Charging Adult Children Rent

[legion]

Why Parents Should Charge Their Kids Rent

About 12 years ago, I had a friend whose parents did this. He did not go to college, and his ambition in life was to work as an install technician at Best Buy, smoke pot, and get drunk.

After 6 years of living at home after high school rent-free, his parents asked him to pay $400 a month for his room. Incensed, my friend moved out and into an apartment with some friends. Within a two-year period, he went from install tech, to install manager, to section manager, to store manager. Then he decided Best Buy was crap, and became a manager of a Circuit City (and moved into his own apartment). After six months there, he decided that retail sucks and went to work for Blaupunkt building SEMA show cars. While working this job, he met a girl and got engaged. Not wanting to be on the road so much, he moved to technical support. There, he realized that his promotion options were limited without a degree and starting taking college courses at night. Then he moved to Motorola doing communications systems installations, got married, finished his degree, and had a kid.

I'm fairly certain that if his parents hadn't asked to charge him rent, he'd still be a single, uneducated install tech at Best Buy who got drunk and stoned every night.

[cockerpunk]

many of my coworkers charge there adult children with rent.

makes sense to me. im all for it. my parents always said "as long as we pay the bills, you follow our rules" that was more than enough to get me out. haha

[scottmandue]

In our generation moving out of mom and dad's place was the holy grail.
However with rising rental prices seems like more adult children are staying at home (or moving back into home as it were).

[URY914]

I'm posting this from my mom's basement right now and she doesn't charge me rent

[Seahawk]

Should either of my children find work near the farm and want to move back in I wouldn't charge them a cent as long as they are working.

I miss them both every time the door shuts behind them and they are off...

[Rick Lee]

When I came home a year after graduating college and decided to look for a job there, my folks told me I had two weeks before I had to start paying rent. I moved to DC two weeks later.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by Seahawk

Should either of my children find work near the farm and want to move back in I wouldn't charge them a cent as long as they are working.

I miss them both every time the door shuts behind them and they are off...

I think it depends a lot on the kids and the circumstances.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by scottmandue

In our generation moving out of mom and dad's place was the holy grail.
However with rising rental prices seems like more adult children are staying at home (or moving back into home as it were).

I couldn't wait to GTFO.

[Rick Lee]

I love my folks to death, they have a killer house and my mom is an awesome cook. I'd live in a cardboard box under the hwy. before I moved in with them, free or with rent. Just can't do it. I spent the summer after my first year of college living with them and that was the last time I lived there for more than about two weeks.

[afterburn 549]

Oxymoron - Adult Children.
Pick one, they can not be both .
It used to be they were raised to leave.
Now they stay like stinky socks under the dinner table.
What is the point to let them, enable them, to not ever grow up?

[Mark Henry]

Originally Posted by Seahawk

Should either of my children find work near the farm and want to move back in I wouldn't charge them a cent as long as they are working.

I miss them both every time the door shuts behind them and they are off...

I don't think I'd ever go as far as free rent, but depending on circumstances I would gear rent to income. I also don't want my kids falling into the trap of indentured servitude to the banks (mortgage and loan debt) for the rest of their lives.
But they must have jobs and a car if they want to live here, I won't give them a dime towards expenses and it's too far from town for no car.
Both of them live rent free while attending school, they start paying rent the second they are done.
We have the room and we like them, so as long as they don't turn into jerks they can stick around.

My daughter has aspergers and I doubt she will ever leave home, but I know she will find a job and pay rent.

My boy, if he does decide to stick around, has been told that he can either build a mini house on his dime or our basement can be turned into a 2 bedroom apartment and he will pay rent.


BTW I lived at home till I was 25 years old, now my mom lives with us in her own W/O basement apartment.
I turned out OK.

[afterburn 549]

Originally Posted by onewhippedpuppy

I couldn't wait to GTFO.

Amen.

[legion]

Originally Posted by onewhippedpuppy

I couldn't wait to GTFO.

This was the case for me as well. I got into a huge fight with my parents between sophomore and junior year of college. I never lived with them again after that.

[afterburn 549]

This country is raising wimps .
If i go on I will be portrayed the Old Fart that I am.
We worked the farm (not EZ)
Given choices.
Rewarded for good decisions , Suffer the consequence for the bad ones .
Learn profit and loss from raising our own stuff besides the farms .
Learned that early military training is good for most men.
I moved out at 17. (joined the Army )
This worked for me.
Now I had some hard knocks , but learned and became useful, smart, ambitious and self employed.
I think to coddle kids too much ruins their wing sprouting process .
It was UNHEARD of to live at home in the 60s, It would have been a embarrassment .( to everyone )

[Mark Henry]

I may have lived at home till I was 25, but I owned my first house at 21. I didn't move into it till 6 months before my wife and I were married, so about when I was 28 yrs/old.

I let the robots pay for it

[Bugsinrugs]

My son just completed medical school and got his residency close by. I told him he could live here rent free for one year to help him pay down his 300,000 dollar med school loan.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by afterburn 549

It was UNHEARD of to live at home in the 60s, It would have been a embarrassment .( to everyone )

I'm 35, it would have been embarrassing as hell to move back. I lived in some real crapholes to avoid living at home.

Something else I've encountered in my neighborhood, two of the parents have actually BOUGHT HOUSES for their young kids. YGBSM!

[AFC-911]

I moved back in during college when my dad had a stroke and was forced to retire...I helped my mom pay off the mortgage.

I moved out once they owned it free and clear.

It took a while, but I have no debt and neither do they. Win-win. Except for the fact that it took me 7 years to graduate...

[nzporsche944s2]

Originally Posted by AFC-911

I moved back in during college when my dad had a stroke and was forced to retire...I helped my mom pay off the mortgage.

I moved out once they owned it free and clear.

It took a while, but I have no debt and neither do they. Win-win. Except for the fact that it took me 7 years to graduate...

You are a good son. Much respect to you

[aigel]

Kids are all different but generally I would not want to have them live with me after they are done with HS. The plan for mine is to leave for college (no community college shenanigans form home) which I will support financially. After that, they are on their own.

Of course, if they are down and out, that's a different story, they are always welcome to get back on their feet. But hanging out without any apparent issues? I don't think so. As stated in the OP, you aren't going to do them a favor with that.

I do live in a small house, which helps. I doubt any kid with half way decent self respect would want to stay living in their 35 sf children's bedroom!

G