Charging rent to someone who is back with parents due to illness

chocoholic_chick

I know if I ever found myself in that situation my parents would never dream of expecting me to pay, and would probably be quite upset if I tried to pay them. Similarly if any of my close family found they needed somewhere to stay under similar circumstances I wouldn't charge them, the additional cost to me would be minimal and I'd gladly absorb it to help someone out. It's just the way our family works, but I also understand that not all families are the same. Perhaps they are in financial difficulties and just couldn't afford the additional cost, or just thought that was reasonable and didn't think twice about asking for it.

Alikay

Put coldly, asking a sick son or daughter to pay £50 a week towards their keep whilst they're staying with you to recuperate, and keeping on their own flat seems mean. There could however be more to it than your friend is saying: Perhaps he was creating a lot more work or mess for them, maybe they were worried about whether he intended to go back to his own flat (so asking for money for keep forced him to make a decision about whether or not to keep it on), maybe he was spending a lot of cash on junk/going out and they resented it if he was living with them rent-free, or there could be various other reasons.

FBaby

You might not know as much about their history than you believe. Maybe he was bad with money in the past and they wanted to make sure he continued to budget realistically. You say he still had to pay bills at his old place, but clearly he would have paid less gas and electricity, and most of the costs would just have been transferred.

Is £50 reasonable? Who knows. Very much depends on what his parents took over buying, clothing, health and beauty products, paying for meals out together, petrol to take him places, food for his lunches (maybe his parents buy lunch every day, so that would be additional) etc...

System

I think if i'd gone home after my breakdown my parents might have not charged me if it was short term, however i ended up being ill for 3 1/2 years and i think in that situation they would have asked for board (and to be fair, ill or not on a long term basis i woudn't have felt right living rent free).

However for 4 months and with him paying rent elsewhere , it seems a little harsh, but we don't know the parents circumstances. They could have needed the extra money. He was there to recuperate not just for the hell of it, so i think some more compassion could have been shown in regards to paying board.

GwylimT

My son came to stay recently for two weeks, our food bill went up around £15 per week (oddly enough he eats more than a couple of potatoes and a couple of pieces of chicken), I know our water bill will be more as an extra person is showering daily, using the toilet, washing hands, drinking and doing clothes washes. He needed running around/borrowed our car so if he hadn't filled it up that would have been a tank of petrol which is £54.

We can afford to pay for this so we do, however if this had been a couple of years ago they would of been costs we simply couldn't afford, any person is also welcome to charge another for living in their home and using resources.

Andypandyboy

I think on the face of it is mean. A sick "child" shoud be welcomed back into the family fold and helped to recover without being hounded for cash, if you can afford to do so, and it seems they can.

maman

If we take what you've said at face value dark elf ( and no reason to doubt) then I agree with you.



The parents are not being very charitable and I couldn't and wouldn't do it to my own children. I've had both of mine stay at different times due to house moves and same before they moved out originally. I've never charged them a penny but I was happy to do that as they were saving for deposits etc. I might have felt differently if they were bad with money.


Fortunately I'm in a position to do so although I do know people who are worse of because of Council Tax changes and Child Benefit stopping at 18 so do need some 'keep'.


Unfortunately, as it's their home and their money it's their choice but wouldn't think well of them as a result.

Jagraf

No one ever really knows other people's circumstances.

Kaye1

I wouldn't dream of charging my sick child money to stay after an illness. Whatever the circumstance.


I would be glad to have them home, so I could ensure they were looked after.

pollypenny

Our DD came home to us after she broke her shoulder badly and, subsequently, after she had it repaired in an operation.

She needed physical help, as well as support. Not only did we never contemplate charging her, but we had to cancel a German Christmas Markets trip and forgot to claim on out travel insurance.

Our poor girl was our priority.