AIBU to not let in laws use my villa for free in peak season?

[dilwithvil]

I have a villa in Europe by the beach that I own independently of my husband. It’s effectively a high-end Airbnb in a very popular area and is usually fully booked from mid May until late September. It’s one of my income streams (I’m a SAHM but I manage several investments/assets, and this is part of my income). My husband also earns a very good salary, for full context, but all of “my spending” (coffee with a friend, make up, clothes, dentist) is paid by me from this income. I earn more than my husband.

My in-laws would like to use the villa for a week in peak season for free. My view is that peak season is when the villa earns money. If I block out a week for them, I’m not just “sharing a holiday home”, I’m giving up a week’s rental income.

I’ve said they’re very welcome to use it either in low season, when bookings are much quieter, or at very short notice if a peak-season booking unexpectedly cancels (which almost never happens).

They’re unhappy with this because they want to be able to plan a holiday well in advance, and they don’t want to go in low season because the weather is less reliable. Even if they paid half the market rate this is more than they would usually pay for a holiday, so they don’t want to pay that either.

For context, my parents do occasionally use the villa in peak season. The villa ultimately came from my side of the family (family money/early inheritance), so I don’t really see that as the same thing. Without them, there wouldn’t be a villa in the first place.

Also, while I get on reasonably well with my in-laws, I wouldn’t choose to holiday with them for a week or two, so inviting them while we’re there isn’t really something I want to do either.

AIBU for saying that if they want to use it in peak season, they should either pay the market rate (or even half), or go in low season? Or should family simply be allowed to use it for free regardless of the income I’d be giving up?

Well brpught up oeople also dont throw tantruns because the gift theyve been offered isnt good enough.

Theyve been offered the villa, but not at their choice of time.

@walrushurricane we’ve paid towards in-laws holidays. DS has potential to be a high earner. If he marries current GF, I would like to think he might treat his MIL, who is in caring profession so little disposable income and not much chance of a good pension, if they can afford it. He will have seen us do the same for his grandparents. It’s not like the OP would have to go without clothes or ever going out if she let in-laws have a week in peak season

People hypothetically volunteering their kids for things on here always makes me giggle. It's the next level up from assuring everyone you'd give your own resources for whatever's being discussed, safe in the knowledge that nobody's asking you to. An extra layer!

🥱

Yes. That’s what people are saying.

That’s exactly the same as saying they can say for ONE week.

Just because you want to justify being tight.

I had sympathy with your argument until you said you allowed your parents to stay in peak season. Comes across as very mean spirited to me

Asking for something for free is always cheeky, no matter who you are and what it is. Smacks of - you have it, we want it, we’ve decided you can afford it and that’s that.

As if there’s some forgone conclusion that if you’ve had any privileges in life, you must always spread them round as some sort of moral imperative.

in peak season, they should either pay the market rate (or even half), or go in low season?

market rate or half market rate in peak season

OR

low season

LItterally in the OP,
as is the title of the thread

• use my villa for free in peak season?* IN PEAK SEASON! as opposed to "for free' in any season

Feel free to double check the OP 😂

It’s hardly equal when one side BOUGHT THE THING and the other is asking to use it for free peak season 😂🤣

The OP said,
so we’ve had a conversation about maybe a week in May for them, at half the market price for that time of year.

Are you actually for real??!!

I copied and pasted from OP
Read above they offered May at HALF-PRICE.

I mean, if you can’t understand that, then there’s no helping you.

👌🏼

I'll even take a week off work without pay to look after BIL and SIL's DC while they're away, because I am selfless.

So you only pay towards your in laws holidays rather than the whole lot. Surely you should be paying for the whole lot even if it was an expensive peak season holiday as you seem to think that is what OP should do. They should ask their son for money for a holiday if they are really short of money rather than expecting their dil to pay.

Yes again.
That’s exactly the same thing, isn’t it?!

Hypothetically treating people equally with a hypothetical thing you don’t own.

So I have an imaginary chalet in Gstaad that sleeps 20. MNers can all use it for free as I’m such a lovely person.

Considering alot of the posts on here, I'd rate myself as a decent DIL.
No wonder so many families fall out

'Theyve been offered the villa, but not at their choice of time'

Perhaps they have to go at peak times as they've school age grandkids from another dc whom they care for? We'll never know but I'd bet a tenner there's a back story with some resentment going on here.

I am literally quoting the OP, but if you can’t understand that, then there’s no helping you. I am sure you can at least read the title of the thread you are posting on?

I am quoting you too but it works well here 😂😂

@walrushurricane actually we have paid for whole holidays too, and at a time our disposable income was probably nowhere near what OP's appears to be

You can keep using the laughing emoji as if you’re really clever but you’ve made yourself look pretty silly.

What do you think this means….

so we’ve had a conversation about maybe a week in May for them, at half the market price for that time of year.

OP wrote that, not me? In your mind, how does that mean free?

It's strange how you know what your DC would do in this situation. Do they have holiday let's? Are they even married?

I would sell my hypothetical villa and donate all the proceeds to charity 😇

Because her parents actually gave her the villa. They have paid for the villa so it would be pretty awful of OP not to let them spend a fortnight there each year.

OP's in-laws have made no contribution but expect to be able to have a free holiday in peak season, having turned down the offer of a free holiday off-peak.

I’d charge both sets of parents.

No I wouldn’t. I’d ban all family from using it and blame my in-laws greedy grabbing saying I’d had enough of people expecting shit for free while also dictating the terms.

While maybe secretly letting people use it on the very very down low 🤫 🤐

@Gloriia ah yes, another one who says they will do something with absolutely no real situation in sight that will force them to put their money where their mouth is