Advice needed re elderly parents.

[moose man]

How many hours is he doing ? If it's only half a day once a month it doesn't seem to bad at all .

[Mike737]

Another one who thinks manual labourers should travel, buy tools and work for next to nothing.

 

Of course, If the worry is What is or How much is he doing for his money ?

Then fair enough, get his number off the parents and have a chat with him and raise any concerns ?

 

My mother couldn't find a gardener for about 18 months as they're all to busy,

She expected to pay between £6 - £7 per hour (well, she is 84 and watertight) for a couple of hours a week.

Realistically, she's paying £18 an hour.

Nowhere did I say that manual labourers should work for next to nothing. No-one should work for next to nothing. But the tools needed for this are both few, and relatively inexpensive. We (almost) all have to travel to work, but this usually comes out of what you earn. My dad has his own hedge-trimmer, I don't yet know what the bloke brings with him or uses. As I've said in previous replies, I'll monitor the situation.

 

Mike.

[Mike737]

Thanks for all the replies everyone, I will look into it a bit more, see if he's providing receipts, or charging 'VAT'. Also just what he is doing and how often. I'm not trying to belittle anyone, or do someone down for what they are earning at all, just concerned for my somewhat vulnerable parents, that they are getting fair work for fair pay.

 

Thanks,

 

Mike.

[Jaymo]

Mike

Without being condescending- Living wage is just that, an amount assessed that a person needs to earn to 'get by'.

Now if you think that's acceptable for everyone then feel free to lower your annual income to match.

 

By it's very nature the Living wage can be applied to an 'in-trained' young person, what you have ( or may not have) is a skilled gardener.

 

Now if by only having a van and a few odd tools means he doesn't need much money could be applied to my Profession- all I need is myself and a car to get to your place , but your not going to see me for less as I have no overheads......

 

Now, if your concern is not about the money but the amount of work completed then as suggested- set out a schedule of works.

But reading your posts I believe it's the monetary side that's at the fore!

 

I have elderly parents and sometimes look at their outgoings for gardening or window cleaning and wonder how so much is charged for such little time-- fact of the matter, I'm not a gardener or windy or even have the time so I think it's acceptable.

[Ollieollie]

What the gardener earns/charges is up to him, whether you want to pay it is another matter. To often i come across people saying my quotes are too much as if i had approached them...

[aka_t50]

if you look at other industry's like retail for instance the hourly rate is between £7.50/£10 they work inside they get work clothing provided 22+ paid days holiday a year most get 10% discount on there shopping this makes the gardener hourly rate cheap I think the issue is how much he does for the money they pay around me in Cheshire an average 3 bed semi with small garden and borders with a front hedge will pay around £50/60 every two weeks for the up keep that's on visit maybe two hours at most so I would say if the garden looks in good shape tidy and looked after £100/120 a month is the right money. people are very quick to think manual workers are ripping people off a lot of the time they are just making a honest wage and ost of the other industry's are the ones ripping off the elderly.

[Wilts#Dave]

The living wage side of things is irrelevant as he's self employed with his own business, not an employee which is what that is based around. If he's only doing odd hours here and there that's more than fair, it may be cheaper on a whole day rate....what he's doing for the money would be my issue rather than the hourly rate.

[E.w.]

Okay, so I visited my parents today, who live a considerable distance from me. They are 90 and 91 years young. During conversation, they let slip that they have taken on a 'gardener', at £13.00 per hour. Neither I nor my wife could actually see any change in the garden from when we last visited. Sadly, we live too far from them to be able to look after the garden, but this seems a bit steep to me. Any thoughts on what a gardener should rightfully be paid? This is a modest sized garden around a bungalow.

 

Thanks,

 

Mike.

 

You are correct to be suspect of anyone doing work for the elderly, ask for a brake down of the work carrier out in respect of the amount due/ payable, when it comes to your perants trust no one is my motto.

[four-wheel-drive]

If it has not already been said another problem with doing gardening for a living is that plants only grow in spring and summer so I would not expect him/her to be making much money out of it in the winter or bad weather if the ground is to wet in any time of the year you cannot do much and bills need to be paid all year around.

[JDog]

'Gardeners' fall into several categories. The maintenance gardeners that I come across have simply fallen into gardening because they are useless at everything else and they see it as something easy that they can do. It is not. This is fairly easy to ascertain. Others who are trained and have a wide range of their own equipment are a different matter altogether and they are well worth their money. The rate you quote is very reasonable in my opinion for the latter.

