How much rent should a teenager pay?

[Zippy]

No he wasn't. Not having my kids turn into spongers.

Sometimes if there's only one Haribo left, I let the kids fight over it,(it toughens them up for the playground) unless of course I want it, at which point they both lose(another lesson there - might is right).

Are they old enough to go up chimneys yet? Remember that they have their own tax allowance .

Seriously, charging kids a nominal sum is a good idea. We didn't have a lot of cash when I was a teenager so I chipped in with shopping/the odd bill etc. Those of you who can afford to sub them should still charge them something (and stash the cash away for later)

[cailin maith]

No he wasn't. Not having my kids turn into spongers.

Sometimes if there's only one Haribo left, I let the kids fight over it,(it toughens them up for the playground) unless of course I want it, at which point they both lose(another lesson there - might is right).

In all honesty, I'd probably fight with my sister over the last Haribo... and probably my Dad too. For a diabetic, it's a wonder he doesn't spend most of his time in a sugar induced coma

[pacharan]

I'm glad Im not the only one.

It sickens me that parents charge rent to children grown up or otherwise. They should be ashamed of such lowly disgusting behaviour to be quite frank.

Why did they even bother starting a family in the first place if they can't define it? One subject that deeply annoys me still, even though Im in my late twenties.

I was shocked when I first met the other half. She was at college full time and working one day a week. Her parents demanded all her money in rent, then said it still wasnt enough. A meagre days wages would have saved her walking so much.

I dont see how parents can be so callous ...










Through all of my parents faults, beatings and such aside, one thing they did was teach me about money, or rather, I taught myself.

I never got free pocket money, always had to do chores. After my 11th birthday the only way to get money after my father left for good, was to work. So since many employers wouldnt take on a child, I purchased garden tools and a wheelbarrow. In the weekends and holidays, I walked around for miles and got quite a bit of money out of it.

That money was my own, my pocket money. However whenever my mum needed the weekly shopping done, I would go and get it, paying for it myself. As I grew up and stayed at home as an old teenager, I would do so on a regular basis, do DIY, whatever else needed doing.

Even though I havent lived at home for years, close to a decade, I still give her a call before I pop round and let her know im going past the shops, grab her a few bits she may have forgotten.

In a way, I contributed more than if my mother asked me to pay £80p/w for example, but then she didnt need to.

The OP and others seem to missing the whole point in a family. Regardless of whether you are the child or parent in a family, it is each individuals responsibility to contribute to the family in whatever way they can. Financially, through chores or just basic consideration.

Make your children earn their pocket money, treat them with love and respect as a family member, then when they are older, they will see how much you struggle and do the shopping on their way home from work, or help around the house in whatever way they can. That is the whole point in families.

Sorry if my bluntness offended anyone, but quite frankly, Im not the only one offended by someone contemplating charging their children rent.

Also be advised that what you're doing is illegal in many parts of the world. I saw one televised court case in the US, where parents tried enforcing rent, then rules such as curfews on the elder child. The judge quite rightly said that if you are treating someone as a lodger, rather than a family member, you cant mandate on areas of their life.


So are your children common lodgers that may as well be strangers, or members of your family?

Agree. I was never asked to make a contribution as a child but I did do chores.

I got pocket money - just enough to buy some sweets and could occasionally blag a bit of cash out of the old man if I polished his Wartburg.

Don't have a problem with adults living with their folks making a contribution to their keep though.

[BoredBloke]

What you could do is take the money you charge the teenager for rent and, without telling them, put it into a savings account. Then, when they leave, give it to them as a lump sum. They've learned the value of paying rent, and you've helped them a little bit when they move home. Win win IMO.

That's what we do. We take a third of my daughters earnings and then use it to pay for things that she needs but would ahve wasted had it been left in her account.