AIBU to charge parents some rent?

[Goneforgood72]

My parents are in the process of moving house. They are in a bit of a pickle as they sold their place, agreed a moving date, put in an offer on a new place - then changed their minds and withdrew the offer. They've since put a deposit on a new-build which is great, but their entry date is several months after they have agreed to vacate their existing house. So they have to find temporary accommodation for 4-5 months. Neither myself nor my sister are able to accommodate them easily: I live overseas and my sister doesn't have a spare room; she and her OH would have to move into their child's bedroom if my parents were to go there.

DH and I own a 1-bed flat in the same city that we currently rent out. The rental income is really important to us: I've been a SAHM for a while, and the rent we receive goes some way to making up the shortfall of living on one salary: it pays for activities for our children, for big spends like new bikes, and is a pot of money for emergencies. The tenants have just given us notice that they are going to leave in a few weeks. We'd be very happy to offer the flat to my parents as long as they need it, but would we BU to charge them some rent for it? They are unlikely to find anywhere for free, and the reduced rent that we'd charge would be considerably less than they would pay elsewhere. They don't have loads of money to throw at it, but at the same time a 4-5 month period of no rent would really put a dent in our family income.

So AWBU to charge a reduced rent to my parents?

[Deadsouls]

Obviously it's a completely personal choice, and on the-reading your OP I see it says 'charge a reduced rent'. So were you thinking maybe 50%?

[TheRealPooTroll]

If you need to take some rent for your children to be able to have days out etc then I would charge what you need to. I'm sure your parents wouldn't see your kids go without. But if it would just be going into extra savings I'd let them stay for free.

[zukiecat]

If the situation was reversed and it was the OP needing a place to stay for a while then the replies would be very different

Most people would jump on her saying she was a fully grown adult and she shouldn't rely on her parents for free accommodation or childcare

So I don't see that this is any different

[pollypeanuts]

What a bizarre thread

The parents aren't in financial difficulty, they have just made a mess of their house move. If the tenants hadn't handed in their notice, would people be saying that the OP should pay their rent to live somewhere else???

[Oysterbabe]

If I let my parents stay in my rental for free for 6 months it would be the same as me giving them about 10K. I would lose 8K in rental income and would have to pay the council tax etc, and they would save that by not having to pay for accommodation.

AIBU for not giving my parents 10k because they ballsed up their house move? Am I fuck. It must be lovely for those of you who could afford to do that and wouldn't dream of charging but we're not all that well off.

[Marilynsbigsister]

This all boils down to what each understands by such opaque terms as 'put a dent in out income' and 'they don't have much money to throw at it'. - One mans 'broke' is another mans 'down to my last 100k' .

If you didn't get another tenant for 6 months, would that put you in financial difficulties OP ? If yes, then
offer it to them on the lowest rent you can afford. If not, then you are being grabby and tight . Answer the question honestly. If you can easily keep life and soul together without, then offer it rent free. Because you can , because it's a kind thing to do , because they are your parents.

[TestingTestingWonTooFree]

I couldn't, it seems awful. They would be subsidising you as an adult in your choice not to work.

I think this is bollocks. OP's nuclear family rely on DH salary + flat rent for income. The rent is paid for by tenants. They could sell it and invest in something else, but they would still be relying on that income. Her parents would only be subsidising her choices if they paid more than market value.

I have a great relationship with my parents. I would charge them rent in these circumstances. Just like I don't give them a cut of my salary. If they were coming to live with me, I'd only charge them a contribution to the extra costs, like food.

OP I'd tell them the tenants have given notice and you could potentially rent it to them from x.xx.17. See what they say.

If you didn't have the flat available, you wouldn't pay their rent elsewhere. This is their problem and their financial responsibility.

[RebelRogue]

I don't know you,so you could be a really lovely person. However,to me it sounds that you want your cake,eat it and put it on display too. You want to be the one that saves the day,get some rent from your parents while i assume save yourself the hassle of advertising and paying fees to find new tenants.

If you want to go ahead with it,then just be honest and upfront "mum,dad,since our tenant is moving out,you are more than welcome to stay in the flat but sadly our low income means that you'll need to pay the mortgage/bills/insert random sum here."

[Lweji]

You'd normally rent it out anyway.
I'd charge a lower amount, but of course you're NOT being unreasonable to charge them rent.
In fact they should offer it and not accept it for free.

[sadsquid]

It's perfectly reasonable to charge your parents some rent. When my kids are grown I would never want them to be out of pocket helping me out when I was financially OK myself. I decided to have them, of course I do what needs to be done for them and of course I don't ask actual children to pay their own way. I would expect adult children to pay their way if living with parents, and I would expect parents to pay their way if being helped by adult children, unless there were major money problems.

[Housemum]

Only read first and last pages but in this case YANBU. If your tenants hadn't given notice, the situation would not have arisen and they would be paying market rent elsewhere. IF your property had been left empty for months earning nothing that would be a totally different scenario, same as putting them up in your house would be. Whatever you choose to use your rental income for, it is income just as much as from a job. You can choose to offer a reduced rent or not but that is your choice.

Also, new builds can often have ridiculously optimistic estimates of when they will be ready! DD1 and fiancée bought their flat from someone who was buying a new build due to move in Jan/Feb. Was the end of June and the day before their mortgage offer needed renewing that they moved in - and only because the vendor put his stuff in storage and lived with a friend for 2 months rather than lose his buyer and have to go through the selling process again, he moved in august in the end I believe

[Oswin]

Rainbow what on earth are you on about?
How the hell would they be subsiding op.
She will be losing money even If she charged them a reduced rate.

