rent for a 19 year old in The AnswerBank: Family Life

I think �200 a month is reasonable - maybe �150 if you want to be generous. If he thinks this is tough - ask him to find a serviced flat of the same standard as your home, for the same money - he'll soon realise he has an excellent arrangement!

emailer

When I was first working and had around the same amount of take home pay, I paid �180 a month

NORMANTHEDOG

you tight git,charge him nothing,remember he will have to pick and pay for your old peoples home

Pippa68

It should be a third.

A third in rent, a third to save and a third to spend.

MustangLady

I think �200 is sensible... I always paid my way when i lived at home and got a job - I had no problem with this. This will make him realise the value of money, you don't get anything for nothing these days. He eats at home, you do the laundry, he using water/electric/gas etc etc, this will help you on a monthly basis too. He should start to understand that you have to pay your way in life and this is a good way of learning. Once he moves out and has to pay his way in the 'real world' he'll realise just how lucky and well off he was at home. (p.s. he don't have to pick and pay for your old peoples home, not if you have proper insurances - his contribution now, could pay for that in your later life ! - take no notice of NormantheDog, everyone has to pay their way in life one way or another...and this is a good start)

mifta

I agree with the third rule. When I lived at home I voluntarily paid my parents a set amount of rent, I paid a third of the council tax and all bills, granted, I had previously shared with a mate so I had an awareness of costs .etc. I genuinely believe that if you don't pay board etc. you will be more prone to getting into debt when you have your own house because you will want to live the same lifestyle as you did when you lived at home with parents.

Im a BusyBee

I came on here to ask another question but this one is a sore point in our household so i must post an answer.......my opinion has always been the third rule as previously posted, however my husband wont hear of this. My son is 18 and actually takes home slightly more than my husband each month (my sons being a pretty good wage for his age and my husband being poorly paid). My husband asks for NOTHING from him and then struggles to pay high utility bills etc. I buy the food each week and he (son) wont have cheap stuff, likes good things so i insist he gives me just �15 each week towards shopping-its always a struggle to get it out of him too- i would like more(it definately costs much more!) but is causes disagreements between my husband and i. Last time we had a big electric bill after arguements my husband did ask for a contribution but not a third, and he has never paid towards any other bill. Wish my husband would make him pay his way but as i say he wont hear of it. Do others have similar differing of opinions???

banjobabe

My Mum used to charge me one third of my wages. She said one third for me one third for rent and one third to save. Never did save any!

JonBonJovi

I always paid a third to my parents.

milly143

Unless you need the money to pay towards the upkeep of the house, you could always take say �200 rent off him a month but save some/all of it on his behalf. That when, he will at some point, whenever you decide to give it to him, have a nice little windfall for when he wants to buy his own house for example.

suzi-q

Its also a sore point in our house. My son (aged 19) is at home for 4 nights each week and at work the other three. He takes home �200 per week and pays me �10. Even this feels as if it is begrudged and he often needs to borrow money. He seems to think we are mean for asking for the money. He doesnt always eat at home but food is always available should he want to. He does however make full use of the shower, washing machine, etc etc and has a large comfortable room with TV, etc etc.

tina22

coming from a 22 year old, i would be shocked if my parents asked me for rent! the whole idea is that parents give you a hand getting on in the world! if i had to pay a third of my wages when i leave uni, surely this means it would just take me twice as long to save for a place of my own! if i was paying my parents rent then they are just holding me back from getting out of the house more quickly and on with my life which is the parents job surely? especially with house prices the way they are as well, i will need to save all the money i can! i suppose the other side of the argument is that the mum (or dad!) does all the washing cooking etc but the arrangement for me is that i generally buy my own food cos im constantly trying to diet etc! and i do all my own washing, i dont trust mum or dad doing it! maybe a parent should just refuse to do the sons washing and tell him to provide his own food, as long as they can see he is actually saving for a place of his own and not just blowing it at the weekends.

suzi-q

I'm really shocked at Tina's answer. At 22 her parents I would imagine are still supporting her through uni. Things have changed since I was a teenager thats for sure. At 22 you are an adult and as such I would guess would be pretty angry if parents tried to impose any rules upon her such as curfews etc. Yet she expects them to carry on supporting her long into adulthood. Feel rather sorry for the parents of someone who takes so much for granted.

Liza B

I have been on other sites and this question comes up a lot, a lot of people think it should be a third of the wages, but what if you have more than one child all earning different amounts, why should one pay more than another for living in the same house? The best reply I have heard is divide all the bills into the amount of people in the house including younger children and then charge that amount to the ones who are working, seems fairer to me.
I have all this to come with 4 teenagers in the house,

freak_unique

I'd say about �30-50 a week. It came as such a shock to me at 16 when i got my first job and my mum wanted some board money off me. I paid about �15 whilst part time at 16 years old, then it went upto �30 when i was fulltime work, then �50 a week when i was about 18. I look back and i am glad my parents charged me, it made me understand the concept of money.

freak_unique

I am 22 aswell and i am shocked at Tina22's answer!

doorkey

Tina, what a thing to say! I'm shocked and hope my kids don't turn out like you! I can't even say you are young and will understand when you are older! Show some respect for the people who have spolit you rotten!
Glenis, the others have given you good advice and helped you see things from every angle. All I can add it look at what you paid to your parents and what was your view then, think about how you feel now and if the answers are different meet in the middle.

tina22

well hang on, its all about where u r in ure life! im still at uni cos took a gap year then had some serious personal problems last year so i had to resit my 3rd year! They dont give me any money towards university, i have nearly �13,000 debt already and work part time in a nursery to help try and pay off anything that i owe and to pay for food and stuff! i couldnt do my uni course if i was paying them rent as well! uni is extremely expensive as im sure some of you know, especialy if ure doing one year again! thats an extra year on most peoples debt! I am incredibly grateful that my parents take this attitude with me, we own a care home so i also spend time at home helping out with that as my dad has a bad leg and mum works elsewhere during the day. i dont think you can all sit there and judge me so badly when you dont have any idea!! in my position though and the fact that we have the luxury of having a big house due to the business we are in means that it is different for me, if i was earning money and just being lazy then yes, fairenough my dad would charge me rent, til then, as long as i pull my weight within the family and try and succeed in life, that is what my parents want to see and i think thats what all parents want to see.

Sharon290865

Thank you everyone for your advise it helps to know i'm not being unreasonable, and tina had you not taken a year out of uni you would have finished your course alot quicker at a lesser cost, the reason you didn't get help is because your parents are on a high income, however i'm not and never have been spoilt, but I have high respect for my parents being realistic with me making sure I knew how the real world works and you get nothing for nothing in life, I have struggled to put my son in school and left myself penniless but i did that for his sake and it's obviously paid off because he has made the acievement to go to uni, I don't like taking money off him but as I said bills need to be paid, I split everything three ways with whats going out and by doing that realisticly he should be paying �115.54 per week but i'm asking for �40 so i think i'm being fair and with everyones comments i now think i'm right I am teaching my son the value of money he doesn't know it but the money he does pay me �50per month of it goes into his savings account of which he gives his gran money to put into. I drive him everywhere i give lifts to his mates and ask nothing for that i am a kind mother but i cant afford to do everything, its not just a matter of buying your own food and doing your own laundry there is the cost of cooking & washing you still have to pay for gas & electric having a my son has two showers aday everyday how much do you think that costs to reheat the water and the utillity bill i have to pay �10per week just for the water rates so thanks everyone now i know i'm doing the right thing Tina you should start giving something back to your parents your selfish.

rent for a 19 year old

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