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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

£20 a night?

255 replies

Silverbook · 04/06/2023 08:10

How much would you pay for a school pupil to stay in your house while you were away on holiday? Main responsibility is to feed the cat. What’s reasonable?
We were thinking £15-20 but it’s divided the room with half thinking that’s too much and the other thinking not enough.
I’m reaching out the the MN wisdom and the decision here will be final.

OP posts:
ScottBakula · 04/06/2023 14:38

@XelaM , I am with you , it seems that everyone on MN distrust teenagers and men I house and pet sit for friends , family and neighbours as a kid and loved it . It was a great way to earn extra money and get to play with / walk other peoples pets .
Some of the homes I just went to during the day but all of the ones with dogs I always stayed overnight ( cats can let themselves out dogs can not ) .
with the owners permission sometimes my DB or a friend would come over for a few hrs . we never had wild parties , drugs , sex , mad rampages and I only ever recall breaking two glasses ( different homes months apart ) which I offered to pay for but is was never taken up.
I built up a trusted 'clientele' and especially around the summer and bank holidays i could earn some very good money.

@Silverbook
As long as you are sure you can trust this 15 yr old and they know what to do and who to contact in a emergency i would say go for it and the fee you are paying is fine . Could you do a trial run before hand and leave them overnight for two nights before hand ?

coffeecupsandwaxmelts · 04/06/2023 14:49

thewillowbunnies · 04/06/2023 13:22

Christ no. That's taking the piss frankly.

Just paid £84 for a cat sitter to pop in and feed mine for 3.5 days! Not staying over just doing 2 visits a day.

For those saying £20 a night i reasonable for babysitting, maybe back in 1990! You're looking at £80 now for an overnight stay off a sitter.

Your cat sitter is taking the piss, and I say that as a cat-sitter myself.

I charge £8 per visit for cats (20-30 minutes).
£50 per night for house-sitting.

Grumpyfroghats · 04/06/2023 14:52

I used to water the plants for my neighbours, maybe 3 doors down. I was a very responsible teenager.

I did have plenty of sex with my boyfriend there though I don't think they ever found out.

PunkIsNotDead · 04/06/2023 14:57

Silverbook · 04/06/2023 11:44

Their family live in a house that is a 5 min walk from my house.
Fending for themselves is a bit far fetched, they don’t have to be here 24/7 just come and go as they please. Fully expecting them to not be here through the day unless they want to.

Show quote history

Were you never 15? Of course they are going to be there all the time. With a bunch of friends too.

I would check your household insurance and see if you’re covered if there is no adult present and something happens. I can’t imagine the insurance company would be happy to pay out for damage if they find out there was a 15-year-old alone for 10 days.

Is his name Kevin? Are you going to Paris for Christmas?

Zone2NorthLondon · 04/06/2023 15:00

15yo watching a cat & house sitting for 10 days is not appropriate. 15yo is away too young for that responsibility

PunkIsNotDead · 04/06/2023 15:01

cats can let themselves out dogs can not

What? Our dogs let themselves out. The same way a cat does - through a flap in the wall. They are big dogs too.

OliveWah · 04/06/2023 15:05

I think £20 a day is spot on.

Alaimo · 04/06/2023 15:21

I think the money sounds fine. I use house sitters a lot and do always make clear what my (minimum) expectation are. For example, it's okay to be away from the house, but I'd like you to spend at least a couple of (waking) hours a day at home otherwise the cat gets lonely.

DeliciouslyDecadent · 04/06/2023 15:25

I don't think it's fair to ask a 15 year to stay in your house. Too much responsibility. Too young.

Get a good burglar alarm fitted / CCTV and leave it at that.

If you want a proper house sitter there are companies/agencies who do exactly that.

DeliciouslyDecadent · 04/06/2023 15:28

Cats are relatively independent animals.

They don't need a cat sitter. It's a cat, not a baby.

Utter madness.

Either you send it to a cattery, or you pay someone to come in and feed it once/ twice a day, or you pay the proper rate for a housesitter which will cover insurance.

2bazookas · 04/06/2023 15:38

I'd happily pay a sensible 15 yr old to come to the house once a day, let themselves in, feed cat /water plants etc. £100 for ten days ; and if all is well tip them another 20.

But I would not let them to stay there alone overnight.

5128gap · 04/06/2023 16:04

midsomermurderess · 04/06/2023 12:45

Typical Mumsnet replies, hardly any to the question asked. Off they scatter to all possible points, like bewildered sheep stuck in a gate: why do they have to stay; would they have a party; I wouldn’t leave my 15-year old. Just wanting for ‘what’s a cat?’ God bloody help us. Who are there people?

