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House-minding rates

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  • 03-07-2013 4:22pm
    #1
    Lucy1989
    Registered Users Posts: 2 ✭


    Hello,

    Quick question for anyone with some experience. I've been asked to mind a house for a couple weeks next month in Wicklow and I'm just wondering what the going rate is (If there is one!) per day for house-minding.

    There's quite a bit of responsibility involved (3 energetic dogs to be walked each day, 1 cat, and 4 horses, one of which must be brought in every evening, fed/mucked out etc) and a large property with a big garden, and I would need to stay there every night also.

    Any help would be great, I don't want to undervalue it, but I also don't want to rip the owners off!

    Cheers!
    Tagged:


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    #2
    D3PO
    Registered Users Posts: 7,879 ✭✭✭D3PO


    normally you wouldn't charge a neighbor to mind their house, bring in the post, turn on a few lights blinds etc. Its called being neighbourly.

    However what your talking about is waaaaaaaay above that. Mucking out horses, walking dogs ....

    No idea what the rate is but Id go check what business charge for these kind of things and charge at least half of that.


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    #3
    ElleEm
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,981 ✭✭✭ElleEm


    It sounds more like a pet sitter service you are providing there. Check the rates for that online, I know dog sitters etc. charge about €15 per hour for walking and feeding a dog, but they usually have to travel to and from the house every day. Looking after the horses sounds like a lot more work, it sounds nearly like you will be "working" for a fair few hours a day. Maybe tot up how many hours you will be working and charge a rate per day based on that. Will you be looking after your own food and stuff?


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    #4
    Lucy1989
    Registered Users Posts: 2 ✭Lucy1989


    Hi, Thanks for your help,

    Yep i'll be bringing my own food. The place is an extra 30 minutes away from my job too, so ill be paying for extra petrol. Good idea on adding up the hours, depending on the day I guess it'l be between 2 and 3 hours of actual work and then the rest of the time just keeping an eye on the house, letting dogs in and out etc. One of my friends reckoned €40 a day sounded fair for the amount of work/responsibility that will go into it.


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    #5
    vandriver
    Registered Users Posts: 3,462 ✭✭✭vandriver


    A kennel would charge about 40 a day just for the dogs!I'd be thinking about a grand for the two weeks.


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    #6
    djimi
    Registered Users Posts: 13,237 ✭✭✭✭djimi


    vandriver wrote: »
    A kennel would charge about 40 a day just for the dogs!I'd be thinking about a grand for the two weeks.

    And I imagine you would be swiftly told where to go :pac:


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    #7
    vandriver
    Registered Users Posts: 3,462 ✭✭✭vandriver


    djimi wrote: »
    And I imagine you would be swiftly told where to go :pac:

    So what would you imagine is the going rate for 15 days work?


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    #8
    Pawwed Rig
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Home & Garden Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators Posts: 22,379 CMod ✭✭✭✭Pawwed Rig


    Lucy1989 wrote: »
    One of my friends reckoned €40 a day sounded fair for the amount of work/responsibility that will go into it.

    That sounds too low considering the extra time you will speng commuting. Say 3 hours of work, an extra hour to commute. So 4 hours a day plus the security and dog watching. I would be looking for 60-70 a day. A grand for 2 weeks sounds roughly about right although I think you could justify more if you pushed it.


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    #9
    Victor
    Registered Users Posts: 78,411 ✭✭✭✭Victor


    If there will be 4 hours of commuting and work, then the absolute minimum they can expect is for you to be paid minimum wage. For time on site, you could deem it to be time 'on-call' for which you are entitled to be paid at one quarter of the rate. Add the extra commuting cost and personal time foregone.

    4 x €10 = €40
    10 x €10 x 0.25 = €25
    x 13 nights?
    Holidays @ 8%
    Total €912

    If you are self employed, you will have a tax liability, although if this is your only self employment in the year, you are likely to be exempt.

    I would expect free local phone calls, utilities, etc. (you will have to pay your own bills anyway, they will only be partially reduced), but not free food (you would have to eat anyway).

    If they have four horses, I think they can afford it. :)


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    #10
    vandriver
    Registered Users Posts: 3,462 ✭✭✭vandriver


    A grand is such a nice round figure,though!


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    #11
    The_Conductor
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 32,285 Mod ✭✭✭✭The_Conductor


    Halve the figures you're being quoted- and you're being reasonable, and they are too. If you're not formally in the business- you don't get the rates suggested- it sounds like you're doing this on an informal basis, possibly for a family friend?


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    #12
    Del2005
    Registered Users Posts: 18,990 ✭✭✭✭Del2005


    The_Conductor wrote: »
    Halve the figures you're being quoted- and you're being reasonable, and they are too. If you're not formally in the business- you don't get the rates suggested- it sounds like you're doing this on an informal basis, possibly for a family friend?

    €500 for 2 weeks of hard work isn't a decent wage. A company would charge more than €1000 for the work required if you could even find one company that could do all the jobs the OP is being asked to do.


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    #13
    The_Conductor
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 32,285 Mod ✭✭✭✭The_Conductor


    Del2005 wrote: »
    €500 for 2 weeks of hard work isn't a decent wage. A company would charge more than €1000 for the work required if you could even find one company that could do all the jobs the OP is being asked to do.

    Decent wage- and helping out family friends, are two totally separate things. Decent wage- would imply far more than the work you're doing- it would imply, for example, that you have your own insurance- and are not going to sue the owners if you get kicked by a horse, that you have recognised experience in what you're doing etc.

    Its quite normal in rural communities to give teenagers cash for helping with mucking out horses or other farm tasks- they most certainly are not given minimum wage though. It would also be quite normal for larger farms to have a few Ag Students or Hort Students- helping out- normally for bed and board and a a minimal wage (aka 150-160 a week- for a weeks work).

    Whatever way you turn it- this is not a regular job- and the regular rules do not apply.

    If the OP is helping out a family friend- its an entirely different story from them trying to establish themselves as supplying a business service to the owners- insurance being the critical thing that would wave a red flag for me.

    OP- there are companies nationwide who provide services such as you're suggesting, to allow farm families take holidays. If you go over to the Farming and Forestry forum- they can point you in the right direction- which will give you an idea of the lie of the land on this.

    I'd emphasise- doing this on an informal basis, as a one-off, is a totally different proposition from proposing to be available to do this year round on demand (which is what the farm companies do).


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