Nursery holding fee.

Sometimes they take it off your last invoice when they leave that nursery, so that they always have an upfront payment in case you don't pay an invoice, I'd double check if it's that way

It is quite common or a 1month fee deposit, normally you get it back upon leaving nursery providing you gave correct notice. It often used incase you don't pay fee or leave with no warning

Our nursery was £250 and is deducted off the last payment prior to leaving… I guess it’s like a deposit if you left without giving notice x

We had to pay a month holding which was almost £800, they then took it off the last months invoice

If it's not being deducted off anything then yes, it's ridiculous. I only paid £50 deposit.

I'd tell them where to stick it if it's not being deducted from the first bill. We paid 75 quid registration. Then for our baby who won't be starting until October 2025 we've paid a siblings discounted registration fee of 50 quid and that's holding her space for over a year. We paid that in August of this year. There's no need for that. At all. I understand holding spaces for that much to hold a space and not deduct it? Or even off the last bill, they could be there 4 years, so they're going to hold you over a barrel financially for 4 years?!?! Absolute joke and shouldn't be allowed to happen. Even if you were to drop your space. There's no way they've lost that much money from you. They'd fill that space easily in most areas. Christ there's a years waiting list on mine which is why all my registration stuff says "baby *****" or "unborn *****"

I was told the same thing when looking round nurseries. They said we would be paying a non refundable non deductable fee of anywhere between £150 to £250, depending on the nursery. they also told me if I didn't pay it there and then I wouldn't have a space for a 2025 places (this was February 2024 and I was 2nd trimester) anyway I didn't pay it because I thought it was absurd! Now my daughter doesn't have a place at the nurseries and been told there isn't space for a very long time now. so instead we are looking at childminder options etc!