Cleaning fee when away

Temptation_waits

Wow! Op here. This thread has got lively. All tax is paid, i just seperated it in the same way others seperate gas / electric etc.

Cleaners are £14 an hour here in central Brighton exc materials. I do 3-4 hours cleaning a week and include everything cleaning related. Works out around £10 an hour i pay myself.

I don't see why just because i rent rooms out i have to automatically become their maid free of charge.

I think £50 sounds a lot if your not living down south. Down here it isn't.

eddddy

Temptation_waits wrote: »

I have 3 lodgers.They agreed to the cleaning fee when signing the contracts.

To avoid potential 'bad feeling' with future lodgers, whatever cleaning charge policy you finally decide on, it might help to make it 'crystal clear' in the contract in future.

e.g. If it's payable even when the lodger is away, make that clear at the outset.

Pixie5740

Why isn't the cleaning cost included in the rent the same as the other bills? That would seem like the simple solution for the future.

As for charging this lodger for cleaning whilst she's away that's up to you OP. Is she a good lodger, do you get on well? Is the cleaning charge clearly stated in the lodger agreement?

Comms69

Temptation_waits wrote: »

Wow! Op here. This thread has got lively. All tax is paid, i just seperated it in the same way others seperate gas / electric etc. - So to claim it as a deductible expense?

Cleaners are £14 an hour here in central Brighton exc materials. I do 3-4 hours cleaning a week and include everything cleaning related. Works out around £10 an hour i pay myself. - So you're claiming this as some kind of job?

I don't see why just because i rent rooms out i have to automatically become their maid free of charge. - Well because it's your house to a point, but also because you could just set a cleaning rota, or simple rules like clean up after yourselves?

I think £50 sounds a lot if your not living down south. Down here it isn't.

It's £1800 a year, north or south that's a decent stack of cash for doing what most people do for nothing

FBaby

3-4 hours cleaning a week

To clean their mess only? How do you distinguish what is their and your mess? £14 an hour, really? You can get a professional cleaner in Brighton for £10, that is a cleaner that as a tenant/lodger, you can pick yourself. What happens if they don't like how you clean their room/bathroom. Can they sack you and decide to clean themselves?

I have never heard of such arrangement so don't think it is common at all.

Temptation_waits

I seperated it for the advert. I had noticed others seperated it in their ads too. Usually with an external cleaner though.

I don't want to do rotas or rely on people tidying up. From experience it causes friction.

Temptation_waits

I sent off lots of requests for quotes and £12 - £14 an hour in my area was the average i got back. That excludes materials.

FBaby

In the end, if they are desperate enough to go for it, their choice. I personally would absolutely refuse on principle. You can't force people to pay for a service they don't want and in this case, since you don't want to agree to rota, it is obvious that it's nothing but easy extra money for you.

00ec25

Comms69 wrote: »

Indeed, no difference, so why make it a difference? That's the issue. To me that's itemised so as to claim it as a deductible expense. I could be wrong, but I see no real reason for it to be like that

do you know anything about tax in the context of lodgers? There are only 2 possibilities, do you know which applies since you are accusing OP of getting his deduction wrong?

1. if OP is claiming the rent a room allowance then he cannot not make any deductions at all

2. if OP is not claiming the rent a room allowance then he cannot deduct a cost for his own labour

OP seems under the mistaken belief that by itemising a "cleaning charge" as distinct from "rent" he is somehow adding credibility to the legal status of the occupants as being lodgers rather than tenants. That is of course rubbish and would not add anything to anything. They are lodgers and the OP's monthly income is £x + £50 non negotiable and non discountable.

parkrunner

Dust, cobwebs etc form whether the lodger is there or not, so yes they still pay.