To not expect to pay excessive amount as we're family.

[Boop1e]

In laws brought themselves a caravan on a haven site a year ago. Decided to spend some pension money on it.
the site fees have renewed and have gone up just like everything else in life.
They don't rent it out and we only use it as family.
Anyway father in law has just charged his own son £75 for 3 nights to use it. He owed me money for ordering him a new tablet and doing him a favour so took the money out of that which I couldn't afford to lose.

Before the season started he mentioned charging £25 a day but nothing else happened and no mention of it again before we went.

He's also charged brother in law £150 to use but they paid upfront.

Am i being unreasonable to feel this is a lot to charge your own children and £10 or so a day would be sufficient. I'm not convinced I spend £25 a day heating and lighting my 3 bed home. They get their passes included with the caravan for 10 people.

Husband won't challenge it because it won't make any difference.

OP - I think you've had a hard time here.

With family it's shouldn't be the case that if you'd have the option of paying someone commercially for something then family should also pay, at a reduced rate or not.

To cover their direct costs, then perhaps some payment is fair. For example cost of electricity, or site fees for those 3 days. To add a profit element sounds a bit unseemly between family members.

I'm sure that your F-in-L could have found an IT consultant to sort out the purchase of an iPad for him, but he didn't, and you'd presumably never consider charging for your time.

When you have family round for a meal and to stay, whether they've invited you or not, you don't (or shouldn't) charge them a room rate. Even if they stay at your house when you're on your holidays very few people would ever consider making a charge.

The easiest thing to do is to stay elsewhere in future. If you wouldn't have stayed at a caravan but for the fact that your in-laws own it then take the holidays you want, not the ones you feel obliged to take.

Op

You have stayed the 3x before

I am guessing that you have NEVER paid before (otherwise you would have mentioned).

so three times you’ve had freebies

It depends on how much high the site fee is, maybe they rely on you to help pay for it. If so, they should rent it out to everyone.
They would have considered the site fee before they purchased the caravan.

However, it does seem mean to charge you if you have a family to support along with bills, mortgage. It is a low charge but nontheless, an extra charge. Travelodge and Premier Inn can be cheaper in comparison!

They should see it as a treat for the family and not use them to pay for the upkeep or the site fee. This is something they would have considered at first.
It should make them feel happy that their grandchildren are able to enjoy a holiday in their caravan.

For all those getting free holidays from parents, will you be offering the same once your DC are adults?

We do get on. I ordered the tablet as he's not confident with things like that and he knows I'm good at finding a bargain

That's cheap OP but yes he should have said given you expect freebies. The only issue is he deducted money he owed you from it. That should have been said and offered upfront.

So you pay the token amount and it is a token to use it and don't order anything else for him because he dropped you in it.

Or you book a site of your choice and pay full whack.

NB “fixed overheads” - I don’t see why the OP as family should be expected to contribute to these although several posters seem to suggest they should.

Running costs incurred by OP and family - reasonably expected, as these sums would not have been payable if they had not stayed there.

Sorry, but I'm in agreement with this. When I decide to go on holiday I expect to have to pay for it, and £25 per day is a hell of a lot less than you'd pay for the equivalent self-catering. I know because I looked at the weekend at some places and they were ridiculously expensive (think it's cheaper to go abroad - and then some ).

And really? Before the season he told you he would be charging £25 a day. Did you think that that would change after the season started? It was well clear, even by your own version here, that there would be a charge, but you decided without any further discussion about that charge that you'd have been willing to pay less but think it's cheeky of them to charge you what they actually said they would charge because you decided you didn't agree.

I suggest you try booking holidays elsewhere in future. Lots of people will be more than willing to pay more than you are being asked for if they decide to let it out for some weeks instead of saving it for themselves and their own family.

You would be paying a lot more if you booked it though a proper holiday company. I wish ours was only £75, it's a bargain.

to add... the Buy to Let is lucrative business... it is a shame that in a family situation like this, they ask for money when they knew the site cost.
Go find a holiday somewhere else, do not depend on them, break free! 😎

Of course you are unreasonable but I doubt all these replies will make you change your mind about it. He told you before the season started, it's not his fault that you didn't take his comment seriously. £25 a day is nothing. Try to find somewhere cheaper! It doesn't matter if he had charged you upfront or deducted it from what he owes you, it all ends up being the same anyway doesn't it. If you don't feel it's 'right' to be charged by family then book elsewhere.

@Itakecreaminmycoffee exactly how I'm feeling

Everyone is missing that

THE OP HAS STAYED IN THE CARAVAN 3x PREVIOUSLY AND NOT BEEN CHARGED!!

£25 a night is a dead cheap holiday. To turn your phrase around, why should adult children profit from retired parents?

Whilst I wouldn’t charge if I had a holiday rental or caravan etc, I would ask for money to pay the bills.
I think the amount you’re being charged is peanuts to be honest.

If they didn’t have the caravan your getaways would be much more expensive.

Read back through your posts.

If this is your version of “getting on” with someone, I dread to think…

You should be delighted with that - it’s a total bargain. £75 for 3 nights for a whole family including passes is incredible value and about 1/8 of the going rate at Easter. It would barely get you one night in a Premier Inn. You can’t even camp in a tent for 3 nights for that price. If there are 4 of you so that’s basically £8.25 each a night - about the price of a bottle of wine. Good luck finding such a good deal elsewhere. You’re helping them by contributing a token amount towards their costs, but really, they could be earning far more from it.

No one is missing that. The FIL had stated he was going to start charging. People are allowed to do that. Not his fault the OP thought it was a bit of a LOL joke.

Exactly. My parents don't charge me and get offended if I offer.

I have done, lots of times actually. No partners so far! I love to spend time together as a family even though they are grown up.

If you can afford it why wouldn’t you?! I’m fact two of three are living at home now FOC. I don’t ask for any payment until they are in FT permanent work. Third is in FT permanent job so pays a nominal amount so they can save to buy a house.

I'm not sure profiting from your children is right.

At £25 per night for a caravan on a haven site, considering the price of site fees, etc?

Get over yourself.

*and he knows I'm good at finding a bargain*well he’s wrong on that front isn’t he OP?? 😂

So what?

So she's had 3 free holidays out of them already then. £75 is still a bargain for a holiday.

Id love to be in a position where someone I knew would rent me their caravan for a bargain price. It’s fabulous value.