DS (16) wants to move out

[GentleOliveFatball]

Hello, my 16 year old son wants to move out and rent a house with a friend (who is 18) They are both responsible and my son has been keen to move out for a while. (We get along fine, but our home is very small and now he's getting older I think he struggles with not having much of his own space/space for when friends visit.)
I trust both my son and his friend, they have spent months researching and saving money. Between them they can cover rent, food, bills etc for a small two bedroom semi-detached house, walking distance from where they both work.

However I'm worried that landlords will not rent to them because my son is only 16. I don't mind signing the tenancy agreement if I have to, however I don't know if I can since I won't be living there?

My son is still only looking, and I'm aware I must do more of my own research however any advice would be appreciated.
We live in Scotland by the way.
Thank you!

And you still haven’t explained why he is so desperate to leave op? It’s a stepdad issue? Or you? Or his home life is tumultuous?

Their GSCEs? Check your facts @Artistbythewater .

@Artistbythewater I doubt the Scots are bothered by your smug superiority

I really hope that poster isn't feeling smug or superior with those posts...

It is rough for kids in Scotland with too much adult expectation. It is unthinkable where I live to put a kid in this position.

Anyway op will allow it anyway, because it suits. Even with the half baked figures that only take into account a fraction of the expenses, and the fact that job security is unlikely given his skill set and age. I can’t be bothered to bash my head against this particular brick wall. But it is depressing.

Yes, children in Scotland are a homogeneous mass.

@Artistbythewater what a ludicrous thing to say! I left home at 16 and have a senior management level job and a university education, oh as well as a driving licence and a home!

Back in the old days that was much more doable. These days the cost of living is so high he won’t even manage one of those things in your list. How will he go to university or even learn to drive?

Good grief.

Some of these answers are absolute nonsense.

Many apprenticeships pay well.
He can be in work full time at 16.
He won't get a tenancy agreement but his 18 year old friend may.
He sounds sensible lad OP. I would say ensure that he has thought is all the costs and pitfalls then see. Whether there's a property for him is a different matter, as in
England rental properties are few and far between.

Not everyone wants to go to university and presumably he'll learn to drive in the same way that other people do - when he can afford it.

How do you expect him to afford thousands and thousands of pounds for lessons, insurance and a car? Or shall we just write that off now? 🤷‍♀️

Whatever you do, OP, do not be their guarantor.

Reposting this, as many posters cannot accurately comprehend factual information.

I first left home at seventeen. I certainly didn’t feel like a child at 16 (I had a full time job in a bank).

Maybe it was different back then in the 70s.

It certainly was. Cheap housing, reasonable bills, jobs for life. The halcyon days… not so much in 2024 sadly.

Were you able to get to the end of my last sentence or were your fingers just itching to type? When he can afford it, just like the rest of us.

Or, to give you another option as I know you're very, very worried about this - when his parents pay for them. Or contribute to the cost of them. Again, just like the rest of us.

He should take the same GSCE in rational thinking you did. If only we had them in Scotland...

No, smartass, it doesn’t. Clearly or otherwise.

Literally in the OP @SilverChampagne

I trust both my son and his friend, they have spent months researching and saving money. Between them they can cover rent, food, bills etc for a small two bedroom semi-detached house, walking distance from where they both work.

@Artistbythewater op said he was studying and working, a f/t college course here is literally 2-2.5 days a week, presumably this will lead to a qualification which could then lead on to uni or a better paid job? op clearly loves him and wanting the best for him so if it doesn't work out then i'm sure he could go home. While what you say might apply to some people it is definitely not everybody and your complete disregard for other people's ability to achieve while in a situation you don't agree with is bound to be highly offensive so some people.

@SilverChampagne it literally says the house is close to where they both work.

@SirChenjins 😂

He is unlikely to ever afford his own home, drive a car, skill up or educate himself beyond the very basic Scottish education baseline and will be saddled to the day he dies paying rent and bills. Why the f* would anyone celebrate this?!

And what if he gets hit by a bus tomorrow?!
Jesus, he could end up getting into a trade and making more than most of us!

It sounds like he will struggle to pay for everything on £1k a month.

So many people saying they moved out at 16. You can’t compare decades ago to the cost of living now - I have friends in their 30s who live at home because they know after all bills they’d have £0 left.

You’re talking 30+ years ago? It’s not comparable to now.

This thread is very weird. The OP was asking for info regarding tenancies for 16 year olds in Scotland.

OP, Shelter has information here that might be useful.

None of us know what the future holds. Even if we try to plan and control it really carefully, life can trip us up. And even that doesn’t mean we fall down forever.

Maybe your son can give it a go and if it doesn’t work out, then he’s tried. As long as he has a safety net, which it sounds like he does with you and your family. And if it does work out, then brilliant. Good luck to him 🙂