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

Heo2

Absolutely not. Any payment either way must have been agreed before and not after the event. It would appear the couple wanted a service they were not prepared to pay for so incentivised a work colleagued offering accommodation to save on travel costs which would be minimal if then having top pay £500. 
Research the cost of organising a house/cat sitter, deduct the £500 and charge them the balance. 

Purplegeri

If they didn't tell you about this beforehand then the answer is NO! 
Presumably you had another home somewhere you were paying for during this period, but even if not and they were doing you a favour, if it wasn't mentioned in the plan, then don't pay. I think they have come back skint and trying to recoup some funds spent on their trip! 
They might not be such good friends after this, whether you pay or not, as there will be bad feelings both sides. 

galaxy_explorer

Pay nothing. You did them a huge favour by looking after their place and feeding their cat. Pet sitters charge several hundred pounds per week. If they get nasty, send them an invoice. I'd also reconsider the friendship.

annieshb

I used to pet and house sit through Trusted house sittters sitters. No money exchanged between owners and sitters. It was free board and lodgings exchange for looking after pets. The costs to this couple to pay for someone to look after their cat or to put their cat into a cattery would far exceed £500.
i wouldn’t pay them. If they raise issue again. Print outTHS details ,pet sitting fees ,cattery fees etc and hand them to them,

Nuddmann

These people are clearly not real friends and, regardless of the rights or wrongs of it, any friendship you had is more than likely over. 

Personally, I’d ghost them from now on. They’ll get the message and it will save you the arguments. 

No future for this relationship if that’s how they tick. 

lorrainne

I agree with previous answers and it is wrong to ask you for money after the event. I have asked friends to dog sit and no money was discussed but I forced them to take money, as I would have had to pay kennels or other sitters. Their bills as home may have been less but they still had some outgoings

billbones77

I'd laugh and say i looked after your property and belongings kept the house from getting damp and stagnant whilst also looking after your cat and feeding it forget about the commute that doesn't come into it the food you may of consumed was to stop it going to waste they should of payed you 500 quid for helping them out as a thank you or at least just agree to help them out and they bring you a thank you gift from holiday.. i think its serious cheek to ask you to pay them and i wouldnt even worry about work tell your other colleagues the situation im sure they'd side with you on this matter and maybe the person asking for rent would re consider the situation and realise they are in the wrong.. 

PaulTee

Looks like you have got a unanimous answer from all on here. They aren't friends they are parasites.

Ed264

A travelling couple - I would certainly tell them where to go! You've had the task of taking care of their cats for a few months. Did they leave a few months supply of cat food, or was this down to you to purchase? If they wanted £500 from you, it should have been made crystal clear at the outset of this arrangement. This seems to me like they've racked up a significant credit card bill for this trip.

Notnobody

I paid 15 euros a day for someone to house-sit a dog and 2 cats (cheap). Another time a friend stayed for a week, looked after 2 cats. It cost her nothing and it just cost me for the electricity and water used.  I don't think it's fair for you to be asked for money now - they should have mentioned it before and maybe you wouldn't have agreed to look after the cats.