t know whether we paid for electricity but would imagine so.

Wish I had a neighbour who needed my house... I’m bloody PAYING £30/night to have someone stay there

I’d rather have people in my nose - much better to be lived in and kept warm and obviously occupied.

I know this was just a misbehaving phone but I did giggle.

I think you're ok to charge, but if your neighbour has saved you hundreds of pounds over the years feeding your cat for a nominal cake or box of chocs, if you can afford to return the favour by letting it go, then do.

Do check with your insurers though. Consider them house sitters. People pay quite a lot for people to pop in twice a day. Incidentally will they be feeding the cat?

@EssentialHummus he he he - the amount my nose is running at the moment it would be hard to keep people up there ;-)

It would creep me out the thought of people in my bed.

I'd have visions of them using my stuff and finding my sex toys

I think it goes without saying that valuables and, ahem, personal items should be locked away.

I've done it, I didn't ask for a contribution because I was quite happy to have someone in over Christmas.

Ten months later while I was dusting a high shelf I found £100. It was quite baffling so I checked with the people who were saying and they said they had left it to covet expenses for some reason never mentioned it.
I think they were surprised it too me so long to find the money. They obviously have higher housekeeping standards.

Can you specify that they don’t cook in your house / don’t use tele /other devices
ie if they are using it only to sleep and for bathroom, there is going to be less chance of breakages /stuff not being left the way they found it
Can you get a friend or relative to check in with them at some point?

If they're from the US they probably won't be expecting to pay anything - their standards of hospitality are genuinely and generally very high. It might be useful to have Americans who owe you an accommodation favour in the future.

I just wouldn't do this. It's probably people you don't know and if something went wrong would you even be insured. And even if you do know them and are nice I still don't think you should.

Are you made,that's the quickest way to fall out with neighbors what if they steal or break things.leave it unlocked and you get burgled then insurance won't pay out..madness

Heaven forbid you'd actually be nice, to a neighbour, at Christmastime. L

Mad

Don’t do it. A receipe for disaster.

Give your neighbour a bedroom in your house for the duration. Cats get fed and attention, house looks occupied, and you needed have the heating on in every room.

*needn't not needed

Please don't charge them. You never know when you might need their help.

It's £20 per day at the cattery for my two cats together. If I go to a holiday cottage with friends, that's more than my share of the cottage rent.

God I’m amazed by how mean and uptight people are! I would and have done this, it’s very kind of you op. But I don’t think it’s unreasonable to ask for a contribution towards bills especially as the heating will be on.

I would only lend my house to people I personally knew very well. I would not charge them, because they are, in part, keeping the house occupied and in order (and one doesn't charge mates).

But for multiple reasons already mentioned - would I lend it out to strangers who were known to the neighbours - almost certainly not.

My neighbour had done this for us when they were away and we had a particularly large houseful.
A couple of the family members they knew best slept there and the 'strangers' stayed in our house. They were really only there to sleep.

Neighbour was happy to have signs of life in the house, I was happy to have an extra couple of rooms right next door.

We laundered all the linens before they returned and made sure everything was as they left it. They wouldn't accept a contribution to bills so I left flowers, wine and a casserole to heat up after travelling.

I would do the same for them unhesitatingly. Not all neighbours are thieving axe murderers.
If you know them well and trust them in your house normally just suggest that the family members you know best could sleep over at your place.

Don't charge, OP. Your neighbour has helped you out (and saved you money) in the past. It would be nice to return the favour.