Come on rainbow if the op said she needed to stay in her parents rental flat you would tell her she needed to pay full whack.

You just wanted to get in a snide comment about not working.

[RainbowsAndUnicorn]

No, I'd not expect parents to charge either. Whichever way round it's mercenary to make money out of family rather than just help because it's the nice and right thing to do.

[Lweji]

Rainbow, but this is not a holiday home sitting empty.

The OP incurs in loss of income if she simply lets her parents stay for who knows how long.

[Housemum]

Ok so try flipping it with a different situation - I'm going to cancel my gym membership but my mum fancies going - rather than be £50/month better off I should let her have my membership? It's the same idea - a real change in income. OP uses that income and (if I remember correctly) doesn't work, as she has this income source. Would you equally say that if she was working she should use her salary to pay her parents' rent for a few months? At no point has she said that the parents can't afford to rent, that might be a different consideration if the parents had been forced into a situation they couldn't afford but as far as I can see this is voluntary

[RebelRogue]

In all fairness the parents haven't even asked yet. Maybe OP could just tell them the tenants gave notice,and if her parents show interest to tell them about the worry of loss of income and see what they come up with.

[melj1213]

No, I'd not expect parents to charge either. Whichever way round it's mercenary to make money out of family rather than just help because it's the nice and right thing to do.

It is not mercenary to charge for services you have provided just because the "client" happens to be biologically related to you.

I rent a house from my parents because they needed a tenant and I needed somewhere to live ... it is the same arrangement that they'd have with a stranger and I'd have with a random landlord, but I get "family discount" on the rent and them popping round for a cup of tea and a chat counts as a quarterly inspection. There is no way they could subsidise my housing rent free indefinitely and I am 27 not 7, I don't want my parents to treat me like a child, I want them to treat me like any other adult and that includes letting me pay my own way.

The OP's parents need a short term let until their new home is ready

The OP has a rental property that just happens to be vacant at the same time.

The situation is only coming up because these two events happen to coincide. If the OPs tenants weren't leaving then her parents would have to find somewhere else to stay, at full market rent and with a landlord who may not be flexible when it comes to contracts and letting them leave earlier/later than the original agreement. By offering her parents her rental flat at a discount/rate that covers only the essential bills she is filling the tenant void (and allowing her time to find new tenants) and saving her parents money on market rent, and I imagine she will be flexible if they need the place for more/less time than they originally thought.

[Alanna1]

Can't you just talk with your parents? I rented my dad's flat for a while, I have a dear friend who rented her mum's. We both paid reduced market rent. My dad was reluctant but he really needs the income too. We agreed a pricethat was fair between his needs (& his flat!) and my difficulties. No big deal - it was great because when I was then ready to buy (and also her) I didn't have to give notice / no deposit / no concern about references/ I could make changes to the flat etc.

[Primaryteach87]

I would only ask for the actual costs (mortgage,council tax) and would take the hit on rent even if it meant doing without..unless my kids literally couldn't eat I wouldn't profit from my parents.

[BlondeBecky1983]

I would never charge my parents rent unless the money was the only thing keeping food on the table and a roof over my head. I would just go without a few things for a few months like I'm sure they did when I was growing up.

[cherish123]

I'm sure your parents will be aware of your situation and will offer to give you rent money. However, if they don't, explain as you are currently unemployed this is effectively your "job" as it is your income. I am sure they will understand.

[zukiecat]

My DC and me lived with my parents for four months after I left XH due to emotional and physical violence, we fled with nothing more than some clothes and some of the DCs toys, my mother said I couldn't go til after she'd had her holiday visiting her sister despite my father staying at home.

I went onto benefits til I got myself sorted out, my mother would stand with her hand out on benefits day and take the lot from me, I had to do every last bit of housework, cooking, cleaning, everything, she allowed me a bit of my benefits back to buy food for me and DC, I wasn't allowed to touch any of my parents food.

Then when I finally got a council house she said I still owed her money for the bills, despite me handing over every penny and only being allowed a little bit back.

My parents are very wealthy, so I would have no problem or guilt about charging them full rent if I was ever in this situation (which I will never be)

That's just my story, but all these posts saying They're your parents! You can't charge them rent! Think of what they went without bringing you up! are really annoying to those who haven't had decent parents.

There's a lot more I could say about my mother's emotional abuse but this is not the thread for it

[HazelBite]

Dh is a builder, on the odd occasion that any of the adult Dc's need any "building work" done in their home, he does charge them, not the full going rate, but he is self employed it is his income, if he is working for them he is not earning elsewhere, the Dc's understand this.
The same applies to the OP, it would be very convenient for her parents to live in the flat for as long as they need (new builds are never finished by the promised date!) but she must cover her bills and outgoings and not leave her family short, the rent is part of her family income.

[FreeNiki]

I dont understand why people on here think that taking rent from parents is anathema.

Ive seen a common theme on here that most parents start charging their DC significant rent as soon as they have anything to take. this scuppers any chance of them actually getting out of your house as where will they save up for deposits for private rent or purchase whilst they are charged.

the parents have put themselves in this position pulled out of a purchase and chosen another that is not ready for months.

they haven't asked to live there and if I were the OP I'd leave them to sort themselves out.

[goodeyebrows]

I think saying it depends on what kind of relationship you have isn't fair. They might have an amazing bond but if they can't afford it and the parents can then why wouldn't they pay. They are still doing them a kindness by reducing the rent. My DM wouldn't accept free rent from me. As a parent and someone who is more financially stable (having only herself to pay for whereas we have a family of 5) she would expect to pay.