How to charge ‘tenant’ for electricity usage over set amount?

[ElectricQuery]

My elderly mum has a person moving in as part of a Homeshare agreement. The sharer gets free accommodation in exchange for 10 hours of help in the house per week.

It’s an old house with no central heating so heating is via plug-in electric heaters.

What would be the best way of setting a ceiling for electricity use, above which the sharer has to contribute to the electricity bill? I just don’t want mum to potentially be left with a huge bill.

Could use a plug-in electricity usage monitor on the heaters in the sharer’s bedroom. She’d need one for each heater in her room. I’m not sure this is viable solution.

Any ideas of a better way to do it?

(The company who set up the Homeshare are no help on this.)

It varies depending on the situation. I’m only trying to put an upper limit on this cost. To avoid heaters being left on when out etc.

Could she not get the lodger to pay eg 1/3 of the monthly bill? Then they're both incentivized to keep it down?

I think if you are asking someone to live in an old house with no heating and then limiting their use of other heat sources, you may find the more desirable tenants run a mile. I would. It suggests a certain mindset.

I dont think this arrangement is a very good idea. I wouldn't entertain it for an elderly person. But if you are to have such an arrangement I think the house should be heated to a reasonable standard without the person having to pay anything. But there will be other issues such as cost of food. It's a bad idea IMHO.

Most Homeshare agreements I have seen say free accomodation. Accomodation includes rent and all utilities. They aren’t a lodger so you can’t set your own terms.

I don’t think you can restrict the heat, or water, or electric they use. It’s not their fault your mum is heating her home the absolute most expensive and least efficient way possible.

Legally, they aren’t a lodger.

Not about the heating but presumably your mum currently gets 25% discount in her council tax as a single occupant, will this person moving in cover that?

Agreed.

It may just be that this arrangement isn't workable for your mum

These arrangements can actually work very well both for the elderly person and the tenant (often a middle aged adult not craving a wild lifestyle).

But there is an expectation that the house will have the usual amenities, including heat. Some elderly people become used to an abnormally frugal and spartan lifestyle, and it would not be reasonable to expect anyone else to live that way.

@ElectricQuery that sounds like care to me 🧐 companionship is a form of care. I am a self employed carer and would be charging £20 an hour for exactly what you're describing. Not sure why your so determined it isn't care? 🤷🏻‍♀️

To be honest if this person is coming to live in the house for the benefit of your mother then your mother is the one responsible for covering the cost of keeping the house heated to a comfortable level.

This is what I am used to seeing.

https://www.sharemyhome.co.uk/terms-and-conditions

A bit of a Google suggests sharing utility bills is quite normal in this kind of arrangement

My issue is that this is a home without central heating and it may not be suitable for a home share if use of electricity will be tightly monitored.

Here's an example https://www.sharemyhome.co.uk/terms-and-conditions

Am shocked at the sizeable "fee" paid by both parties every month though. The companion is paying £50 a week to a random company

You can have a clip fitted to the mains cable which monitors electricity usage in real time via an app. Usually they are fitted with solar systems. Makes it much much easier to identify which appliances are drawing power. Might cost a couple of hundred to get fitted but could be really useful. You can see kwh usage by hour/day/week/month.

By the way if that October to December estimate is accurate, your mum is using a lot of power.

Me too. Sounds a recipe for disaster before it even starts. Moving into a house with no central heating. And heating restricted. Total nightmare.

I agree.

The expectation of a massive energy bill is caused by the lack of energy efficient utilities, not necessarily human error.

I would suggest if you want to be fair, run the electric heaters in the guests bedroom to 19/20 degrees, and see how much energy that costs. That’s your base line.

Its not just about the guest bedroom though is it? The rest of the house needs to be suitably warm too.
If the communal spaces are chilly it's not going to be a very appealing set up for anyone

I am also wondering what the windows are like, what the bathrooms are like, whether there would be comments if the tenant washes their hair or takes a bath every day, uses the washing machine and tumble dryer every few days (if there even is a tumble dryer?).

I feel like the heating issue could be the tip of an iceberg.

Does the new person know theres no heating? It's difficult.
Would a pay as you use meter be any help in this set up so there's no massive bills?
I'm not familiar with this sort of arrangement but (I think,) I would think of it like having a lodger really, where bills are just included an she doesn't have to pay extra for electric. Is that how most people do it?

Yes. Council tax covered by mum.

I have emphasised the lack of central heating to the Homeshare company and the applicant from the beginning.

Zero rent and utilities in return for 10 hours help a week is perhaps unsurprisingly very appealing to some people.

All I am attempting to do is set a reasonable ceiling to the increase in energy bills, in case heaters are left on when out. A previous tenant racked up £700 in a month. I just want to avoid that.

That’s a good idea, thanks.