AIBU to think that if you are in the forces and training away, you shouldn't need to pay rent at home?

[DetectivePotato]

Nothing I can do about this anyway but just wondered what others thought.

My sister is in the Navy and goes away for 6 months at a time and sometimes 2-3 months. When she is back she stays at home as her base is in our city.

1 brother has just joined the Army and is coming home for weekends but is based away. I know this brother is paying his mum (we share a dad btw) £100 per month rent, I know my sister is paying rent too, probably the same amount.

Our other brother is away at Uni and comes back for the holidays. I strongly suspect he doesn't pay rent as his accommodation at uni is enough, plus their mum pays his mobile contract and not the other 2 as he is at uni. He has a part time job and is supervisor so gets good money anyway.

Would you charge people who are in the forces and away for most of the time rent?

i would have to treat all my children equally.

however i might have a discussion with them about subtracting money which may include food as the forces person wouldn't be eating with us for month at a time.

however the rest of the household bills still need paying

I understand about bills need paying. Their mum works and her partner has a very well paid job so I'm not entirely sure they need it (or quite as much, especially when they aren't there most of the time).

What would they do if they didn't live with their parents? They would have to pay a lot more then.

Dectective...surely its not about a case of "needing" it, this is real life, and you have to pay your way.

If they rented privately or had a mortgage they would still have to pay.

Depends if they want the room to be available to them or not and if it's likely that your mother would rent it out if not. If she's losing out rent by them having the rooms then yes, they should pay for them.

The brother at uni is slightly different as he's still in education and part time wages aren't usually all that great.

I do know the circumstances. It isn't saving or pay money back. I don't think my brother is overly happy about it (the one in the Army). Obviously other brother is very happy but is constantly borrowing money from his mum and her DP which they are getting fed up of.

Their mum told them that is what they pay and thats it. There wouldn't have been a discussion about it.

I didn't think that much about it until I mentioned it to DH this evening about brother in the Army paying rent and he looked really surprised.

Ok my sister doesn't pay for anywhere else but my brother in the Army does have to pay towards his barracks.

We;l, when dh is away on training or exercise, the mortgage still has to be paid, and it would be the same if we rented as well; the MQ rent would still be deducted.

Either they choose to make their barracks / mess their main residence, for which they will be charged anyway, or they pay their mum. I think dh paid his mum when he was at sea; and also when he had his own place, but was living with his parents as they lived near the training base in Hampshire, and the dh's place was 3.5 hours away in Devon.

If he left home to get married he would stop paying board so the argument that bills have to be paid does not work. I would never expect anyone to pay board if they didn't live in the home

If he left home to get married he woul dbe paying the bills at that house.

The parents would also have the option (if they wished) to get a smaller house because they wouldn't have to keep a room for their adult son.