whats fair amount to charge board

[joshydo]

My daughter now works and am wondering what a fair amount to charge is....she earns �850 -950 a month...have no clue (uk..warks)

[Oldbutgold]

Unless you're trying to make a profit and/or encourage your daughter to leave home, I suggest you calculate her rent on ACTUAL costs. This can be interesting (and fun) to work out.
Cost of typical meals/drinks each day (probably about �5 a day/ �35 per week)
Cost of electricity/gas/oil and water (I suggest you divide your fuel and water bills by the number of people in the family and charge your daughter her share). (If you're a family of 3 that will probably be about �750 each per year - say �15 per week).
Cost of phone calls (too difficult to guess). You could either get itemised phone bill and extract her calls or ask her to use her mobile for all outgoing calls. If she's a low and local-call user, forget it.
No charge for labour (washing, ironing, cooking,etc) so long as she plays her part - even if it's by taking you out for a meal twice a month.
It seems that you'll be (justifiably) charging her about �200 per month.
I feel it would be counterproductive to charge your daughter above actuals - the more you charge the less able she will be to save for her own place. It's also irrelevant how much she earns (unless she can't afford actuals!). If your daughter feels that you're making a profit out of her, it could spoil your relationship with her.
(I've been down this road!)
Good luck.

[Ethel]

It was always standard to charge one third of take home pay (around �300 in your case).

If you don't need this money, you could put it in a high interest savings account for her for the time she seriously considers moving out.

[warpig3]

When I was living at home I always paid around a third into the house, but be warned a third may seem like a lot of money to you daughter (it certainly did to me at the time).

I like oldbutgood's idea of actuals, only problem could be if you have other children who are at home and who earn more or less than her (although you havent mentioned any so I assume not), while the actuals may be the same for each of them the percentage this takes of their wage will differ, leading to sibling arguments no doubt.

Ethels suggestion is an excellent one if you dont need the money.

[medsecslave]

Does your daughter have a view on what is a reasonable amount? Is she happy to pay her way?

My daughter insists none of her friends have to pay keep and has gone ballistic at my suggestion of �100 per month - she brings home �1200 per month. She thinks I'm trying to make money out of her whilst she saves for a summer holiday and that I don't know how much it costs to be a teenager - clothes/entertainment etc.

In addition to rent-free living, I give her a lift to and from work everyday which is a huge saving for her on bus fares.

I wonder if young AB'ers have an opinion on this?

[warpig3]

medsecslave, sorry I am not a young Aber but I think your daughter is having a laugh IMO. �1200 a month and she gives nothing into the house!!!

To me it would be irrelevant what her friends give in or dont give in to the home, this is between you and her. How is she going to manage when she leaves home if she does not understand that these things have to be paid for. In my last job I earned $1250 a month, I had to pay �400 out for mortgage, 70 for rates, 50 for utility bills and 50 for various insurance/endowments. This left 680 for me of which I saved 100. I lived quite confortable on that. so even the �100 that you suggest seems small to me. I do appreciate that my lifestlye would differ from that of your daughters, not being a teenager myself but still.

By my calculations your daughter has around�250-300 a week to spend, what does she spend it on, does she save?

I can understand her not wanting to pay, I didn't much like it either, especially when some of my friends did live rent free, but show her the alternative - to live somewhere else, pay rent, pay bills, pay for food and travel. I am not sure you are doing her (or yourself) any favours in the long term. If she leaves home and cant manage are you going to bail her out?

God, I sound just like my mother did 20 years ago when we had this conversation! But do think about it.

[medsecslave]

Warpig - I agree with you completely. 30 years ago when I was her age, I begrudgingly paid my parents �50 a month and my Dad used to say if I could find somewhere to live for �50 all in, tell him and he'd go there himself and I'll be saying exactly the same to her when she next gets paid. She is taking the mick - big time - the arguing and door slamming is unbearable and if I'm honest, I should be looking at �250 but have opted for �100 for a quiet life but it still hasn't worked. Much as I hate all the rowing and wouldn't want her to stomp out for good, I will have to stick to my guns this time and call her bluff.

[1955]

My son works part time for Royal Mail and earns around �160 per week - he gives me �40 a week and doesn't complain about it.

[warpig3]

LOL medsecslave, good luck with that one! Hope you are good at rehanging doors. Ignore the door slamming and arguing, your are right and she must pay her dues. Stick your foot down and dont budge, don't even enter into the arguing, just say you have made your decision and that is final.

I understand that you don't want her to move out but don't be held to emotional blackmail either.

PS I could pay you �200 per month, can I come and stay?

[warpig3]

Should point out medsecslave that I did eventually move out when my mum put the rent up. I was paying 15 per week and she put it up to 25 (I was earning 68 per week and had to pay 5 for buses). It worked out ok for me.

I found a small house (2 bedroomed) got a small mortgage for 15K (those were the days!!!!!!), furnished it with good second hand furniture and rented out the second bedroom. All told it didn't save me any money but didn't cost much more either. but it was a good kick up the @rse and I really appreciated all that was being done for me at home, meals on the table, clothes washed and ironed, house always warm, not having to consider the utility bills.

My mum wasn't totally happy with me moving out but neither she nor my dad would budge (neither would I of course, 'cos I knew best!!!!) But they did give me all the help and support I needed to get started, and I still went back every Sunday for dinner and to get my washing done (cheeky mare that I was).

[medsecslave]

Now look here Warpig - don't you start as well!!

�250 I said!!

xx

[warpig3]

Ah well, it was worth a try!