To ask this about housesitting etiquette

[libertybonds]

We are looking after a variety of plants and animals for friends of friends while staying in their (very nice) property.

They have asked us to contribute to the cleaner, which is £100/week

They would probably have the cleaner come anyway as they want to maintain the relationship. But it's true that the cleaner will be tidying up the house while we are there creating a normal level of dirtiness from showering, kitchen use, etc.

Would you contribute? How much?

Our friend sometimes house sits for us and looks after our pets. We don't pay him but bring him a present back. I wouldn't dream of asking him to pay towards a cleaner. I'd either cancel the cleaner for the week or just pay for it ourselves as we normally would

If it's a cotswold cottage for example they can go for over £1000 per week I'd happily pay £100 per week and feed some pets!

Pay the cleaner, and leave an invoice for the long list of things to do that you’ve done.

If it was presented to you as 'benefitting from the cleaner' and the cleaner now isn't coming during your stay. I'd be saying ' sorry but it seems we won't be benefiting from your offer of a cleaner so we'll just let you arrange your own.

I'd also add that you have looked after the animals and plants and kept the house safe and that it will be left clean as you found it.

They are being very cheeky getting you to pay an exit clean. Especially as they are not paying you to house sit.

They wouldn't be expecting the cleaner to do her job unpaid.....

Mutual friend just 1. shared a social media broadcast requesting a house sitter with me. It downplayed the responsibilities involved and 2. Put us in touch.

The cleaner is going to come one day after we leave.

I may ask them to cancel the interim clean. We don't need this really, and it will be annoying for the cleaner to be in our way.

We are cleaning animal cages and stuff. It's not just feeding pets. It's actually very demanding.

They want us to pay them by bank transfer! They will pay the cleaner the same way.

Don't pay a penny op. Just be tidy.

They are CF!! You have saved them lots of money.....

Yes definitely ask them to cancel the interim cleaner and say that because that's been cancelled the money saved will pay for the next cleaners visit.

Now that I wouid say

If you want to feel abit better look on booking.com at how much a comparable house is for 3 weeks in the same area I looked at the peak district 1700 per week!!

Does 'animal cages' mean the class hamster or a menagerie of reptiles and birds of prey?

I want to know just how cheeky these fuckers are!

OP said:
It's a nice area, but not a prime holiday destination by any means

I don't get the impression that they were looking for a free holiday. It was just an opportunity for a change of scene, and it came with the kind of responsibilities that owners pay people a lot of money for.
The owners are CFers

They really are cheeky fuckers! Who has someone house sit & clean out animal cages etc, saving themselves a fortune & then asking for a contribution to pay the cleaners (which sounds like you're paying 100% of cleaning costs unless the house is a mansion!)

Ask them to cancel the clean & just don't transfer any money to them. I'd block their number when you leave & have no future contact with them.

It's so embarrassing that they want to be seen to be generously sharing their "nice house" with their "less fortunate" friends (whilst happily benefitting from their services).

They also know they need to pay their cleaner anyway so have tried to profit from you while still making use of the cleaner.

It'd so embaassing and virtue signalling of them to appear so kind and generous while actually squeezing everyone to get their moneys worth.

If it's not a prime holiday location then actually no I'd say I'm happy to pay for a final clean but not a weekly

OP, I’m really wondering what you came on here for.

SO MANY people have told you that these people are cheeky fucks, yet you’re still saying you’re going to pay them.

You’re saying how demanding the pet care is that you’ve been asked to do. What do you want us to say?

It’s like you want to complain about them, say how unreasonable they are, you mention a long list of jobs they’ve given you, talk about how demanding it is to care for their pets etc, but it sounds like you aren’t prepared to stand up for yourself, despite what so many people are saying on here (ie people giving you suggestions of how you can politely stand up for yourself and tell them “no”) so I really don’t know anymore what you’re hoping to achieve from this post.

It's even worse that you didn't find out for the after stay clean until you were there, and it's not confrontational to say you won't be paying either before or after you leave
Who cares what they think?
You have done them a massive favour and they have been disingenuous.

They did tell her she just hadn't fully read the notes so from their end it had been accepted.

It was (demanding) notes. Not a contract. They have no leg to stand on if OP doesn't do every single item on there. Sounds like she's keeping everything alive. Gratis. Good enough. I would just let them transfer money to the cleaners and ignore any reminder of theirs to transfer money to them. Act like you don't understand.

Let's just say multiple categories of animals (not just mammals), some relatively large

How many weeks to go OP? Is the animal care demanding in the sense of they might die or escape never to be seen again if you don't do everything to the letter of the owners' instructions? Or is it just tedious and smelly?

Because if you're having to do anything that could be described as specialist I think I'd revise my opinion that the situation is just tough and you knew/should have known what the deal was.

I'm wondering if when you went for your familiarisation visit they kept the door shut on the reptile room and you only got to meet the delightfully independent cat and the undemanding goldfish.

Cross post.

Crikey!

some relatively large

As in relatively large to humans? 😨