How much rent to charge DSs girlfriend

[winsinbin]

DS girlfriend has a new job in London and will be moving in with us for 3/4 months while she sorts out a mortgage or rental on a place of her own.

She will share Ds’s room and a bathroom with DS and DD. She will have lunches and some dinners out but will eat breakfast, some dinners and some weekend meals here (she will visit her own family some weekends).

I have no idea how much rent/housekeeping to charge her. She will be on an excellent salary so should bring home in excess of £2,500 a month but will have to pay a Greater London commute out of that as well as saving for a car and a house deposit.

FWIW as long as she covers the cost of her food her being here won’t cost us much and we are not hard up, I don’t want to be a soft touch but nor do I want to rip her off. We don’t charge DC. ( about £300 each) but they are our DC and the don’t earn as much as the girlfriend does.

Any advice?

[chocolatebuttonsandcheese]

Somewhere between £30-£50 a week?

[GreatDuckCookery6211]

You do or don’t charge dc? What’s the £300?

I think £250 is very personally.

[GreatDuckCookery6211]

Very fair personally even

[Kez200]

My DD is charged £200. She takes home half of the wage in your post.

They are staying long term but both saving a deposit towards their own place.

[RaisinRainbow]

Figure out the approx food costs, add some money on top for utilities. You can either stop there or add an amount for rent, bearing in mind it is for a room-share with DS. So perhaps £25 pw on top of aforementioned costs. Which would be less than half of a typical room rental, therefore assisting her saving.
Bearing in mind, she is purchasing a property for herself, not jointly with your DS, so any rent consideration shown will speak to your largesse.
It sounds like you need to feel she has made a reasonable contribution and she will be with you for some time ie you are likely to feel resentful unless you receive a satisfactory amount.

[DramaFreeLife]

I don't think her wage is relevant. Work out what it's going to cost you and just charge her that amount. It doesn't sound like she's going to be there much, so I wouldn't charge much but it depends how much you spend on food.

[Gemmamb]

Just charge her to cover what she costs you. as she is saving for a mortgage deposit and will probably need every penny she can.

[Hello1290]

£50.00 a week. She is room sharing so I think that fifty should be enough towards food and bills.

[YogaWannabe]

I don’t think her earning are relevant here either, just charge what she costs. I would guess £200 a month max?

[turnaroundbrighteyes]

I think you're overthinking it. If you charge them £300, then charge her the same, nice and simple!

[HalfBloodPrincess]

It’s not just extra food though, it’s extra washing (either in with families or costs of running separately) extra utilities etc

I’d say if you’re charging your ds £300 per month then the same applies to her.

[Myimaginarycathasfleas]

I would disregard her salary, it isn't relevant. Charge what you feel comfortable with.

Be clear about your expectations though, and how long the arrangement will go on for. Agree a timescale. It's going to change the dynamics at home, so you all need to be prepared for that.

[HollowTalk]

If you charge the others £300 then that's what I'd charge her.

Will your son live with her when she moves into her flat?

[Aprilshowersarecomingsoon]

My dc agree 20% is fair. If she is away half the time then 10%.

[SpaceCadet4000]

I would say do £300- she's sharing your DS's room so it's not like she's a full-on lodger you should charge market rent to. That should more than cover her share of utilities and food. Her salary isn't relevant at all.

[winsinbin]

Thank you all, I’d be thinking in terms of market rates but I think you have the right idea, in the short term at least I should be just charging expenses plus a tiny bit more so I can have the occasional glass of wine on her/them when having a houseful of messy young adults threatens my mood!