Relationship havoc gets expensive. I agree with David that this is the wild card in your otherwise well thought out plan. The space CANNOT be used both by a tenant and your daughter at the same time and Murphy's Law says you will need the rent income at the worst possible time.
If you haven't already, find the number of $ you need out of the cottage. If you offer it to your daughter, then she will know what you are actually offering. You can decide if she matches it, or gets a discount.
Know your local laws about short and long term rental notices so if someone's in the space when she needs it, you don't end up with legal costs on top of the social stress of having an adult child in crisis.
When she and her pets leave, price in some down time before the next rental. Your next guests may be pet scent sensitive and there will be costs before reletting ( or your could promote your cottage as a premium pet friendly rental).
Relationships are managed best with clear expectations. Start early. I arrived by plane to visit my first 2 ( of later 9) grandchildren. Their other grandparents were spenders. I'm a saver. The 2 year old asked " are there presents in your bag"? "No", I replied, " You have to make your own toys". So we found sticks, string, paper and metal paper clips, and made a trip to the dollar store for magnets. With our fishing poles and paper fish ( put the paper clip on your fish's mouth) we cast off from the top of the basement stairs into the ocean below. We played fishing everyday I was there. Now aged 12, my grandson still spontaneously remembers this. I'm not your bank machine. I'm your Nana. The best thing I'll ever give you is my time. ( and that's true of being a Mom too!)
Ah the joy of anticipation. My husband was a spontaneous person, and loved to surprise people. It took years to convince him that I had more joy in knowing plans as I could savour in advance as well as during and afterwards. This can apply to many no cost events, like walking a trail or having neighbours over for coffee. Eventually he stopped trying to surprise me ( and started surprising our children in law instead!)
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Relationship havoc gets expensive. I agree with David that this is the wild card in your otherwise well thought out plan. The space CANNOT be used both by a tenant and your daughter at the same time and Murphy's Law says you will need the rent income at the worst possible time. If you haven't already, find the number of $ you need out of the cottage. If you offer it to your daughter, then she will know what you are actually offering. You can decide if she matches it, or gets a discount. Know your local laws about short and long term rental notices so if someone's in the space when she needs it, you don't end up with legal costs on top of the social stress of having an adult child in crisis. When she and her pets leave, price in some down time before the next rental. Your next guests may be pet scent sensitive and there will be costs before reletting ( or your could promote your cottage as a premium pet friendly rental).
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Link to comment from April 25, 2026
Relationships are managed best with clear expectations. Start early. I arrived by plane to visit my first 2 ( of later 9) grandchildren. Their other grandparents were spenders. I'm a saver. The 2 year old asked " are there presents in your bag"? "No", I replied, " You have to make your own toys". So we found sticks, string, paper and metal paper clips, and made a trip to the dollar store for magnets. With our fishing poles and paper fish ( put the paper clip on your fish's mouth) we cast off from the top of the basement stairs into the ocean below. We played fishing everyday I was there. Now aged 12, my grandson still spontaneously remembers this. I'm not your bank machine. I'm your Nana. The best thing I'll ever give you is my time. ( and that's true of being a Mom too!)
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Link to comment from September 6, 2025
If you can be happy for others, you can have more happiness.
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Link to comment from November 23, 2024
Ah the joy of anticipation. My husband was a spontaneous person, and loved to surprise people. It took years to convince him that I had more joy in knowing plans as I could savour in advance as well as during and afterwards. This can apply to many no cost events, like walking a trail or having neighbours over for coffee. Eventually he stopped trying to surprise me ( and started surprising our children in law instead!)
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Link to comment from September 29, 2024