if you owned a home, and were moving out of the country for 1-2 years and it was going to be left empty...would you let a friend in need stay there (and pay electric/gas, tend to the garden, etc)? or would you prefer to let it be empty (because of whatever reasons)?

I voted maybe, if it were a good, trustworthy friend, someone I had known for a long time, then I would let then stay in my house. Otherwise, I would just leave it empty.

I had to vote no.

My best friend of 25 yrs moved into my house, failed to pay the rent leaving me with a 1500 pound bill to pay. If she would have told me she was having trouble paying I would have been more understanding, but I didn't know anything until I had a debt collector knock at my door.....one friend and one bad credit ding later.....

I say it's better to go with someone you know will pay rent on time (to someone locally).. friends will make things complicated.

what if she loses her job and asks for a couple months extensions.....

you ok with that??

I might do it, if they were truly a good friend, however I would also do it with my eyes wide open, knowing that I might end up paying something (will the utilities be in their name?).

Well,
question was "if you did not intend to rent the place out"... so you would not be expecting your friend to be paying rent per this question...

No. Not to a friend -- even a so-called "best friend." I would for a family member, but that's the only exception.

If they were desparately in need of somewhere to stay and they had exhausted all other options then I would let them stay there until they found somewhere else. I would make it clear that it wasn't to be a long term thing though.

(maybe) but usually a good way to cause troubles between friends or family

i would...

My BBBBBBBFFF? Absofockinlutely she could stay

For my best friend? Yes, I would.
I mean, the poll says that don't have anywhere else to go...what kind of friend would I be if I said no?
I know she'd do the same for me in a heartbeat.

But they expect them to pay utilities - which if in the friends name would not be a problem

Anyway, I just think a person needs to be aware that it might cost them some money and plan accordingly (I would still probably do it though and definately for family )

I have a few friends I would do that for! One less now that my one EX-friend decided to not pay back a rather large sum of money I loaned him

Even siblings can really mess things up. I'd hire someone to manage the property and if you wanted to rent it out to your friend, you can set the rent to whatever you think would be fair, while still having a property manager oversee the place and deal with all the legal issues.

If it were for my bf, I would say yes. I've known her since we were 8 and she's incredibly responsible and financially secure.

depends on the situation. but most likely, no. It's another situation like having your friend as your employee.
Now if you really plan on renting the place and you have a friend you know is very careful and you trust, it can be better than renting to someone you don't know.
I don't know how things work here in the States, if you need to sign a contract or something. If it's like that, you should have the same deal you'd have with some other person renting your place, even though it's your best bestest friend.

It really depends on the friend. Homes are such a huge personal investment and so personal a space to share for so long. I would probably have some kind of agreement written out, if only to spell out the expectations. I am usually a very giving friend, but find that agreements can help set down expectations, which can be overlooked by the kindest of people. It also depends on the neediness of the friend, too.

For my personal best friend, absolutely. I know she'd take care of it, and I know she pays her bills on time.

i had a best friend Cathi..and of course, when i was single she could stay with ke anytime she was too drunk too drive home ..sadly, i had no couch and just a twin bed, but we got by so
some how

And brother Dean gave his all

I usually have a girlfriend house-sit for us when were out of town for more than a day or two. I feel better knowing someone is taking care of things and will solve any problems that might arise. She loves the privacy and freedom, we like the security. She's proven trust-worthy on short-term occasions, so if the situation suggested by the OP arose, yeah, Id probably let her take over the place for awhile. But I tend to side with Nessa, something in writing is a good safety net for something this long-term and complicated.

I'd let her stay but I would draw up a legally binding contract in which she agrees to pay the rent and utilities. If she fails to pay these on time she would be out.

If she refused to sign the contract (which is to protect me and my home) then she'd have to find somewhere else. I find that in 99.9% cases friendships and business don't mix.

I agree. I wouldn't risk losing a friendship by just giving them free reign to my house. I can't even imagine the potential legal liabilities on my shoulders if something were to happen without a legal rental contract. Property managers (a third party) would be the best way to keep the business side of it from possibly ruining the friendship.

I have to agree. It isn't a matter of trust, but being able to separate a business relationship from a personal relationship; if things go south for whatever reason, you don't want to be in the position of, say, having to report your friend to a collection agency to save your own credit rating, or to find yourself in a position where you have no legal recourse at all.

same here..

Exactly, if you did not intend to rent the place out, why ask your friend for rent if they are in desperate need?

Yes, I would, and I'd have the utilities changed to their name.

nope. this is exactly the kind of stuff that ruins friendships. however i would do my best to help them out in any other way including finding another place or possibly financial help. however that is where I draw the line.

If a friendship can be ruined over a situation like this....how tight can the friendship be in the first place?

It can be very tight. Money, unfortunatly ruins everything.

Maybe. As others said, it depends who the friends is whether I would let them stay there or not. I have a couple friends who are very responsible and I would trust them to stay in my house without me there, while some other friends, while fun/nice people, might not be responsible enough for that kind of situation.