Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, I'd let them use it. Ask them to pay the cleaning fee and a small fee for utilities.

Yea, send them a bill, cheapo

DP. It costs us a lot for each visit to our second home. Cleaning is $455, pool is $75, jacuzzi is $75, and water treatment (well water) has to be serviced $112

Do you rent it out? What "second home" has a $455 cleaning fee?

I would guess this is for a beach house. We are at $375 for a cleaning. Even if you are being careful and have an outdoor shower, a lot of sand still gets in the house. It is also a constant fight against mold.

How often is the house being cleaned for $375? Is it a rental? We had a rental on the beach and the dynamics are quite different. Same with the $75 pool fee. Pool maintenance is a constant need -- that's a fee that you're going to be paying whether the pool is being used or not.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, I'd let them use it. Ask them to pay the cleaning fee and a small fee for utilities.

Yea, send them a bill, cheapo

DP. It costs us a lot for each visit to our second home. Cleaning is $455, pool is $75, jacuzzi is $75, and water treatment (well water) has to be serviced $112

So don't let them heat the pool but you would be paying for maintenance regardless.

Anonymous wrote:
Surely you realized when you bought it that relatives and close friends might ask you?

An open door policy is impossible for your peace of mind and finances, unless your families are very small and you can afford all the costs and repairs.

If it were me, I'd ask my relatives and friends to book the house on the portal like any other client, and I would give them a friends and family discount. But all the usual rules about cleanup and breakage would, in theory, still apply - and yes, they would be harder to enforce, but if you can scare them into following them, it's better.

Portal? We are discussing a 2nd home that is not rented.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, I'd let them use it. Ask them to pay the cleaning fee and a small fee for utilities.

Yea, send them a bill, cheapo

DP. It costs us a lot for each visit to our second home. Cleaning is $455, pool is $75, jacuzzi is $75, and water treatment (well water) has to be serviced $112

Do you rent it out? What "second home" has a $455 cleaning fee?

No, we don’t rent it out. That is the going rate for the cleaner in that area.

Your cleaner is cleaning you out.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, I'd let them use it. Ask them to pay the cleaning fee and a small fee for utilities.

Yea, send them a bill, cheapo

DP. It costs us a lot for each visit to our second home. Cleaning is $455, pool is $75, jacuzzi is $75, and water treatment (well water) has to be serviced $112

Do you rent it out? What "second home" has a $455 cleaning fee?

I would guess this is for a beach house. We are at $375 for a cleaning. Even if you are being careful and have an outdoor shower, a lot of sand still gets in the house. It is also a constant fight against mold.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, I'd let them use it. Ask them to pay the cleaning fee and a small fee for utilities.

Yea, send them a bill, cheapo

DP. It costs us a lot for each visit to our second home. Cleaning is $455, pool is $75, jacuzzi is $75, and water treatment (well water) has to be serviced $112

Do you rent it out? What "second home" has a $455 cleaning fee?

No, we don’t rent it out. That is the going rate for the cleaner in that area.

Yea, I don't buy what you're selling. Sorry. This is bullshit.

Anonymous wrote:
Surely you realized when you bought it that relatives and close friends might ask you?

An open door policy is impossible for your peace of mind and finances, unless your families are very small and you can afford all the costs and repairs.

If it were me, I'd ask my relatives and friends to book the house on the portal like any other client, and I would give them a friends and family discount. But all the usual rules about cleanup and breakage would, in theory, still apply - and yes, they would be harder to enforce, but if you can scare them into following them, it's better.

That's a rental property, not a vacation home or a second home. An entirely different thing.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, I'd let them use it. Ask them to pay the cleaning fee and a small fee for utilities.

Yea, send them a bill, cheapo

DP. It costs us a lot for each visit to our second home. Cleaning is $455, pool is $75, jacuzzi is $75, and water treatment (well water) has to be serviced $112

Do you rent it out? What "second home" has a $455 cleaning fee?

No, we don’t rent it out. That is the going rate for the cleaner in that area.

Anonymous wrote:No. If we are there and we invite them, then yes. If they invite themselves or ask to use it when we aren’t there - then no. This goes for everyone.

You're nice.

Surely you realized when you bought it that relatives and close friends might ask you?

An open door policy is impossible for your peace of mind and finances, unless your families are very small and you can afford all the costs and repairs.

If it were me, I'd ask my relatives and friends to book the house on the portal like any other client, and I would give them a friends and family discount. But all the usual rules about cleanup and breakage would, in theory, still apply - and yes, they would be harder to enforce, but if you can scare them into following them, it's better.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, I'd let them use it. Ask them to pay the cleaning fee and a small fee for utilities.

Yea, send them a bill, cheapo

DP. It costs us a lot for each visit to our second home. Cleaning is $455, pool is $75, jacuzzi is $75, and water treatment (well water) has to be serviced $112

Do you rent it out? What "second home" has a $455 cleaning fee?

No. If we are there and we invite them, then yes. If they invite themselves or ask to use it when we aren’t there - then no. This goes for everyone.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, I'd let them use it. Ask them to pay the cleaning fee and a small fee for utilities.

Yea, send them a bill, cheapo

DP. It costs us a lot for each visit to our second home. Cleaning is $455, pool is $75, jacuzzi is $75, and water treatment (well water) has to be serviced $112

This is an excellent example of a thread that brings out the nasty of DCUM. Why are so many of you so awful, ungenerous, and suspicious about people, especially family and friends.

We have a large second home a couple hours drive from DC. It's a great place to visit, on many acres with a pool and hot tub etc. Just a great respite. And we have a large family.

When we're not there, we let many people use it. We have overstocked everything -- toiletries, etc. -- so we don't run out of stock. We have a second refrigerator full of beverages. We have cleaners come in. We don't charge anybody a dime for anything, ever. And when the house is being used and someone asks to use it, we just say "sorry, it's used that week let's come up with another."

Sure, on occasion something might break or you might come back and be puzzled about the condition the place was left in. But life is short. You roll with it.

Seriously, what happened to so many of you in your past that you have to be so uptight?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is going to be such an individual decision.
If I had the finances to buy a second home without renting it out, yes I would let family borrow it. I would let them know thecleaning fee ahead of time and expect them to pay it though.
If it’s vacant why not?

My husband and I both come from large families. We have long-time beach house owners. The biggest problem with an open-door policy is that frequently you will have one or two relatives that take advantage. Also, as the family gets older you are juggling not just sibling and cousin requests, but nieces, nephews, and eventually grandchildren.

OP says the house is empty for at least the next month. So what's the problem? When it isn't empty, you say so.

I am guessing you don't own a home in a desirable vacation location that is within driving distance to most of your extended family. When you buy one and have owned it 20+ years, get back to me, and we can have debate the issue.

I have a home like this. Nobody asks because they know the answer will be no. They have since bought their own vacation homes. I don’t ask to stay there either.