Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Chat

Join the discussion and chat with other Mumsnetters about everyday life, relationships and parenting.

Original poster

Do you charge your late teen rent?

123 replies

MarzipanMice · 27/12/2025 07:15

My DS is 19 and has just started his first full time job. He’s just above the minimum wage level by a few pence per hour. He has a car which requires a lot of maintenance due to its age and his car insurance is expensive. He’s fairy good with his money and puts a set amount aside into savings each month. DH feels we should start charging DS rent, but I’m not sure I want to just now. Maybe if he was on a higher wage, but I’m not keen just now.

what do you do? And if you charge rent, what do you charge?

OP posts:
PersephoneParlormaid · 27/12/2025 07:16

No, we don’t charge rent.

Ukholidaysaregreat · 27/12/2025 07:19

I would wonder about charging rent and using some if you need it and keeping some to give back when they move out as a house deposit. I read that on here before and think it is a good idea.

Littletreefrog · 27/12/2025 07:19

I charge my 18 year old a nominal amount for board. £100 a month. He went into an above minimum wage apprenticeship at 16 and now earns more than me (and I'm in a full time professional job). I wouldn't have charged him anything if he was on or near minimum wage. Do you need the money?

Philandbill · 27/12/2025 07:20

No, we're paying their rent as they're at university.... If you can afford not to charge then could you insist he saves an amount each month, even a small amount might get him into a savings habit.

Youmightnotliketheanswer · 27/12/2025 07:23

I did because I didn't have a choice (single parent on ill health pension and benefits). However I only charged what I needed to on the agreement dc saved some and it was dc that came to me to discuss it. Dc went on to save enough for a house deposit.
My parents actually charged me rent and gave it me back when I moved out, which might be an option for you if you can afford to.

Baital · 27/12/2025 07:35

Yes, I would/ will be. It's part of adulthood and having a job.

The amount will obviously be far less than market rate and geared to what DD's income and other expenses are. I will also expect her to save something each month.

Some of it will be put aside for her, some will be towards additional costs for me (I will lose the single person reduction in Council Tax) and some go towards my own financial situation such as pension that I have compromised on as a single parent.

If my financial situation allowed i would put it all aside for her, in reality I can't afford that (and want to be able to fund the basics in retirement, if i can ever afford to retire! To free DD up from thinking about my welfare).

So yes, I would charge rent, the amount is less important, and whether you put some or all aside for DS in future depends on your own financial situation. But at 19, with a job, I would expect my child to contribute something, however small.

PlazaAthenee · 27/12/2025 07:40

No. But they do grab various bits from the supermarket when asked. They're also saving money and popping a few quid into their pension. They're going to go to Uni in a year or two.

Plus the fact that I'm on universal credit so I can't be dealing with the hassle of any other money coming into my account and being grilled about it. UC wouldn't let me save their rent money either as it would count as mine.

AGreenWitch · 27/12/2025 07:42

No I didn’t charge rent, this was in gap years, earning £25k but saving ¾ of it for uni years which in turn helped me out.

I top up to pay for uni accommodation plus £50 a week during terms, DC pay for life beyond that.

I expect they might both end up back at home post uni. I won’t charge them then either, I’d rather they saved for a house deposit.

My parents did the same for me 30 plus years ago.

JustAnotherDayInNorfolk · 27/12/2025 07:48

Our DS (19) has had a party time job for a few years whilst at college and has alwats worked during college holidays and earnt quite well. We bought the basics and fed him and he was responsible for anything else.
He got a permanent full time job during the summer and from 1st October he was charged £50 a week. He asked if we were saving it towards him eventually moving out and we said no! It may go towards the household bills or equally we may put it in our holiday fund - the point was him realising that when he is earning a full time wage, the expectation is that he contributes.
He still feels hard done by but I have reminded him that the fridge is always full, his clothes are washed and ironed, he has unlimited hot water and is never cold for the bargain price of £50 a week!

TheChicDreamer · 27/12/2025 07:49

No. We pay our elder dd money for uni rent so we don’t charge dd2 who is living at home. We ask that she saves a few hundred every month because one day she’ll need to put it towards a house deposit.

TheGrimSmile · 27/12/2025 08:13

No. Unless you need the money, I wouldn't charge.

JamesClyman · 27/12/2025 08:26

No. If they are in full-time paid employment I'd expect a contribution towards the housekeeping budget but I would not call that "rent".

sillysmiles · 27/12/2025 08:31

No, he's 19 and only starting out in life.
Him living there is not adding any additional costs that you weren't covering last week.
Why try to profit from your child?

