Charging teenagers housekeep

[AngL75]

Currently my daughter still lives at home and works part-time.
Since she turned 18 at the beginning of this year I lost her child benefit.
At my request she has been paying me £25 a week to replace it.
She is now in a long distance relationship.
So I have agreed that her boyfriend can come and live with us so they can be together.
The dilemma that I have is that I don't know how much housekeep to charge them as a couple.
They will be buying their own food and drinks.
The boyfriend has a part-time job too but he will be able to get over time each week as and when needed.
How much should I ask them for ?

Are they part time students/working?

Totally agree with this.

At my request she has been paying me £25 a week to replace it.

This is quite tight, I wouldn’t dream of making my daughter replace the child benefit I stop receiving because she has reached 18. If you’ve stopped receiving it does that also mean she is not in any sort of education and only working part time? If that is the case I wouldn’t be allowing a boyfriend to move in. She needs to focus on her job or career and gaining more hours. She’s got into a long distance relationship so that’s for them to manage.

Does she actually want him to move in or is she being pressured.

Maybe she needs to make up the shortfall to make ends meet? £100 a month isn't easy to lose for everyone

I think you’re mad to consider this, 18 is far too young for this kind of relationship.
But if you must I’d say start with £25/week each and see how it goes?

I would probably just work a few extra hours if I needed to make up the shortfall. Even if they do take money to make up the short fall it could at least be worded differently because how OP put it sounds really crap. I certainly wouldn’t put an extra teenage boy in the house if money was tight

Yeah, I agree. I don't think she should be charged and I don't think the boyfriend should move in

Isn’t child benefit 20 per week? Why are you charging her more than you lost?

I just remember our boys at 18.

Non stop eating machines. Non stop showers. Non stop gaming. They really pushed the cost of all the bills right up.

They're your sons, though! I think we expect a cost!

Don't fund the boyfriend's life. I would expect him to pay much more than my daughter. I wouldn't cover any of his expenses.

I know! But it was the amount of everything.

Food, more food, hot water, electricity. The bloody food. It was unreal.

Dd wasn’t like this, apart from the never ending showers

I've always found the showers ok, food waste not so much...

They don’t waste it. They nevereverever stopped eating it.

I presume @ArseInTheCoOpWindow is pointing out to the OP that having a teenage boy move in is likely to raise the household expenses a lot more than just £25.

I've had both and ds ate a LOT more than either dd at that age.

Not much if they’re buying their own food, just enough to cover any extra gas/electricity if you need to.

I think you are crazy for letting your daughter’s bf move in though. Mumsnet is like another world sometimes and I wonder what on earth is going on in some people’s lives and homes.

She says they are paying for their own food.

There’s no way I would charge my 18yo daughter anything at all.
£125 a month from the boyfriend for utility bills etc. but I probably wouldn’t be happy about a bf moving in full time.

Ah, apologies, I was distracted by the whole idea she is even considering letting a teenager neither she nor her dd can know that well move 'long distance' to then move in with them.

That and the fact the teenagers want to play at being adults without taking on the adult notions of paying their own way in life.

That seems reasonable to me.

DS and his GF (both 21) buy and cook all their own food. I can't bear to charge them 'rent' on top.
Edited to say they've been together since school.

I don’t understand the idea that you should have agreed this arrangement without clarifying what contribution (financial, practical etc.) you expect from them. Surely that would all be part of the ssne conversation.