I live in a rural, isolated area with no neighbours for 2 miles. I am not lonely, but I have no immediate help or back up if there is an emergency.
I have 2 sons.
Older son, Chris, is married, settled, lives 200 miles away, is a high earner and appears financially secure. Comes home on average once every 3 months for a weekend and I have a spare bedroom to accommodate him and his wife.
Younger son, Tim, has been with his partner for 10 years, I have a good relationship with the partner and Tim. They live together 5 miles from me and pop in 2 or 3 times a week. Tim is a great help if I need assistance doing heavier type jobs about the place.
They are both in full time employment getting minimum wage, rent a private 2 bed house and are struggling to manage financially in their present situation. The past 3 months, they have needed monitory help in order to make ends meet.
I am not in a position to bail them out on a monthly basis so this is not sustainable.
However, I have 1 bedroom self contained annex attached to the house which we have never used to its full potential. It’s currently wind and water tight, needs about 5k spend on it to bring it up to a reasonable standard to live in. It has a seperate electric supply.
Tim has asked if he can move back home and live in the annex. He has asked if I will provide the 5k to do it up and he will pay me back. Then if it needs further money spend on it to meet their needs and taste, they can do that themselves once they are back on their feet.
I am happy to do this. This will give them a bit of financial breathing space and it will have its advantages for me having them here.
We have agreed that Tim will pay for the electricity usage in the annex.
Chris is not happy with this proposal and thinks Tim should be paying rent, even if nominal.
Whats your thoughts, should I charge rent?