My son is moving back after 8 years away, how much do I charge him rent?

meer53

spangieuk wrote: »

Thank you for all your comments everyone. Varied views from all over.

He is definitely one that would stick 2 shirts in the wash and then the tumble drier just because he wanted them quick! I will do the washing!!

My household bills come to £1100. each month (that is obviously minus my own stuff like mobile phone, critical illness cover, car tax/insurance etc) and then there is grocery shopping on top of that.

I have to confess, I wasn't expecting my almost empty nest to start filling up again!

I spoke to him tonight actually and we broached the subject, and decided he will come round one night and we will go through all his money, see what his own objectives are, see how that fits into my own financial situation (I have 27k on credit cards that I am trying to pay off) and see how we can make it work for us both.

He doesn't want me to support him, and I can't afford to, so I am sure that we will come to a mutual agreement, especially when we have everything laid out in front of us in black and white.

Thank you all very much for all your ideas, they have given me lots of different ways to think about things, and different ways to approach getting the final amount sorted.

For me, I will want to be clear about how long it will take to save the deposit - so I can also enjoy the empty nest - especially when the daughter goes to university in 18 months! Although I think that could be wishful thinking now!!

Your post is my life OP ! My son is 30 next month he's lived on his own since leaving Uni, he has a full time job, i live with my 16 year old daughter in a 3 bed semi. I work full time too. My son moved back in with me in Oct as the lease was up on his flat and he decided he needs to be a grown up and buy somewhere of his own.

My daughter isn't impressed, they negotiate over who empties the dishwasher, son usually wins as daughter gets to use sons Netflix account. I do the washing and ironing, i like ironing, he does very little to be honest but would if i asked him. My daughter is really good, she will do her own washing. He can cook but prefers my cooking (of course)

Money wise, he wanted Sky Sports so pays for that and he also pays £40 extra to cover the increase in council tax. He also pays £200 per month towards food/bills etc which i think is fair. The only bill that goes up really is my water bill as he spends hours in the shower every morning. I love having him back at home, my daughter moans sometimes but she loves him to bits really. Next week will be crunch time, i'm going away for a week and leaving them at home !

Sambella

Jackieboy wrote: »

Forty quid is a pittance if it includes all food.

I have no mortgage. Water rates are included in the rates i NI. My rates bill would be the same if he moved out. The only real extra cost for having him here is electric and food. Heating - we are both out all day. Heating is never on in the mornings and only for 4 hrs in the evenings 6-10 pm and weekends. This is unlikely to change if he moved out.

I take the view that if he pays more then I will miss it when he leaves.

I put my sons board into my Nationwide Regular saver every month.

I am far from wealthy and I am happy with this arrangement. My son earns less than me.

I don't have a car, he does. He ferries me about when I ask at no cost to myself. He does odd jobs for me and takes stuff to the dump. We also take turns paying when we decide to have a takeaway. We both buy our own lunches for work. My shopping bill isn't that high but if he moves out I would still save a little on that so I lose £160 and gain a little back from shopping and I carry on without feeling the loss of his board. I would like to be in the position where I gain from him moving out and not make a loss.

If I had a mortgage and he paid half or a share of it don't I have to pay the other half when he has gone? If I charge him a share of the rates don't I have to make that up when he has gone considering that him leaving doesn't change these costs?

I appreciate that this doesn't work for everyone but it works for us.

pinkshoes

Why not look on spareroom.co.uk to see what the going rate is for a single room then charge something a bit more competitive?

Anjek

I think -£300 a month with everything paid for, is OK

mai_taylor

The more you charge him the longer it will take him to save to move so the longer he will be with you. I'd charge him just the increase in bills / food, which shouldn't be much.

Pollycat

mai_taylor wrote: »

The more you charge him the longer it will take him to save to move so the longer he will be with you. I'd charge him just the increase in bills / food, which shouldn't be much.

That will work if he saves the amount the OP isn't charging him plus extra savings.
If however, he thinks he's quids in and can enjoy a cushy life at home, he may not save anything and still be there 10 years on.

Happier_Me

I think £300 a month is fair particularly if you save £75 of that to give back to him when he moves out. Otherwise just forget the £75 and charge £225. That should cover his food and the increase in bills. If he wants extras like Sky Sports that would be on top.

TBagpuss

What was the outome of your discussions, OP? I think in your position I would probably have startd by looking at what he was paying for the houseshare, and then discount from there, to allow him to save.

silvercar

Cristy_Jones wrote: »

The best way perhaps is charging him like what you would charge if the place will be rented out by another person. I think it is just fair. But for some consideration, you may opt to give him some discount.

Seriously? He is the son, not some random person making a commercial arrangement!

Artytarty

My son is also returning home after eight years!
I'm delighted as I never thought he would come back,-N.I
I hadn't thought of charging him rent at all but I think he only intends staying a few months before renting with a friend.
On the other hand, I am inheriting his cat and that is going to cost money, plus a shed load of worry. Maybe I should ask him to pay for the cat food. I'm going to have to spend a lot of money trying to make sure the cat cannot escape from the garden as we are on a busy road.