Is she paying too much?

[WhataMissMap]

My niece is a student who has just moved into her boyfriends house.
She shares a room with him. He works and owns the house.
It’s in a small northern town where the property is valued around 180,00£.

The family give my niece £250 a month to help her.

She could live with me without paying any expenses and this is. What she has been doing up until recently.
My niece and her boyfriend stay with me m2 or three times a week. I cover all their food and don’t charge anything.
I’ve just discovered my niece is paying her boyfriend £250 a month to live with him.
Does this sound a reasonable amount?
I’m really out of touch with these things.

What does the £250 cover? Does it include gas, electricity, water, broadband etc or is she paying for this separately?

How much money is she left with?

So it is £250 plus bills and food? And the they stay with you 3 time a week and use your washing machine and dryer and you feed them? Sounds like the boyfriend has a nice little number going there? I'd start charging the BF for food and use of the facilities, or suggest that he reduces what he charges your niece.

OP- if you love having your niece to stay then leave it as it is. If however, the arrangement suits more and her boyfriend then you could ask them perhaps to cook a meal one night, make some contribution. But if you are happy with the arrangement then I would let it go.

250 including food sounds like an incredibly reasonable sum to me.

The payment is fine but if they’re staying with you 3x a week and you are finding it is costing you more than you can spare then you need to say something & ask them to contribute to food at yours.

Don’t do it though because you’re bitter she’s moved out or because you’re feeling a bit jealous- it sounds a bit like this may be the case? If you like them coming and can afford it - leave it.

It sounds like a reasonable price if it’s a nice area. She doesn’t sound like she’s making great decisions if she’s paying it and then spending half the week at yours though! Why doesn’t she take the dog to her own house?

That's cheaper than any student accommodation she's going to get. She should pay half the gas, water, electric, contents insurance, broadband inc. line rental and for half the food, so it sounds okay to me.

I can see why you'd want to let your niece stay with you - that's very generous of you. But he's staying with you for 3/7 nights with all food included, yet is charging her £250 per month for the same thing. That isn't fair.

Maybe you should charge him £250 to stay with you, then give it to her?

Yes, I think there's two separate issues here.

I don't think the amount he's charging her to live there is unreasonable.

I do think that him stopping at yours and eating your food 40% of the time is.

I suspect that if you make the point, you'll see them less - maybe they could bring some food and cook tea for all of you? At least they'd be making a contribution.

I'm confused. Is it £250 per month and half the bills on top?

You are providing for them half the week?

Who takes care of the dog expenses?

My son pays 670 for rent of a bedsit, water, c tax and light and heat. Its big enough for two so if he was paid half it would be well over 250. So sounds fair.