Would you work as a cleaner 2-3 hours a day for free accommodation but no pay?

[ShittyGlitter]

I need a bit of perspective here as I'm not sure of what I’m looking for is reasonable.

I’m drowning in gardening and cleaning, I currently take a half day off a week to try get everything done including g laundry and prep for the week ahead.

My job is becoming more demanding as I have new projects starting this year but also we’re renovating our house so time is also spent covering DIY tasks and running around after our two children. My DHs job is also demanding, but we’re generally good at splitting tasks between us.

we’re both burnt out and skint for renovation costs.

what I’m wondering is, I have an annex separate from our house that’s fully self contained. Would it be reasonable to advertise a live in position for someone to help out with gardening and cleaning tasks? I’m thinking 2-3 hours a day say 5 days a week, rotating around some household tasks. just to help us free up some of our life’s for work or family!

The problem is I can’t afford a cleaner for so many hours, and I thought maybe it would help someone out or am I being daft?

Bills would be covered and there are loads of jobs locally specifically in hospitality as week live in a touristy spot. So someone could have another job to work around it or if they were remote workers anyway.

thoughts would be appreciated!

Gosh DP and I would bite your hand off for this sort of offer (he's a gardener, I'm a cleaner).

I think this would be amazing if you can find the right person/people. However my worry would be that you may land up with someone undesirable who's only after the "free" place to live and are pretty useless at the job then you have problems trying to get rid of them when they're living in your annex

I'd let out and use the money for cleaner etc. Seems very dodgy and unenforceable to have work done in exchange for rent.

See https://www.gov.uk/national-minimum-wage-accommodation but also anyway agree with others that you are better off renting a room and using that to help you pay for a cleaner etc. If you have an employee, they have more rights than a lodger, so harder to manage if the situation does not work well for you. You'd need to pay an employee PAYE inc. employer NIC whereas a lodger can be within your rent-a-room allowance https://www.gov.uk/rent-room-in-your-home/the-rent-a-room-scheme

Thanks for the links, I'm in Scotland though and the rules around employment and renting are a little different, so I’ll need have a look.

You are asking them to do 15 hours work x at least minimum wage of £12.71 an hour. That means you should be paying them £190 a week or nearly £900 a month

Legally you can't pay less than this. You need to work out what tent you would charge for the annexe with bills and see how that compers

Dont rent the annexe out rent out a room ... tax advantages abd easier to get rid of a tenant. Perhaps a very low rent and some hours of housekeepung/gardening would be best.

What would put me off this, is If it would be a permanent position? Nobody's going to want to move into a house live there and get settled ,work and then once you've got your house and garden sorted want them to move out again. They wouldn't be able to save for a deposit with no wage And if they've got a second job they 'd have to try and fit it in around the hours that you want.

OP,
I, in my late 40s, recently divorced, DC on with their own lives, a bit on my arse financially, did exactly what you are offering.

I lived in self contained accommodation, did 3 hours work per day cleaning and looking after a delightful woman who had MS. We are still great friends now.

I wasn't paid, but I got my housing for free. I worked in a bar in my free time. It enabled me to build some cash reserves to bring me to where I am today. Living alone, in a little home with enough income to enjoy life.

This is not modern slavery, many of these opportunities pass people by. As a lone woman in my 40s, it enabled me to get back on my feet and build up again.

To be released from housing costs for a couple of years, was a freedom that I am grateful for, to this day.

I was DBS checked and provided references to my lovely host.

This was a private arrangement but it worked for both of us.

It isn't actually that rare for wealthy people with estate properties to offer a property in lieu of very part time domestic work actually. There is a recruitment website called the Lady which often hosts adverts for arrangements similar to the one you are proposing.

yes i would, because your still getting a good service in return but it would need to be all inclusive, eg food, electric, wifi, etc

I’d do it!

Get cash and then book a cleaner

understand the theory of it but it could go very wrong. What if you fall out, what if the person is ill and can't (in effect) pay their rent by working? Normally live-in workers get paid albeit at a lower rate.

But someone retired might not have the physical strength to do the jobs you want.
With this surface you could basically host a couple where one worked a normal job and the other for you.

I think you'd be in trouble with HMRC for tax avoidance.

I think it could work if you found the right person, but you'd have to have complete trust in them. It could work well for someone young who wanted to leave hime but couldn't afford to, someone recently retired who wanted to try out a new location etc.

But realistically you're unlikely to find the perfect person.

You could rent out the annexe and use thr funds to pay for help, but you'd be numbering yourself with extra work being a landlord which completely defeats the object of freeing up time.

A property that size is hardly an Annexe OP.

It would suit a young family, where one parent works full time and the other does your work in exchange for the accommodation. In between school hours.

would that work for you?

But as others have said, you’d do better to rent or AirBNB the property and use that to fund a cleaner and Gardner. In reality you need around an extra £300 a week it seems?

It sounds like you could probably afford some cleaning hours now, just not as much as you feel is needed. I'd start with that and see how it goes.

Why not rent out the annex and use the money to hire a cleaner.
This would be a better way as if you are happy with the job they are doing you'll have issues evicting them. It's all too complicated.
It's better to divide to two into separate entities

If you need help with gardening, remember it is very seasonal. If you have weeks of snow and ice then no work would get done outside, so you would be getting no return for the free accommodation. Far better to get a year round income and keep that money in a separate pot to pay for gardeners, cleaners etc as and when you need them. Air BnB maybe?
I would advise getting a team in a few times a year. We have a 1 acre garden with a lot of high hedges so we get the tree surgeons in twice a year, it's done in a morning and doesn't cost a fortune. We used to pay someone to cut the grass but got a ride on mower when he retired. You could hire an agency for a deep clean, rather than have someone flicking a duster round every day.

Although it might work with the right person, I think this opens the door for many issues and risks. On balance it would be better to rent out the annex, either permanently or as an Airbnb, or maybe student accommodation, and use the extra money to pay for the services you need. Apart from the tax you’d have to pay on your rental income, other obligations would be the same because you are still creating a tenancy and you’d be legally required to adhere to safety regulations, rules around eviction etc.

Surely covering their bills would be more than a cleaner a couple of hours a week??

I don’t think this would work, particularly as the accommodation is separate to your actual home. You would effectively have a tenant ( rather than a lodger, where it’s infinitely easier to move them on if things get difficult. Also offering accommodation in a return for work is benefit in kind type situation, you would still need to pay them NLW and then ‘discount’ the accommodation as part of the package’ or you could end up in deep water with hmrc if they found out.
Much better to rent out the annexe and use the income to cover some domestic help.
Alternatively, if you have younger kids and decent accommodation/ space could an au pair type situation help?

I wouldn't do this - they could cost you a fortune in electricity bills. I would rent it out, though, and use that money for help at home.

Personally I know I'd be rubbish at having someone living in like that - if they just weren't doing their job then I'd hate to keep reminding them. It does sound ideal on both sides, but the reality is very different.