I have a friend who lives in a house belonging to an elderly gentleman who travels.?

Question

She takes care of the medium size yard, mowing, trimming, flowers, etc.. Keeps the house clean, washes the windows and lives among his belongings. He comes home 3 or 4 times a year and stays 1 to 3 weeks at a time. She pays him $500/mo to live there. I say it's a caretaker position and he should be paying her? Does anyone agree? any idea how much he should pay her?.....he is wanting to raise her "rent to $600" due to rising costs.

Answer 1

It depends on the house and how much it would cost for her to stay in the neighborhood if she didn't live there.

Answer 2

It depends, if $500 is cheap for renting a house in that neighborhood then the discount on the rent is her "pay" for being caretaker.  Even if it's the going rate, it's not unusual for a tenant to be asked to to cut the lawn & shovel snow, etc.  And any tenant would be expected to keep the inside clean and in decent shape too, so in my opinion the "work" she does inside is the same as she'd have to do in a regular apartment so there is no need for her to get paid to do that.

Answer 3

It sounds like he is useing her.  Why would she even move into a house that is inhabited is beyond me, but she does have use of a moderately private setup. Does she have to pay utilities too?  If not, then the rent doesn't seem too much to pay for a semi whole house.  Does she live alone when he's not there? To each his own.

Answer 4

I do not see what her problem is.. she is in reality renting a house from him.  It just has his things in it...

When he comes home and stay does she still have to pay rent for the weeks he is there.. if she does then maybe she can come to  a compromise with him..

It would be like this is any house she lived in, other then the landlord coming and staying with her.  she has to take care of hte house and keep it up while she lives there..

Answer 5

May I ask:

1) what is the rent for one bedroom apartment in such 'hood? + how much for utilities?

2) which one is better for your friend? to live in a house setting with yard ++ or to live in an apartment where 911 is the "sound of the musics"?

Then from there, try to negotiate for better treatment, such as owner pay the utilities, for example.

Fair?