Do you charge your children "keep" or rent? Do/did you pay it yourself?

ivrytwr3 said:
Not at this stage yet, but i will be charging board if they come back after Uni - intention being to save it and gift it back as a deposit for rent/mortgage etc.

Daughter's boyfriends parents charge him £600 per month, 50% of his wage :(
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That's inflation for you
 
Blackbadger said:
When I got my first job, my parents asked for contribution to teach me the value of money.. They then proceeded to spend it on very expensive bottles of wines... :o
I'm not sure if I ever quite understood that lesson.
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I would say another one of those valuable life lessons do as I say not as I do
Or what's yours is mine and what's mine's my own
 
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I started a paid apprenticeship when I was 16 and then a part time job 3 nights a week (6pm - Midnight) and 1 day on a weekend (At Rockstar / 2K Games UK technical support center of all places) - Once I started the part time job at 17 I started paying board / keep of £120 P/m, that was around 2001 as I remember GTA3 had not long been released - I never really moved out or bought my own place until I was 30, but also never worked within the UK after the age of 21, so my room at my parents' house was really a dumping ground and just a place for me to stay whenever was ever home or back in the UK, due to that they stopped charging me board / keep at 21...... I have friends now at 38 who have actually moved back in with their parents over the past few years and are back to paying board again, mainly due to rent / mortgage increases.
 
tonys said:
Is it the same percentage or have you adjusted it for the differences?
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Its about a 1/4 of their monthly take home, includes all bills, washing, food, internet. Prices round here for 1 bed bedsits are £800 to £1000 per month, if you want a 1 bed flat its £1200. There is no way any of them will get on the property ladder here.
 
McManicMan said:
Its about a 1/4 of their monthly take home, includes all bills, washing, food, internet. Prices round here for 1 bed bedsits are £800 to £1000 per month, if you want a 1 bed flat its £1200. There is no way any of them will get on the property ladder here.
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Thanks for that, but did you adjust it based on the diffence in hourly rate and hours worked(if any)
 
I paid a third of my wage when I turned 18 and started my apprenticeship. Lived with my dad and that £200 sometimes made the difference for him to pay the bills.

Never did me any harm, and taught me that just living costs, so if I have children I would also have them pay rent. Employment status and situation taken into account obviously.
 
robfosters said:
So you get your kids to fund your household and you get away with just paying the mortgage, which I imagine isn’t that much at your stage of life?
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They are just being a landlord to their kids, but that is their perogative as the kids are staying their house.
 
tonys said:
They are just being a landlord to their kids, but that is their perogative as the kids are staying their house.
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We never saw it like that, our kids were never asked to be born and we had fun making them and looking after them so when they got older paying board was never going to happen as long as they remained good kids.
Like I said, 36 year old is back home for the last 18 months, earns an amazing wage and hasn't paid one penny but she would if we needed it.
I do find it said that there's some parents who have kids knowing they might get a bit more income when there kids reach working age.
 
I remember when I started earning, my Gran told my Mum she should be taking 100% of my earnings from me while I was living in her house! I'm not sure how I was ever supposed to leave. :D
Thankfully my Mum did not agree. I can't remember how much I actually paid, but it was a fairly nominal amount I think.
 
Seems to be a general consensus that it still seems relevant and right in 2024. I think I agree with this. I think it does teach important lessons about finances and that you have to pay your way. It's such a good deal in comparison to renting for what you get in most circumstances, that I don't think most kids mind it too much. It's just knowing what to charge.

What about those kids who won't get a job. You can't charge them keep if they are not earning, so some might be encouraged to be a bum and never leave home. How do you break that cycle and encourage them to get work? I guess you stop buying them anything but then....if they already have most things they want/need...difficult one.
 
I never paid any rent when younger, I moved away a few months after Uni and finding a job.
Recently I've moved back in with my Mum and still not paying anything.

Is that double dipping?
 
I would judge it on the attitude of my kid. If they were being responsible and saving up to get a deposit to rent/buy and move out, I wouldn't charge them. If they were being irresponsible with their money, I would charge them rent, and stash that money away into a savings account for them. And when it has reached enough give it to them for them to use as a deposit.

Basically if they are doing all the right things to independence, charging them rent is just slowing them down.
 
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