CM Deposits + extra £ - is this the norm?

[albertababy]

Hi there, some advice from you CM's please...!
Our new CM is requesting a holding fee to keep a place open for our baby for 7 weeks in addition to paying for 3 of the weeks before minding actually starts...
What is a normal holding fee? And is it normal to ask parents to pay before starting??

Yes - she might get an enquiry to start tomorrow, so if she keeps the space for you to use she would lose 7 (or is it 10?) weeks money

I'm not sure if it is 7 weeks plus 3 weeks or 7 weeks in all?

If you wanted a space with me in 10 weeks, I would probably charge you for the full 10 weeks because I can't afford to lose 10 weeks income (the mortgage company is so unreasonable about me not paying them)

Are you meaning a retainer fee? This is a percentage of the fee, where you pay some of the fee to keep the space... as the CM is unable to have a full fee paying child in the space, till your own child starts.

To clarify the start date is 7 weeks away.

So you want a space in 7 weeks - does she have a space currently?

Not sure tbh

Because if I had a space & you wanted that space in 7 weeks why would I not earn money for 7 weeks? I'd be better off looking for someone to start sooner.

Or I could say to you "well you can have the space if you pay for it from tomorrow"

yy as katy and jenni say, it's all about protecting the CMs income

but if cm accepted parental booking knowing their start date cheeky to charge for service not received yet

if cm could have filled void with another parent why didnt they do that

the ups & down of self employed cm is sometimes you have voids,unfair to penalise parent and expect retainer before service received

a deposit to secure place is ok,but not payment for service not received

I say to the parent I currently have a space starting on XX- do you want it? If they do they pay for it (& use it if they want) if they don't I give the space to the next person on my waiting list.

Mine charged the first months fee there and then even though she wasnt due to start for 7 weeks. No other charge though deposit or retainer. That was 3 years ago. We have just moved and the new one has asked for a deposit of £50.

When I arranged DC's after school club place I was told they had vacancies, and I could start paying when they started unless someone else asked for the place first, and then I would have to pay if I wanted to keep their place. I could use the spaces then of course.

When DS was at nursery, I paid a month's deposit, which was refundable against the last month's care.

I suppose the amount I would be prepared to pay to keep a place would be determined by how much I wanted that place for my child...