Freelancers -- booking outside facilities

[sailor]

An informal poll of the freelancers out there: when you have a job you want to bring to a facility, what's your preferred way of handling the room costs?

• Do you negotiate an "empty room" rate with the facility and pay out of pocket, incorporating that cost into your invoice to your client?

• Have the client pay full "with operator" rate to the facility, negotiate your slice of that rate, and invoice the facility for your time?

• Arrange to have your client pay you only for your fee, and they will also pay the facility at its "empty room" rate?

In various circumstances -- depending on the relationship triangle among operator, client and facility -- I've gone one way or another with the above options. Each has had its pros and cons. Just wondering what's worked best for other freelance operators & partnering facilities so that all parties remain happy.

Thoughts?

[RecRoom]

All depends on the client. Generally, with more established clients I'll book/pay for the room myself and then invoice the client. For newer clients, I'll have them book a room and only charge them my day rate. This mitigates my risk for deadbeat clients who also may be worrying that I am overcharging them.

I've done the 2nd option as a full-time employee, but never as a freelancer.

[mbvoxx]

I've found that simplified billing usually works best for most clients as they prefer to cut one check. If I need to itemize costs then I don't line item but categorize instead. So, to answer your question more directly, I usually absorbe the facility expense into the budget and pay the facility directly.