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?

They are having a laugh...no way...I wonder if was one one of the persons complaining about having to pay their cleaner while away. You are doing them a favour; Don't let them walk all over you.

I have not RTFT but be careful. You are not insured as a house or pet sitter and arrangements like this can go pear shaped really quickly.

I used to house/pet sit through and agency and had a million and half of insurance behind me as so much can go wrong.

They need to at least tell their insurers that you are there and for what purpose but please proceed with caution. I've heard some horrifying tales and if they are CF enough to expect this, I would not trust them any further than I could throw them!

We're away now using housesitters. It would never occur to me to ask them to pay towards our cleaner!! Absolutely bizarre. It's our decision to have a cleaner.

I have various relatives staying when we go away. No money changes hands. They get a free holiday in a lovely location, we know the cats are fed. Usually have a takeaway together which we pay for and leave the fridge stocked, they usually make sure we’ve got bread and milk when we get back.

Please use the message that *Portfun24 suggests. *
(And let us know the cf's response.)

No you're effectively contributing to their holiday if you do that and they wouldn't be inviting you to stay if not for them needing you. What if you said We're to stay and help take care of pets / plants but we don't anticipate needing the cleaner so happy for you to give her the week off.

It’s £30 a night for the dog to go to the kennels. That’s £420 saving if you come and stay at my house!

I think they are very CF.

Do you have to help pay for the cleaner and they aren't paying you to watch all their animals etc? They really did see you coming ! I never understand why people agree to stuff like this!

Give them an invoice for house sitting based on the local market rate. Also say that they can pay the cleaners themselves.

That's insane! They should be paying you not the other way round. Don't pay a penny.

My friends just stayed in my house to look after my cat while I was on holiday. My house is in a sought after holiday destination. They viewed it as a holiday. I left them a fridge full of food because they were doing me a favour. They left us some nice chocolate because we’d done them a favour. We all knew from the outset that no money was going to change hands. Asking for money after the deal has been done is what makes this cheeky imo.

We have used Trusted Housesitters and Homesitters Ltd. I'd send them a link to Homesitters when you get home, and absolutely do NOT pay for the cleaning: Homesitters are not cheap, but they have been absolutely spectacular (including saving the house from burning down when the gardener clipped the power line by mistake).

I think that's quite cheeky of them. Say you will clean up after yourselves.

I can't actually believe the brass neck of some people they are deluded

I’m near London so I might ask someone to stay so they can basically spend days out there but if I go away, I’d normally be spending a great deal of money ensuring my dogs were in secure, very nice kennels (massive indoor/outdoor runs, 2 acres to run round in, very few other dogs). I think they’re extremely cheeky, given they would have the cleaner anyway and you’re doing them a huge favour, unless you’re trialling dog ownership or getting to ride lovely horses etc!

We pay our house sitter £30 a day. He gets to live in a house as opposed to his small flat. The cleaner comes once when we are away - would not dream of charging him for that?

I would send a message along the lines off:

Hi XXX

Rather than fester, I thought it would be in the spirit of our friendship to be straight with you, so can I just say that we think it's really unfair of you to ask us to contribute to your cleaning. We are happy to house sit / plant water / pet sit for free - it's a lot, but a nice change of scene for us - but whether the cleaner comes or not is of no odds to us we would feel a bit outraged if our doing this for you, meant we were out of pocket.

Hope you understand
Hope you're having a lovely trip
and hope that this doesn't become a 'thing' between us!

We're having a lovely time with your pets who are all well.

XXX

I use Trustedhousesitters and I don't pay them. It's reciprocal - they get a nice house to stay in and in return they look after my pets.
I wouldn't have a cleaner come in while I was away - why do that? A cleaner isn't going to drop every client when they go away. But I probably would get them in to clean after you left, but I would expect to pay for that.
So odd request, odd arrangement. As you have semi agreed, at most I'd offer half.

Hahaha!
What a pair of cheeky fuckers. Tell them to find someone else to house sit for free, never mind you paying them 😂

I’m sitting in a house right now minding their pets. I will water plants, put out bins, keep the place clean and tidy and safe. Pets are walked and cuddled and cared for as if they are my own( these ones will sleep in bed with me) They are paying me, have left me goodies in the fridge and a bottle of wine. Before I leave I will strip the bed, clean the bathroom and mop the floors.
In the last house the cleaner came in twice while I was there and got on with ‘extra jobs’ as I hadn’t made any mess.
£100 a week for a cleaner? Nope!

You don’t pay a penny, this is the height of cheeky fuckery when you’re already saving them a small fortune and the cleaner would be coming anyway.

Yep

Absolute piss taking ... saving money on pet sitters and charging you for the privilege of having their own home cleaned by their own cleaner on her regular schedule.

Hard no.

Make a list of what it would cost them if they paid for your services professionally and show them.

Tell them you'll only charge them £100 seeing as they're your 'friends'.

Good grief! My nephew house sits for us to look after the dogs. He is welcome to eat or drink anything in the cupboards, fridge or freezer. He usually books annual leave, but if he couldn't, I'd give him fuel money as his commute would be much longer than normal. He treats it as a little holiday but he's doing me a massive favour as I wouldn't be able to go if he didn't do it. If I had a cleaner, which I don't, there is no way on earth I'd expect anything towards the cost unless he had a massive party and expected to be cleared up after!
Your friends are CFs of the highest order, in my opinion.

No, sorry, just No. You look after their house and they want you to pay the cleaner? My God, you know some real CF's