Asking to pay for holiday home when she said it would be free

[Momhope15]

Am I being unreasonable?
My friend has been telling that she wants to sell her holiday home in Italy to which I said I knew a couple looking for a vacation home abroad.
She told me that they could go visit the 2 bed apartment and stay for free for a couple days maximum a week as the flat was empty anyway due to it being winter.
I reverted that same information to the couple to which now they say they wish to stay 2 weeks to know the area a little bit better and also they are travelling all the way from UK to Italy. I know 2 weeks was never the agreement and I was not expecting them to stay there for free so I asked my friend to give me rate.
She first quoted me 450 euros.. a week! Of course I looked surprised and she eventually said no less than 200 euros per week. That's still 400 euros. I completely do understand that she has costs like electricity, cleaning etc but I thought the rate was a bit too high and not expected. I felt as if she is now renting as a "business" and is deviating from the original agreement. I am embarrassed to be in the middle as I feel really bad to tell the couple that the visit will cost them 400 euros at least and I don't wish to tell my other friend that they thought it would be less .....

Don’t go telling your friend it’s too much in the hope she’ll reduce the price, that’s some manipulative bullshit right there. She offered a week, they want two, they pay what she asks for the second week. If you’ve led them to believe it wouldn’t be that much for a second week, that’s on you.

My mum has an apartment in Spain that she keeps empty in winter, partly to allow for maintenance and partly if she fancies going herself. In the beginning she often offered it to close friends and family in the winter for themselves but they seemed to think that meant they could offer it to their friends and family. Her sister even argued with her about it, “but it’s empty and I’ve promised my friends they can have it.” My mum told her to unpromise it. She said a bit more than that actually and again to a friend who tried to pull the same stunt. Now no one gets it except my two DSs and their partners.

I’m thinking that’s what’s happened here, OP has made promises on her friends behalf that she had no right to make and is now reluctant to go back to them and say they have to pay.

So they don't know the area and may not even want to buy the property then? It all sounds very pie in the sky really. They could essentially get a free 2wks accomadation and either not want to buy the apartment or use it as a base to view other property in the area for sale. Your friend would get to foot the utilities and cleaning bill for complete strangers to use her property for free! They're just chancing their luck there.

'She first quoted me 450 Euro's for a week, of course I looked surprised'
450 euros for a week for a villa in Italy is an absolute bargain. Unless it's a pig sty (literally) in the middle of nowhere. When we go on holiday to Europe, we budget for 200 euros per night for accommodation.

hmmmm, cheeky fuckery right there OP, and I don't mean the appartment owners!!

2 weeks is very different to 2 days! Sounds like they want a holiday at your friend's expense. Maybe they could offset the fee against the property cost in the unlikely event should they go ahead and buy it.

I work in the travel industry in Portugal. We have a number of villa's and apartments that are rented out by owners etc.. Just because they are empty doesn't mean they don't incur charges.
Gas, electric, water, cleaners, condo fee's, gardeners fee's, pool fee's and management fee's if they also rent their properties with a company. It all adds up.
€350 in would get a small 2 bed apartment for a week during the winter months and you think €400 is too expensive for 2 weeks.
I think they've done alright for themselves

Thank you everyone for your thoughts.
Don't get me wrong I didn't expect it to be free neither did the couple.
I should have said that the going rate for similar flat in same location is 400 euros for 2 weeks.
It's not a villa - it's a standard 2 bed flat in a remote location with not much around. 2 bedroom flat sell for around 150k.
Read all your posts - very good points - will pass on the contact info and let them deal with it!

I think your potential villa buyers have a bloody cheek, Momhope15. If they want 2 weeks there, what's to stop them having a lovely free holiday and looking at lots of other villas for sale, all at your other friend's expense? If you are keen to lose lots of friendships in one go by getting involved in this, then go ahead, but I wouldn't want to be stuck in the middle of your current cock up, unless you want to be the patsy blamed by all and sundry for setting this transaction up. You are the person they are all trusting, here, so the person who will be blamed when they seriously piss each other off. The minute your friends tried to move the goalposts, you should have bowed out.

girl You are in a different country to the one OP is talking about. In Italy during the winter the prices vary massively from £26 a day for nice looking places to £100 a day.
No one can say whether this is fair or not on the information given.

And €400 isn't unreasonable for a 2 week holiday.

Thanks mom. So your friends actually want to charge more than the going rate for 2 weeks. Yes that is cheeky.

Sorry - I see you are very sensibly bowing out of involvement!

I think it’s a fair price. For all the seller knows they maybe just after a free holiday, I think they should pay for there stay but maybe the 2nd week could be free if they show real interest in buying or put a offer in.

lovemusic The OP has just explained that they want to charge more than the going rate for 2 weeks rent during the winter.

400 euros a week! What are you complaining for? It's nothing.

I have a villa and it costs minimum 300 euros to do a changeover/pay bills for a weeks stay. That's in Spain, Italy is more expensive!

You sound mad!

Sorry just seen update!

Still, that is very cheap. Hope you sort it.

Sorry @WendyCope for sounding mad...

My question was whether it was reasonable for the owner to have first proposed them to go there for free as potential buyers for a week for then charge them for the full 2 weeks after the couple said they would like to stay for an extra week.

I am sorry I am not aware of how much electricity, changeover cost in Italy .... not a clue.

From what I read in here it seems quite reasonable to be charging the 400 euros.

Momohope, it really costs a lot for changeovers/meet and greet/ laundry/electricity/callouts for a problem/broken items etc

I know, when I first started doing it I was amazed! I do have a pool and garden to maintain though, that makes a difference.

Still, 400 euros for 2 weeks is simply covering costs. It honestly is.

Sorry! Didn't mean you're mad! Just they would be mad not to accept this deal.

Can you put them in touch with each other and step away from the whole thing?

Your friends proposed charge sounds reasonable, but don't risk your friendship over this! It should really be between the two of them.

The owner is being more than reasonable. Your friends are being cfs. Let them contact each other directly but please don't act as though the seller is being UR. She really isn't. It's the would-be purchasers who are being UR.

No good deed goes unpunished, OP!

I'm with your friend who is being totally reasonable. The couple are CFs to expect to be able to stay for two weeks for nothing. £400 is very cheap for two weeks. I agree, put them in contact with each other.

The owner's probably deliberately trying to put them off going because they're taking liberties before they've even arrived. Chancers.

They were cheeky buggers for upping it to 2 weeks!

What she's asking doesn't sound unreasonable for two weeks,
I can reliably state that electricity, water and turn arounds do not come cheap in the Med.