How should this be paid for?

[loantopil]

PIL are living in a property we own as due to poor finances do not have their own place. Both currently not working but looking for jobs. They've asked DH to pay the council tax this month as they are short. They are not ones to cut their cloth and I could see this coming (they used to borrow from DH more regularly and usually repaid although he often picked up bill for family events).

We both work FT and put all income into family pot and from that have monthly allowance for personal spending. He assumed he'd help PIL from his personal spends but now seems annoyed I didn't offer for it to come out of the family pot. He can afford what they are asking for (about half his monthly discretionary spending).

From my POV, although we are financially comfortable now we cannot afford to support PIL long term beyond living in our property rent free. They have not saved to retire and cannot live the life they want to on their small pensions. DH is understandably stressed by this as it falls to him to pick up the pieces although he will never get clear information from his parents about their need for regular support or speaking to them to reduce their expectations of what is achievable on their budget.

My AIBU is that I don't feel that our family money should support them, if DH wants/needs to help with bills it should come from his own money as it might help him address with them their situation. I admit my judgement might be clouded as I have a different situation with my own parents and have had issues with being on the same page with PIL in the past.

YABU - you should help PIL from the family pot
YANBU - DH should use his own money when they need help

@PlanDeRaccordement it is definitely a bill for them, our previous tenants paid it but we paid when it was unoccupied until PIL moved in.

Are PIL looking for jobs with any degree of urgency? Are there jobs that they could do in the area where they live?

UPDATE

Still in disagreement with DH about this as he feels he should have access to family money to support them as is needed rather than use his own money and says the stress of it is coming from that and not from them needing money. One of the suggestions they've made ~so they don't have to work~ is that we rent our place and they use that to rent somewhere smaller and cheaper but will also cover their living costs so they are still expecting support. DH has suggested we separate our finances again so he can fund them from his salary but it will fall to me to do the saving to avoid being in the same position ourselves. I definitely have a DH issue and not just a PIL issue but not sure how to solve it. I can't speak to them directly about what is a realistic solution as they would go straight to him.

Loving their latest CF suggestion You most definitely have a DH problem. I wouldn’t look to solve it all, as that’s more hassle. I would get him to pay for it all himself and not think about it or get involved. I wouldn’t be doing the saving either

@EL8888 the issue is though we used to earn a similar amount but now he earns more and I've taken a pay cut so if we go back to a % split based on each of our share of the income and he will do really well out of it compared to me and I don't like having that approach. I would only do it if what's left after bills is split 50:50.

@loantopil

UPDATE

Still in disagreement with DH about this as he feels he should have access to family money to support them as is needed rather than use his own money and says the stress of it is coming from that and not from them needing money. One of the suggestions they've made ~so they don't have to work~ is that we rent our place and they use that to rent somewhere smaller and cheaper but will also cover their living costs so they are still expecting support. DH has suggested we separate our finances again so he can fund them from his salary but it will fall to me to do the saving to avoid being in the same position ourselves. I definitely have a DH issue and not just a PIL issue but not sure how to solve it. I can't speak to them directly about what is a realistic solution as they would go straight to him.

If this was the other way around, would your PIL help you and your DH? Can his parents afford to pay the bill? What happens if they don't pay the bill?

Would you consider paying the bill from family money for a short fixed period - say 3months which is long enough for them to get job?

I think if you can afford to support them for a short period of time then you should try. Or offer to pay half - from family money because they are your DH family so by extension your family.