How much rent?

J_i_m

I would suggest that instead of looking at it as rent, look at as house keeping. What kind of utilities are you likely to use? Electricity, Gas, Water, TV, Phone, Internet, council provided services (bin collection).

I'm back in with my parents in the next couple of weeks. I shall not being paying a penny of rent, as I am not expected to pay towards their mortgage. However, I expect to pay a third of the utilities that I use, the Electric, Gas, Water, TV, Internet, council tax. I provide my own food, and do my own cooking, washing etc. My house keeping bill will be £260 a month, (My brother is moving out in the opposite direction, otherwise it would have been about ££220 a month).

That way you are paying your way, buy should also have money to save for your future, and also to enjoy a little.

DarnIt_3

I had to pay rent from the age of 16! The bills were divided down the middle and I paid my portion! But my sister who was older only paid £100 a month (she worked for my parents so I think that had something to do with it)

It encouraged me to move out on my own by the time I was 17! I was cheaper for me!
But in reality, that is the fairest way to work it out.

The_Pixi

Wow!

my parents never asked for any money from me or my three brothers. I personally find it strange and a bit money grubbing to be honest.

I guess it can work out bad if the kids do nothing and are ungrateful, but i think that has a lot more to do with how they were brought up not how much they are asked to pay when they are adults.

now we are all out working and live on our own we take good care of our parents, when the fridge breaks we just get her a new one - wouldn't dream of loaning her the money and expecting it back!

My brother and I took her on holiday to Nice last year for her birthday, I think that's a much nicer way of handling the money situation, we just look out for each other rather than count the pennies out.

J_i_m

Every family is different really. There isn't really a right or wrong answer here. It just has to be worked out between parent and child.

Lilibee

My brothers and sisters and I always gave our parents 20% of whatever our take home pay was. We did it as a percentage to make it fairer on those who earnt less (at 18, I had a very well paid gap year job, whereas my brother worked in a shop for minimum wage). A third of pay seems a bit high to me considering that it will be always be your parents home, so you can't just do what you want especially if there are younger siblings at home too.

We were all trained from a pretty early age to help out around the house as well though (we all had 'jobs', hoovering, washing up etc, from the age of around 10/12) so we made up for the rent in other ways. With a large family, help around the house was always more welcome than money!

KiKi

mhh1981 wrote: »

I think 200-250 is far too much imo.

If you look at it this way, he's 18 - has 225 worth of outgoings from his 700pm salary.

200pm would leave him 275 pm to live on - and that doesnt include petrol, going out etc. I presume??

OR, look at it this way.

He earns £700 a month, and £200 goes on rent, food, council tax, elec, gas, water, tv, internet. That's a damn good deal.

So he has £500 a month to spend. He CHOOSES to spend it on a car and a phone, and still has £275 left.

You are seeing the car as a given, and the rent as changeable. How about seeing the rent as essential, and the car as an option, instead?!

I think £200 is about right. That's what I paid when I earned that amount, and that was 15 years ago.

KiKi

charltonkeston

When I was an apprentice 30 years ago earning £45/week (before tax &NI) I used to give my mother £5/week.
It was a gesture more than house keeping. Most weeks I needed a sub off my parents for petrol or beer.
My son has had this explained to him as well, he is about to start work. I dont really want/need the money from him but I feel it one of the life lessons he should learn, you pay your way.
I'll stick the money away for him for his car or whatever.

rictus123

Im still at home, 4 years of apprenticeship completed! When i started i took home about £600 a month full time. Shocking wage for hours. Out of this i paid £100 a month keep. I also gambled illegally alot(was only 16) and got myself into debt. Later i took on car finance. Plus a loan to clear car finance which i never did. Iv had a couple amazing holidays but car away to get handed back and all i will have is a couple of memories for £12k+ of debt. BUDGET is the important thing. Whatever you start paying, if its too much, up your hours as much as you can. If you cant try and comprimise and say look £70 a month for first year, then rise ever year as your pay does.

4 years ago,16 i was on £600 take home a month paid £100 digs
3 years ago,17 i was on £1000 take home paid £100
2 years ago,18 i was on £1300 take home paid £100 - offered more
a year ago,19 i was on £1600 take home paid £100 - offered more
now i am taking home £3k+ in the summer and around £2k winter months, i will still be paying £100. They are not well off at all but thats all they want. So it will get easier. Either start low and increase it with your wages or have a set price and it will get easier for you.

End of 2012 i will be paying half the costs of mortgage, council tax,food, bills etc so low costs now will help save for that!!!

olias

rictus123 wrote: »

now i am taking home £3k+ in the summer and around £2k winter months, i will still be paying £100. They are not well off at all but thats all they want.

End of 2012 i will be paying half the costs of mortgage, council tax,food, bills etc so low costs now will help save for that!!!

TBH, with that level of take home pay, I think you should be paying a lot more than £100 p.m. That may be all they say they want, but have you thought they may be too proud to ask for more (or too soft!) It's all very well saying you will pay £X at the end of 2012, but by then you will be 21/22 and so likely to be about to move out anyway, so you may pay half for a while, but in the mean time, you have had a huge amount of cash to play with.

Personally, at the very least I would be paying £100 p.w. with that wage. If they try to refuse, then why not do things like pay for the weekly food shop, pay the TV licence when it comes in, pay other bills as they come in etc etc.

Olias

neverdespairgirl

I asked my mother today about my siblings. My brother lived in my parents' London house until he went abroad for a year (he's in South Korea, teaching English) and he was then earning £1,600 a month net. He paid my parents £400 a month, which included bills, food, laundry, etc.

My sisters live in my parents' Kent house. One pays £500 a month, the other £300 a month (they earn differently).

None of those is anywhere near a market rent, I expect. But it is fair enough to contribute when you're an adult, and earning.