Should MIL be charging her GC for staying with her?

[LifeIsGreatForUnicorns]

Background - DS got offered an apprenticeship in a different town to where we live (2 hours away by train)
As we was staying all week and most weekends an agreement was made he would pay her £400 a month.
After about 6 months, his company changed how they wanted him to work so he was wfh more (he wasn't enjoying living at MIL's as he didn't know anyone, etc) so he reverted to doing approx 2 days a week there and the rest of the time here at home
We changed the payments to £200 to me and £200 to her. Over the last 3 months, he has stayed there only 3 times and as he spends the majority of time at home, I suggested I get the money instead.
FI - when he stays at MIL in the last 3 months, she doesn't cook for him (he buys his own food) & he brings his washing home- whereas at home, he generally eats with us, his washing goes in, etc

He has had to go to up for a couple of nights this week and next (he will probably not then go for a couple of weeks and then may stay 1 or 2 nights only)

MIL has said that if he stays in future he needs to pay £25 a night to stay (no food being offered still!)

For context - she is a single pensioner on her own. There is no mortgage on her house. Last year she stayed with us for 3 months whilst having work completed on her house which we funded and took out a large amount added to our current mortgage which she now pays the interest only on (approx £125 pm) never clearing the capital as her house was in a terrible state with no proper heating and electricity upstairs etc. We did not charge her for staying with us and she made no contribution whilst here (as in she never even paid for a takeaway one night!)

AIBU to think she shouldn't charge DS when he stays occasionally?

YABU - of course she should charge and he should pay
YANBU - he's her GS so should stay free (but maybe it would be nice to get her something sometimes)

I bought my daughter a house, whats incomprehensible about it ?

Depends how feckless she was with money, or whether he was worried she might marry and the house proceeds be given away to a new husband. The grandfather wanted to make sure that she and the child had a home, she could have earned money to move away if she wanted to. Now that child is an adult, unfortunately he's choosing to (depending on terms of the trust, probably illegally) illegally charge his mother money to live in the home her father left her. Yet you think the grandfather was horrible!! Wrong man.

@LifeIsGreatForUnicorns I'm confused was a formal trust set up for your son. ??

So do I to avoid the HMRC coming down on you both

In this situation DH is the trustee and MiL is the settlor

How is she the settlor if she never owned the house in the first place? It was passed directly from her father's estate into a trust, in accordance with her father's will.

The granddad's estate was the settlor.

The DH's grandad left the house to the DH in trust, skipping out the MIL. This happened when the DH was a baby.

The MIL presumably had the right to live in the house for the rest of her life, but has never owned it. Nothing has been left in trust for the OP's son as far as I can tell.

@MRex - you're right - the DH is the one who's been shitty here. Charging his mum interest on the renovations to his asset is poor behaviour.

YNBU but I wouldn't have charged my dgs in the first place.

I didn't say I didn't understand it I said I can't imagine a situation where I would do it.
I don't know anyone who has bought their parents a house that's all

Was MiL given a lifetime interest in the hose?
Either way it's not right your DH is charging her interest on his own mortgage!
Legally he is entitled to charge MiL reasonable rent, that's it
Have you sought legal advice yet?

Maybe it’s less about the money and more about the messing around…

Do you know how little she gets on a state pension? Even if it's the full amount, it's bugger all, basically. She's probably panicking about the cost of fuel etc. She lives in a house that isn't hers and was apparently in a terrible state before you fixed it up (which was kind of you, but tbf, it will be your DH's house, so it's in your best interests to keep it up.) She probably had very little money for maintenance - you sound rather as though you don't really understand what it's like to be poor.