Baital · 27/12/2025 08:34

sillysmiles · 27/12/2025 08:31

No, he's 19 and only starting out in life.
Him living there is not adding any additional costs that you weren't covering last week.
Why try to profit from your child?

Presumably he is eating some of the food? Using hot water for a shower? Turning on the heating in his room?

Why wouldn't he pay for that once he is earning?

How is that 'profiting?

BaubleMeTree · 27/12/2025 08:36

I don't charge rent because Ds saves his money and he shows us the account growing. This shows he is willing to not spend all his money because he sees the bigger picture, that living at home is a luxury that allows him to save for a house deposit.

I would charge rent if I needed to force savings and just save the rent money on their behalf. However, if a household cannot afford to support a working adult then being charged rent to cover food and utilities is a necessity and there should be a conversation about bills.

zebedeeboingboing · 27/12/2025 08:37

Son on a teacher training bursary this year, no costs to live at home.

We will charge him £200 a month next year when he starts teaching - his salary will be around £31k at that point.

We will not use the money, but save it for him to give it back towards moving out some point in the future - he does not know that part though x

whatdoyourdoggoswant · 27/12/2025 08:37

One reason it might be an idea to charge him something even if you don’t need the money is to get him in the habit of paying rent. You could save it for him and help down the line when he moves out if you don’t need it.

Coconutter24 · 27/12/2025 08:39

Ukholidaysaregreat · 27/12/2025 07:19

I would wonder about charging rent and using some if you need it and keeping some to give back when they move out as a house deposit. I read that on here before and think it is a good idea.

But if they’re saving anyway what’s the point? Why take money that he could put into his own savings and put them in a separate account to save for him?

Fearfulsaints · 27/12/2025 08:41

We dont because he is having a gap year to save for uni which we want him to achieve. None of our costs really changed as we already had two adults in the house for council tax. We arent likely to downsize until both children have left.

My friends are a mix of parents who charge and keep rent, two who charge rent but is saving it for a deposit, one who charges for food/utilities as long as the child is saving a rent amount sized bit of salary themselves. I think i prefer the last option if a parent can afford it.

SabbatWheel · 27/12/2025 08:44

We charged DD 20% of anything she brought in, from while she had to claim UC to a job. She also saved alongside this.
When she moved out, we gave it her back (£6k) towards the deposit on her flat.She’d also saved into a Help to Buy ISA and had the maximum in that, so had a good deposit in the end.

Disciplinedthinking · 27/12/2025 08:50

Our kids pay their share of the utility bills and the cleaner’s costs. The food contribution is a bit of give and take - mostly we give and they take!😂

They asked if they will get this money back like lots of other parents do😂, we said no. They are expected to save the money they would have spent in rent - if they don’t and start living the “high life” (as we have noted their cousins have and 20 years later they are still living at home complaining about not having a deposit) - they will be given a choice - we will charge market rent and give it back to them when they buy or they can move out and rent.

We don’t need the money but we’re do not believe they should squander the opportunity to save when they live rent free. We expect them to be financially responsible. They are happy with the arrangement.

socialdilemmawhattodo · 27/12/2025 08:50

Yes. I started charging housekeeping when he turned 19. Still at college, 2 days per week, spent 50:50 me and his dad. £100 pcm. I pay his phone. He started his 1st ft job a few months ago, long commute so high petrol costs, I haven't raised housekeeping, but he spends more time at his dad's now. But he takes a packed lunch every day and has a full evening meal. He's hungry his job is physical so I think it is fair enough he makes a contribution.

ScaryM0nster · 27/12/2025 08:54

To me it would depend on how Theyre spending their money.

If they’re putting the equivalent of rent in a house share into savings each month and making sensible decisions, then probably not. If they were taking advantage of free board and lodging to live a life that would otherwise be well beyond their means then I’d take rent.

Key bit is making moving out feel achievable at some point. If they get used to having that full
income for day to day spending then get to a place where needing to pay rent seems unachievable.

Aparecium · 27/12/2025 08:54

We don’t charge our adult dc (one dc working full time, the rest students) anything for living at home. We expect them to behave with courtesy (ie not treat our home like an anonymous hotel) and muck in with general chores. Dh and I discussed this when working dc had bought a house but was barely living in it. The dc was contemplating renting it out, and dh and I decided that if he did we would charge him rent.

ScaryM0nster · 27/12/2025 08:54

To me it would depend on how Theyre spending their money.

If they’re putting the equivalent of rent in a house share into savings each month and making sensible decisions, then probably not. If they were taking advantage of free board and lodging to live a life that would otherwise be well beyond their means then I’d take rent.

Key bit is making moving out feel achievable at some point. If they get used to having that full
income for day to day spending then get to a place where needing to pay rent seems unachievable.