It’s a touchy subject, for sure. That’s why we spoke with a number of nanny professionals and other experts to learn whether it’s ever OK to ask live-in nannies to pay rent. Here’s what they had to say.
Good child care is to find, so it’s no wonder many families opt for live-in nannies once they find someone who is, well, practically perfect with their children. Mary Poppins-isms aside, having quality, nearly round-the-clock care for your children really is priceless. But when it comes to the hiring process, you might wonder: do live-in nannies pay rent? And, if you’re considering becoming a live-in nanny yourself, should you work for a family that isn’t offering free room and board?
Do live-in nannies pay rent?
“Most live-in nannies don’t pay rent or accept a lower rate for being a live-in,” says Lora Brawley, an experienced nanny and the founder of Nanny Care Hub. Brawley says rent might happen with more casual, informal arrangements, such as if families are working with a college student who happens to need a place to stay. Professional live-in nannies, she says, generally pass on a job that would charge rent of any kind.
There are exceptions, however. Brawly says that in some situations, a professional live-in nanny might agree to paying rent if they’re seeking a long-term arrangement. But families and live-in nannies should check the laws in their area, as these can sometimes dictate how much a family is able to charge.
“Most live-in nannies don’t pay rent or accept a lower rate for being a live-in.”
—Lora Brawley, nanny and founder of Nanny Care Hub
Eibhlis Gale-Coleman, a freelance journalist based in the UK, previously worked as a live-in nanny. Over the course of two years, she nannied for three different families, and says she was never asked to pay rent. “Accommodation was included as part of my prearranged contract and bills were calculated when agreeing my pay,” says Gale-Coleman.
Why don’t live-in nannies pay rent?
For families seeking to hire a live-in nanny, there are many reasons why you might want to avoid charging rent.
Live-in nannies offer convenience
Families hire live-in nannies for the convenience of having someone around frequently to care for their kids, including during emergencies. Candi Vajana, nanny and parent educator at The Experienced Nanny, says many of the parents she worked for had high-powered jobs and often needed extra help.
“Having me there was helpful as they did not have to wait for me to arrive at short notice. They could just chat with me and let me know about potential extra hours,” says Vajana. She believes that families who opt for live-in nannies are trading their physical space for the luxury of having a nanny who will never be late.
Live-in nannies provide around-the-clock care
If you’re working as (or looking to become) a live-in nanny, you might also disagree with paying rent as you realize it’s much harder to feel like your time off belongs to you.
“As a live-in nanny, you never truly clock-off, and the quality of living is just not on par with having your own space,” says Gale-Coleman. “For instance, waking up in the night due to thin walls when the kids have a bad night, or being asked to babysit just because you’re around.”
Tenant rights and other legalities
“When a nanny pays rent, they [may] become a tenant and gain tenant rights, which means firing them doesn’t equal them having to automatically leave the house,” says Brawley. She advises looking into your state’s tenant rights on this matter. Brawley says some families also don’t want to deal with all the additional record-keeping required for charging rent in addition to the live-in nanny contract.
Furthermore, Brawley says charging rent means having less control around your nanny’s behavior while on site. For example, not charging rent means you may request that your live-in nanny not have overnight guests, but this sort of request cannot be made of someone who is paying rent for a space.
Are there ever reasons why a live-in nanny should pay rent?
While there are a lot of downsides for both nanny and employer when requesting rent, some families and nannies still choose a rental arrangement. Christine Landis, CEO of Peacock Parent Inc., says she charges rent from her current live-in nanny.
“It’s important to assign a value to the cost-savings that she is experiencing compared to her peers that pay full-price for rent,” says Landis.
Additionally, Landis says she factors rent in when doing performance reviews of her nanny and making decisions about annual raises. “For example, you can compensate your nanny by lowering the rent by X dollars or simply acknowledge that you aren’t increasing rent by X dollars even though the comps in the area show otherwise,” says Landis.
Speaking as a former live-in nanny, Gale-Coleman says requesting rent might really only be understandable if the family is offering a self-contained granny flat or similar independent living situation. “However, in my opinion, this would have to be reflected in pay,” she adds, which means not offering the typical, lower live-in wage that factors in the included room and board.
“I’d also be doubtful about how effective it is for families to pay the nanny’s wage only for the nanny to then transfer a percentage back [as rent],” she says. “It seems like wasted time on transactions!” Gale-Coleman notes in these cases, it might just be better to hire a live-out nanny.
What to consider when setting rates for a live-in nanny
The scope of the job
When setting a salary for a live-in nanny, families should first consider all the labor that the nanny will provide. Among the many tasks live-in nannies perform are:
- Providing daycare, school and activity pick-ups and drop-offs.
- Assistance with school work.
- Making sure kids take care of their hygiene (such as assistance with bathing and dressing, which is more involved with younger children).
- Putting children down to bed.
- Providing overnight or sick care when necessary.
Don’t forget live-in nannies also provide lots of emotional support and social-emotional learning for children, which can be hard to quantify.
Additional chores and tasks
Some families might also ask their live-in nanny for more household chore assistance. This might include cooking (either meals for children or full-on family meals), cleaning (children’s rooms or entire household), taking care of laundry and even running family errands.
“I was allowed to use the nanny car during my days off without mileage limitations, which was great because I could explore and see places around the country.”
—Candi Vajana, nanny and parent educator
Included amenities, perks and benefits
Families also need to consider what benefits they’ll be providing on their end, such as meals (on and potentially off duty), a private room or even separate apartment with a private bathroom, along with all utilities, wifi, streaming services and sometimes even a cell phone. Brawley and Vajana say use of a vehicle can also be requested.
“I was allowed to use the nanny car during my days off without mileage limitations, which was great because I could explore and see places around the country,” says Vajana.
The bottom line
Once you’ve crunched the numbers, you can decide whether it makes sense for live-in nannies to pay rent or if a different arrangement would work better. Additionally, consider having an open discussion about it during the interview or during the offer process.
Just be aware that charging rent for a live-in nanny isn’t the norm. In addition to negotiating the details, parents will also need to check the laws in their area and might need to consider how well-prepared they are to manage a tenant. Whatever decision is made, be sure to outline all of the specifics in the nanny contract.
