Should 17yr old (not studying) pay rent?

lurvlyloz

i would say yes. £20 p/w would be doable. if your doing it as a percentage of his wage then surely that wont be encouraging him to actually get a proper job.

ska_lover

I would say yes. Even a small amount. My 18 year old has been paying board for the last 6 months or so. He studies full time in the week and then works 22 hours over the weekend so he has cash of his own, as I certainly would not be coughing up for stuff he wants these days

Emmarillo

My parents charged rent as soon as I went into full time work. They charged the cost of renting a room locally, which was about £50 a week in 1990 and said it was for my own good as it would teach me about budgeting etc. I moved out a couple of years later, eventually bought a house with my husband; and seven years ago bought the house we're in now. Imagine my surprise when my parents came round when we first moved in, and gave me a bank book for an account in my name with over £5,000 in. They'd saved my rent every week, bless them.

If you can afford it, it might be worth taking some rent off your son and saving it for him.

thorsoak

He may not legally be an adult, but as he is no longer in education, he should be contributing to the family income/wellbeing. If he is not earning anything, then he should be contributing physically to the household by doing housework/laundry/cooking. Just who does he think makes everything run smoothly? The fairies?

He's too old for fairy stories - if he's old enough to have a girlfriend round 3-4 nights a week - he's old enough to contribute to the family income!

Sammy85_2

I too agree that if he isn't in education then he should be contributing. The fact he isn't yet 18 makes no difference.

I think that £20-30 a week would be reasonable. It probably wouldnt even cover his food, but it will teach him about budgeting and his financial responsibilities. Also, i would be encouraging him to get a full time job. His dreams of a career in music are great and you should encourage him to do it if that is what he really wants to do, but in the meantime he needs to concentrate on getting a job that brings in real money.

tesuhoha

I think he should learn to play the guitar, it will increase his chances and he can go busking.

My son is in a band, they get lots of gigs but have yet to be paid a penny, apart from drinks vouchers and the occasional collection being made for them by the pub customers. More money has been made from going busking.

Jinx

Definitely pay 'digs', especially since girlfriend stays too. I paid digs from the moment I started work at 16 and it was a third of my wages.

Pursuing dreams is to be encouraged, but you all have to be able to live too.

cavework

What would he have to pay if he didn't have his parents to rely on and their home to live in?
ask him that..
x

mountainofdebt

When Junior was 18 he got a job in the local supermarket and whilst we didn't charge him rent (was still getting CB for him) we did insist that he saved a good proportion of his salary each month.

Now that he has left school, he got a job and we've told him that he is to save at least half his salary, whilst giving us £20 rent. The rest he can do with as he wants, bearing in mind he has to pay his own travel to work as well (though bless him he did phone me up in the week asking if it was ok if he bought a dvd!)

Reason we've set the rent so low is that he may be going to Uni next year and we think its more important for him to save for that eventuality - he does get asked to household chores as well though.

jellyhead

brucefan1962 wrote: »

I'm thinking of saying 20% of his wages, up to maximum of £25 per week. I think that's reasonable, he thinks he shouldn't have to pay until he's an adult

I think that's reasonable too.

Tell him the reason most kids don't pay when they're under 18 is their parents get child benefit for them, but you can't get it for him any longer.

Can he go to school, would 6th form accept him? Is it a definite no from college (what's he done?!) or did they just refuse him entry to the second year of his course? in which case can he repeat the first year or do first year at something else?