Money Moral Dilemma: Should I pay my colleagues £500 for looking after their house and cats?

claireibicycle

cheeky 'so called friends'.... they shouldn't be asking for money anyway as you're looking after their cat & house but if they'd wanted money they should have said so beforehand. who needs friend like that..? stand your ground and say no. 

nev.obrady

They should have been upfront about expecting you to pay for the privilege of caring for their pet and keeping their property safe. I expect you'd have laughed at them then, so just laugh it off now. What brass necks! As a previous contributor has suggested, they're expecting you to subsidise their overspending. 

[Deleted User]

House or pet-sitters are paid, well-paid, they do not pay the owners!  Suggest your 'friends' check out rates for those services and give you an appropriate amount in gratitude.  and show them the comments here!  They're disgraceful.

CAlexM

Bloody hell! Refer them to a local cattery for prices! Last time I went away for A WEEK my 2 felines (sharing) cost £150... and you're supposed to pay them!!

djs210664

I used to go away twice a year and I asked a friend to look after my dog I always made sure my fridge and freezer were full and I gave him £200 a week for the inconvenience it was a lot cheaper than using a boarding kennel. So I would say to these people who are obviously not your friends. "No problem I will give you the money minus my fees for looking after your cat" 

LP53

No don’t pay them a penny. I house sit on the mindahome website and look after a cat regularly.
i don’t get paid as I get free accommodation in London and enjoy exploring a different town. 

The home owner also doesn’t take any money from me as he wouldn’t be able to travel without me minding his cat because it would be too disturbing to put him in a cattery and very expensive. I buy my own food when I’m there but don’t pay any bills as I assume the cattery would cost more and he still has his Morgage to pay regardless.
some of the pet owners on the website pay expenses or give money to the sitter but I’ve never heard of anyone charging the sitter to take care of their home or pets unless it’s a long house sit where’s there’s no pets involved and they may in rare circumstances ask for utility bills paid.

Mommasue

They are scammers, plain and simple. Dont entertain their game. Get a written quote from a cattery, including the shots the cats must have. 
Give them a copy of the quote and vet fees for the shots and tell them to deduct the cost £500 thry feel you owed, and give them your bank details for payment, so you are saving them the cost of going to town to withdraw cash.

sindyjames

MSE_Kelvin said:

This week's MoneySaver who wants advice asks...

Two colleagues, who are a couple, were going travelling for a few months and asked me to house-sit for them and look after their two cats. We didn't discuss money, but they presented it as a way of reducing the cost of my commute (which was true) so I agreed. When they returned, they asked me to pay them £500, saying it wasn't much for three months' rent. I'd assumed that if anything, they'd want to give me something for looking after their house and cats. I don't want to pay, but also don't want to make things difficult at work. What should I do?

Unfortunately the MSE team can't answer Money Moral Dilemma questions as contributions are emailed in or suggested in person. They are intended to be a point of debate and discussed at face value. Remember that behind each dilemma there is a real person so, as the forum rules say, please keep it kind and keep it clean.

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Absolutely not. You were doing them a favour. If you gained from it, fine, but they should pay you if anything. I can't believe they've asked you for money! 

feelingscrewed

Easy answer, if they wanted paying they should have raised this as a part of their request. Otherwise no way should you pay and they are cheeky tight fisted twots

honestcove

Counterclaim by presenting them with a bill for £2,000. 
80 days at £20/day.
A bargain for looking after their little darlings.
You could also add a bit for “insurance cover” as without you there many standard house insurances are voided if property left empty for circa 3 months.