How much rent to charge 18 year old?

Or maybe not subsidise people who can afford to pay their own way? No doubt they would paying paying less at home than they would if they moved out. This martyrdom is just ridiculous. It's the parents who are being treated as cash cows, supporting their adult children indefinitely.

They're not funding the poster's retirement, they are paying (probably less than) their fair share of the living costs (and allowing her to invest more in her pension as she's not subsidising other earning adults). Bills are definitely higher with three or four adults living at home rather than two. Why should only two of the adults pay towards them? It just seems bonkers to me!

Maybe get a second job (or learn how to invest your money better) instead of relying on your kids to fund your retirement? They’re not a cash cow.

it’s their home-but at 6ft 1 and 6ft 3 Adults, plus a12 year old 5ft 5 you can imagine how much my shopping is.

OT but on MN, people really like mentioning the height of their tall kids 😂

I never said it was. I have the 'put your own oxygen mask on first' philosophy when it comes to financing or not financing adult kids.

👏👏👏

It isn’t your kids’ responsibility to fund your retirement though.

Exactly... and thus not have to rely on your children in the future when they possibly have homes and kids of their own to fend for.

I want more from my life in retirement than having enough money to pay bills and enough food to survive - I would speculate that the vast majority of people do - but each to their own.

Yes but savings from when she was born until 16 when your income reduced? Sorry about your dh hope he's doing well .

Summer schools etc and music of course are nice but a lump for their future home is vital imo. If parents haven't considered that at all imo it's really unfair to be getting money off them once they have any earnings so in the op's case as they haven't seem to have made any provision she should be saying save £500 a month towards a future home and live on the rest social costs/clothes etc while they at least covered the usual bills.

so charging you minimum wage teenager for food of you have a pension pot of a million and savings in the hundreds of thousands and an income that allows you to save considerably each month is unnecessary; but the vast majority of parents of teenagers do not fall into that category; most will still not have enough years NI to get full state pension never mind cushy retirement they almost certainly still have a mortgage and while maybe not living pay day to payday they probably can just about afford to pay for food but an self respecting adult child would know that having £1000 a month as fun money while parents are just about managing is not right and so even if not asked should offer to contribute

It’s not about a cushy retirement. In many cases it’s having enough of a cushion to be able to afford the basics of food & utilities in retirement.

I want to make sure my children are fiscally sound - that surely is the priority

Shouldn't that be their priority @Straightwalking, as they're adults?

My 25 year old DS earns 50k, pays us £250 per month and has saved 110k. I don’t think I am cashing in.

given that 40% of the UK could not afford a £400 emergency I imagine they also can't afford to subsidise adult children if on just enough to be not on UC when finishing school you will lose child benefit £104 every 4 weeks and your 25% council tax discount if applicable on a average house the bill is over £200 a month so you are £50 worse off total £154 worse off immediately; if on minimum wage or just above you can't just cut expenditure to compensate
If you were actually on UC the cut will be much larger as there is an assumption that adults contribute even students living at home would be expected to contribute out of grant /loan according to UC calculations, they don't ask if 19 year olds working or studying contribute they just assume they do; so for the people on or just above the minimum wage themselves they simply could not afford to support adut children without something towards food and bills
Some people here just can't seem to comprehend that some families just can't afford to not have adult children contributing to bills

@berlinbaby2025

I want to make sure my children are fiscally sound - that surely is the priority. Me having a cushy retirement wouldn’t work in practice or in principle if my kids were struggling financially in any case.

I wonder how many of the people who don't charge their adult children anything are 100% sure they're heading for a comfortable retirement?

And what about parents who find it hard to be supporting another adult? Some people will lose £500/600 in child benefits a month and then have to pay more rent themselves. Should the young adult be living the life of Riley and the parent struggle?

If you’re poor, on benefits and struggling to make ends meet then I’d charge a set amount. Otherwise, I’d let them save as much as possible whilst living at home to get on the property ladder, or rent and furnish their own place later on. I wouldn’t charge so I can add to my pension fund or make a profit as an earlier poster noted they would do. But as in all things, some parents/cultures are more aspirational for their DC (grammar schools, studying, buying own property) while others have lower standards/aspirations and are content to bumble along with minimum expectations for their DC in life. C’est la vie.

Nothing of course! It’s totally bizarre to “charge” your own child money for living at home. Encourage them to put more into their savings - don’t charge “rent.”

I can get behind spare pennies going towards shoring up their future in a savings fund - that makes fiscal sense. But going into your pockets? No - they’re going to have it hard enough without their parents taking cash off them at such an early stage in life.

My utilty bills doubled once DS returned. And council tax was hiked 25%

So it's not always the case you'd be " paying that bill" anyway

Sounds perfect and love that you are putting some into an ISA for her

Wow I don't know anyone who formed out £50 a time if their kid went out

And you don't even know if there was bus fares etc. Maybe like my college was in walking distance ( and I could walk straight from there to my p/t job)

I do think we would eventually charge something if all 3 end up back at home, but whilst we are financially able I would rather they save. I think it will change over time.

E.g. at 18 in their first role, we are encouraging saving, investment and budgeting happens with everything else in their life - driving, socialising, holidays, lunches, clothes etc.

We have another at uni and another finishing secondary and I think (if we are financially able), that we would give them all a year or two grace to get really ahead with their saving pot, then perhaps expect some contribution. I can't imagine them being 28 and still living totally free, but it might well be in kind, e.g. shopping etc.

We also come from a culture where there is some expectation for them to look after us in old age, so it sort of swings in roundabouts. (We don't expect this).

Yes you would be paying your bills anyway, but food, water, gas and electric aren’t cheap, young adults use a lot, but that’s ok, Mum and Dad will pay!