How much rent do you charge your children?

Box of Frogs · Apr 4, 2016

So the question is simple - your kids are working full time but still living at home. What is a reasonable amount to charge for their keep?

I'm sure there was a really good thread on this a while ago but I cannot find it. Loads of good comments then - can anyone remember/find the thread?

LamieRobertson · Apr 4, 2016

Not enough

KT17 · Apr 4, 2016

Nowt, when they were here. Difficult enough for the poor blighters, life's pretty austere for most youngsters here and now. Australia is where I reckon mine'll end up, or the States. Sadly.

Adsgull · Apr 4, 2016

My parents used to charge me a third of my wages.

The Optimist · Apr 4, 2016

Depends on what they earn and you what you earn. I knew someone whose parents saved all their rent and gave it back to them as a deposit.

SIMMO SAYS · Apr 4, 2016

not a penny

happypig · Apr 4, 2016

My boy is looking for a job at the moment. When he gets one I'll expect him to pay about a third of his take home. That money will be put aside until he needs a deposit on a flat (or until there's enough to buy a Lamborghini Muira SV)

Da Man Clay · Apr 4, 2016

I paid 25% of what I earnt. Gave me some sort of an idea how to budget as well as more of an incentive to get my own place when I started to earn decent money. Not charging really doesn't help. If you don't need the money save it for a deposit for them.

Harry Wilson's tackle · Apr 4, 2016

Opens up old wounds . . . when he was 27 I started charging my lad 100 quid a month, put into an account I intended to give back to him when he finally left. Then after a year he stopped paying, without telling me. When I booted him out last October he left a pile of clothes, clean, dirty and lots unworn with sale labels still intact. Probably hundreds of quid's worth.

I recommend being tough early. I was far too soft. I even offered to pay him back the rent after he left, but as he was sulking he didn't reply. He has a job, (low paid) but is not interested in going the extra inch. He even ignores his mum (who lives in Canada) for months on end. Very disappointing. To say the least.

deletebeepbeepbeep · Apr 4, 2016

I got charged 30% but my parents saved it and gave it back to me when I moved out.

Garage_Doors · Apr 4, 2016

Have not charged any of mine.

1066familyman · Apr 4, 2016

I must come from a different class and era. I paid 'housekeep' when I lived at home and was working. Never got a penny of it back because that's exactly what it was, housekeeping that was needed to make ends meet.

Must be nice coming from safe middle class homes where you can stay at home as long as you like and Mummy & Daddy give you back all you've paid for your keep so you can get a foot on the housing ladder. Reminds me of IDS's reasons for wanting to deny housing benefit to the U25's.

Still that's alright, all young people live in nice middle class families were one keeps a spare jerry can of petrol in the garage in case of fuel tanker driver strikes. I love Tory Britain me....it's so warm and cosy.

Boroseagull · Apr 4, 2016

Charged our two 20% of their salary. Returned it all to them, plus interest when they left home to set up their own. You do them no favours by not charging from the start of their earning lives, consider it part of the education process.

Alba Badger · Apr 4, 2016

£250 a month all in.

Javeaseagull · Apr 4, 2016

I was told by my dad to give mum a third of my wages. It was easy to work out as I learnt 3.76 per week less .69 for NI. Moaned and winged obviously but did it. Usually got at least half back from my mum during the week for bus fares. Anyway when I had kids of my own obviously I charged them a third of their wages as well. Much moaning and groaning but they paid for a while then left home fairly early in life. Result! With very little help from me all three of them now have homes of their own. They did it themselves. I'm kinda proud of them. Well, I would have been anyway but you know what I mean.

1066familyman · Apr 4, 2016

Boroseagull said:
Charged our two 20% of their salary. Returned it all to them, plus interest when they left home to set up their own. You do them no favours by not charging from the start of their earning lives, consider it part of the education process.

So in reality then they had a nice saving scheme going whilst not actually paying for their keep. I'm not knocking you, if you're in a position to help your kids out then of course it's only natural to do so. But the real lesson here is that some youngsters have it a whole lot easier than others who are working just as hard but are not in such a privileged situation through no fault of their own. These youngsters could work as hard as they like and still have a pretty good chance of never escaping the private rent trap.

Justice · Apr 4, 2016

Me and the Mrs wanted children not lodgers.

Thunder Bolt · Apr 4, 2016

1066familyman said:
I must come from a different class and era. I paid 'housekeep' when I lived at home and was working. Never got a penny of it back because that's exactly what it was, housekeeping that was needed to make ends meet.

Must be nice coming from safe middle class homes where you can stay at home as long as you like and Mummy & Daddy give you back all you've paid for your keep so you can get a foot on the housing ladder. Reminds me of IDS's reasons for wanting to deny housing benefit to the U25's.

Still that's alright, all young people live in nice middle class families were one keeps a spare jerry can of petrol in the garage in case of fuel tanker driver strikes. I love Tory Britain me....it's so warm and cosy.

Me too. I had to pay £3 out of £4 10/- for my keep. It was one of the reasons I joined the forces, where I thought I was rich, with all my wages in my pocket.

Box of Frogs · Apr 4, 2016

Interesting and varied responses as I kind of expected.

My own view is that my boy should pay something towards his 'keep'. I agree with [MENTION=10856]1066familyman[/MENTION] that it should be for exactly what it says. It would be lovely to ket hm live rent free whilst earning full time money to spend on whatever he wants however, he then has little appreciation of the value of money and has no incentive to get his own place to live (why should when he can live for nothing at Mum & Dads and get everything provided for him!?)

I can't remember how much I used to give my Mum for keep, but it wasn't an insignificant chunk of my wages. And i never got any of it back - nor did I expect it back.

I fully appreciate the value of money and want my kids to have that same appreciation. I also want them to spread their wings, experience the world and learn to live on their own two feet.

Javeaseagull · Apr 4, 2016

Thunder Bolt said:
Me too. I had to pay £3 out of £4 10/- for my keep. It was one of the reasons I joined the forces, where I thought I was rich, with all my wages in my pocket.

Thinking about it that's why I left home early, for the Royal Navy. Not that my kids joined up but they made their own way in life anyway. Let them grow and make the same mistakes you did. It's called growing up.

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