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.)

This - I prefer a colder house than most of my family tbh.

But even so, starting off with the assumption that trying to keep reasonably warm over winter is somehow unreasonable and chargeable would make me reconsider this accommodation. Leaving heaters on low when out of the room will help the room stay warm instead of constantly starting from cold every time they come home, so that’s not a fair thing to expect.

When on holiday in a hot country I will leave AC on when I pop out because I don’t want to come back to a sweltering hot room.

Same with being cold, getting in from a cold walk and taking off your coat only to find your room is no warmer than outside, no thanks!

I’d like to be able to ‘preheat’ the room so maybe put a timer plug on the heaters and suggest that they are timed to come on an hour before the lodger gets home etc. but especially if they want to be able to dry laundry etc you need the house to be at a sensible temperature or everything will take ages to dry and smell damp.

@DreamW3aver

I can work quite nicely if you get the right person.

its free accommodation (including utilities) for simply being around for an older person.

agreements vary depending on the homeowners needs/wishes. In my 20's I did a lot of ski season work as a company's resort manager. Sometimes I'd travel in the summer or work a summer season elsewhere, but I also had many summers in the U.K. it's an ideal set up - if the homeowner just wants some companionship & someone there overnight you can go out to work, if they want someone there more in the daytime you can wfh in some capacity.

its much more like living with a parent/grandparent than giving 'care'.

Does your mum's house conform with current health and safety legislation (hard wired smoke alarms, electrical condition report, gas and boiler safety check etc)?

Does the homeshare fee include checking the house is safe for the person to come and live there? It certainly should do!

I don't have an issue with the concept but I am staggered at how high the monthly fees are!! they can't be justified

You don't need all that for lodgers. You need gas certificate and at least one smoke detector (not hardwired) per floor

Ah sorry, I'm in Scotland where housing law seems to be a lot stricter than England. Every house in Scotland needs interlinked smoke alarms. And this type of agreement would be deemed to be a lodger, who would have legal rights.

Only houses with three floors need interlinked alarms here. Also it sounds as though this house doesn't have any gas appliances. So just a couple of smoke alarms and it's fine.