 

The undertone to your post is whether your parents are being ripped off. This may be the case sadly and if you are really bothered about it you should arrange to see the gardener and find out for yourself whether he is any good or not.

Edited December 11, 2016 by JDog

[The Heron]

Taking into account his costs it would seem reasonable.

[Wb123]

Thinking about this one over breakfast the chap is self employed so some of the costs hidden from most of us in our total cost of employment should be explored. My pay per hour on the payslip for instance is about £18 when you derive it per contracted hour though I work many more. The total cost to my employer per contracted hour of work apparently works out around £45. This is part of the reason I don't do extra work for less than £45 an hour much to their irritation.

 

£13 an hour billing, assume average 40 hours a week billable on average over the whole year.

 

After 20 days leave a year paid for, and 2.8% sickness (supposed national average) that leaves £11.56 an hour.

 

Pension will take some more, given he is paying effectively both employer and employee contributions he will need to put away around 20% in total assuming he started early and doesn't mind a less comfortable existence post retirement.

 

That leaves £8.96 an hour ignoring equipment costs, insurances etc.

 

 

If he is a good chap and doing a good job then I think he is being had here and you need to take your parents for a quiet word about how they treat their employees.

[panoma1]

Depends how the gardener is paid, is it in cash? Is he declaring it to the taxman? If not that £13 an hour is worth considerably more than £13 per hour!............£520 cash in yer skyrocket for a 40 hour week is good money!

Edited December 11, 2016 by panoma1

[Wb123]

Depends how the gardener is paid, is it in cash? Is he declaring it to the taxman? If not that £13 an hour is worth considerably more than £13 per hour!............£520 cash in yer skyrocket for a 40 hour week is good money!

 

Good point, I had forgotten the tax efficiencies of being self employed. That may make his functional rate somewhat better than in my previous analysis.

[Grazy]

The best suggestion has been for you to fit a cctv system so you can keep track of all visitors and contractors at your parents. I've heard of a number of horror stories of unscrupulous persons targeting the elderly with quotes to fix roofing or driveway 'problems'. This would act as a very good deterrent and evidence if the worst does happen. You can get a simple 2 camera system from Maplin for around £150 and see the live feed on your smartphone.

 

On the subject of the hourly charge, geography plays a big part as does how the Gardner is running his/her business. If it is just a few hours handyman cash in hand then £13 is good, even in the South. I pay £15 per hour in Essex but it is a legit company who use all their own tools and take away any cuttings/waste etc. I know of some gardners who charge £8 per hour cash in hand to top up their pension and use the tools/mower at the house and I think that is good money.

[MrM]

I had similar thing with my parents at that age. First gardener they employed was an oldish chap who lived a bit further down the lane. He charged about that, but spent most of the time leaning on his rake or spade and chatting to anyone walking up and down the lane, and decided his own hours. After ripping off a number of other people in the lane they managed to get rid of him, and found a younger guy who charged the same, but only came for 2 hours a week and worked his socks of for those 2 hours. So yes, hourly rate is spot on, just make sure the guy actually does the work.

[BaconBoy]

I bet your glad you asked mike?👍😄

[Vince Green]

My mate found a very amicable arrangement regarding his parents garden, somebody took it over as an allotment

[Jaymo]

I bet your glad you asked mike?👍😄

Don't want answers then don't post questions ---- simples as those pesky meerkats say

[Mike737]

I appreciate all the answers (some more than others ); I really didn't know what was reasonable, and I wish I took £13.00 an hour out of my business... If he is working his socks off for that money, then it seems the consensus is that that it's fair. If he's getting it cash in back pocket, then it's a little different. I have to tread carefully with the 'rents, as my mother in particular is sensitive to any suggestions that she is not 100% compos-mentis, and has said before "We're not senile you know". They both have fallen prey to the 'Competition' scams, 'When you return the winning numbers we WILL send you the prize of £xx,xxx thousand pounds'. They have spent a small fortune on goods they have no need for to enhance their chances, but they value their independence and we have to proceed with caution!

 

Mike.

[Mike737]

I bet your glad you asked mike?

It's certainly generated more replies than any of my other posts!

 

Mike.