😂Or did you not factor in holiday care when you decided to get a cat?

VDisappointing · 04/06/2023 16:11

We pay an adult male family friend £30 a night to live in and feed and check on our cats. He enjoys staying as our home has more comforts than his. So I think £20 for a teen is enough.

Mylifeislikeaboatrace · 04/06/2023 16:41

I'm wondering what planet some of these respondants are living on, I have to agree with a poster up thread about some being like sheep scattering everywhere and haven't got a clue.

Original poster
Silverbook · 04/06/2023 17:10

EggInANest · 04/06/2023 13:22

If you want an overnight house sitter, this is presumably to ward against burglars?

In which case 15 is far too young to be put in that position.

Get an alarm, put lights on timer, ask the 15 yo to leave the curtains in different positions each time they go in (twice a day) to feed and check on the cat.

“Ward off burglars” 😂 no it’s because my cat likes company.

OP posts:
PinkFootstool · 04/06/2023 17:13

Silverbook · 04/06/2023 17:10

“Ward off burglars” 😂 no it’s because my cat likes company.

Show quote history

There are some seriously batshit people out here today! Obviously it's company for your cat 😂 I did the same when I only had a cat. Now I have a dog, the need for company is even less negotiable!

EggInANest · 04/06/2023 17:25

PinkFootstool · 04/06/2023 17:13

There are some seriously batshit people out here today! Obviously it's company for your cat 😂 I did the same when I only had a cat. Now I have a dog, the need for company is even less negotiable!

Show quote history

I am not seriously batshit! Well, I might be, but not because I assume people want house sitters for security purposes!

NO ONE I know has overnight company for their cats when they go on holiday, they get friends (me!) to go in twice a day and feed and check on them.

Bk1000 · 04/06/2023 17:33

When I was 15 I house sat and looked after my mums friends 3 & 8 year old Dcs for 4 days. It was quite a learning curve but I enjoyed the experience and my mum was on hand nearby to help if needed. I think a 15 yo is more then capable go looking after a cat for a few days.

DontBePassiveAggresive · 04/06/2023 22:07

Pay them £10 a day to come in and feed the cat twice and spend a bit of time with the cat. A 15 year old staying over doesn't make sense. So what if the parents asked.

Flyinggeesei234 · 05/06/2023 00:24

PinkFootstool · 04/06/2023 17:13

There are some seriously batshit people out here today! Obviously it's company for your cat 😂 I did the same when I only had a cat. Now I have a dog, the need for company is even less negotiable!

Show quote history

I don’t think it’s obvious at all!

LJBones · 05/06/2023 01:43

God what is it with everyone on MN assuming all teens have raging parties and sex? At 15 I was entirely responsible (as much as you can be at 15) and capable of cooking full meals without burning the house down and would never dream of having a party and inviting a bunch of mates over if I was house sitting. And I know most of my mates were the same. Assuming the worst or what 🙄

Sugarfree23 · 05/06/2023 09:21

@LJBones when you were 15 life was before Internet. Very easy for word to get out that a school mate has an empty, via social media, online gaming, its not like back in the day sitting in the hall trying to call friends.

I also think it's a long time for a 15 yo to be alone.

Nor would I want to explain any sort of accident to an insurance company.

MyTruthIsOut · 05/06/2023 09:28

Sugarfree23 · 05/06/2023 09:21

@LJBones when you were 15 life was before Internet. Very easy for word to get out that a school mate has an empty, via social media, online gaming, its not like back in the day sitting in the hall trying to call friends.

I also think it's a long time for a 15 yo to be alone.

Nor would I want to explain any sort of accident to an insurance company.

My mum left me and my sister alone 3 nights when we were 16 and 17 because of how “sensible” we were.l and how she “absolutely trusted us” 😂

The very first night we invited about 20 people over for a party and my sister ended up in hospital because in a drunken state someone had dared her to drink fence paint and she’d done it.

Whilst she was in hospital I buggered off to my boyfriend’s house (secret
boyfriend as my mum had banned me from seeing him as he was older).

So when my mum returned she found one daughter was in hospital and the other was a 3 hour drive away and shacked up with a banned boyfriend.

I would never allow a teenager to have 24/7 access to my empty house no matter how sensible they seemed. And even if this boy isn’t one for “drinking and sex” (unlikely) I imagine it will be a very different story when he backs down under the social pressures of his mates who keep suggesting they “have a few friends over” ……

You’re mad OP 😂