I am currently fighting my mom over this. I think I am paying to much to live at home while she thinks otherwise.

So a couple questions for you guys

1. How much rent did you pay while living at home?
2. Did you feel this amount was fair?
3. Did you have to help pay for anything else? Or was it all included in the rent amount?
4. Where do you live?

For number 4, I am only asking purely because I am curious of what is considered normal for places. Even just putting a country would be awesome, but of course I am not going to demand that you answer it.

Thanks!

Well, I'm 22 and from the UK so not directly comparable but here goes!

I pay £300 a month (quarter of my take home pay) plus I buy the family a take away or treat them to dinner out once a month! This is my first year of working full time as a teacher but as it's only an induction year my pay is lower than it will be eventually. When I was at uni I only ever paid rent when I was working full time over the summer and even then it was only around £75-£100 a month. I think what I pay is fair and I have no problems with paying that amount to live at home

In answer to your actual question...I help out around the house (washing/cleaning/ironing/general tidying up etc) and will go for food shopping if it's needed.

Hope you reach a compromise that everyone is happy with!

I have a 24 year old who lived at home til last year and an 18 year old still at home (Both are in college) so I thought you might want a parent opinion, too.


1. How much rent did my kids pay while living at home?

Nothing. I don't really need their help paying rent nor do I want it. I want their money to go towards other things, like savings and personal expenses, etc.


2. Did you feel this amount was fair?

Absolutely! More than fair. I am in a position to help them get on their feet as young adults and I am happy to be doing so.

I know not everyone is lucky enough to have parent financial help ( I certainly never did) and it means a lot to me that I am able to give them a start. I pay for tuition and books, also. But they have gotten scholarships that help. The deal is I will pay for school if they live at home. If they move out on their own, then they are responsible for their own living expenses. I don't do this to tie them to me with obligations, I do this because it's tough getting started and the more money they save before moving out the better.


3. Did they have to help pay for anything else? Or was it all included in the rent amount?

I do expect them to pay for their own fun and gas. I pay for their gas to commute to school but fun times are their own. (Unless I feel it's something I want to do for them, like help pay for a trip or a big expense, like tires for their cars.) I do use their cars sometimes and I expect no complaints.

If they were not in school living at home I would ask for rent. The amount would depend on how much they were earning as I would still want them to be saving.

I also ask that they help out at home. They do some chores and run errands for me. They also show up willingly (mostly) at family events.

Talk to your mom about saving. If you agree to put a set amount into savings every payday, she may come down on the rent.

I'm in the US.

kk~

I am currently living at home for a few months due to medical reasons. I do not pay rent, but I pay for all my expenses otherwise (minus cell phone.) My parents want me to save my money, not give it to them for a house they don't have a mortgage on. I am grateful for this, but I feel its fair too. I'm 22 and live in the southern US.

1. How much rent did you pay while living at home?
At the moment I pay £40 a month but I am a student and am living off a bursary so can't afford any more. My sister used to pay £150 a month.

2. Did you feel this amount was fair? Yes

3. Did you have to help pay for anything else? Or was it all included in the rent amount? If there is something specific shopping wise I want or for personal use i.e. hairdye, makeup, stuff that Mum wouldn't usually buy then I have to pay for it. I also have to pay for any large usuages of the telephone - which don't happen very often. Everything else is included.

4. Where do you live?
North Nottinghamshire, UK.

My mom and dad never charged us rent. But the condition of supporting us was that we had to be doing something - they would support each of us in every way possible, as long as we were doing something. If we were in school, or had a job, they would help us in every way they could. And they held true to that, for all five of us.

With my youngest sister, the boundaries are changing a bit, but they probably should - she's of age, and makes plenty of money, she just hasn't moved out because she doesn't like to live alone, haha. So she doesn't have to pay rent, but she's pretty much on her own otherwise - just for example, if she wants a specific thing to eat, she buys it, and that sort of thing.

I lived with my aunt for a short time, and my aunt never charged me rent, but did expect that if I used something up, I'd replace it, so that was how I was expected to contribute.

1. How much rent did you pay while living at home?
I'm not working right now so my parents aren't making me pay rent. When I was working and when I find another job I won't be paying rent because I'll be saving up.

My brother on the other hand, didn't want to save any money and just wasted it all, had to pay rent. He paid $200/month.

2. Did you feel this amount was fair?
Considering how my brother is, I think it was more than fair!

3. Did you have to help pay for anything else? Or was it all included in the rent amount?
He got his laundry done, meals made, etc.

4. Where do you live?
Southern Ontario, in a house if that matters.

This was about 10 years ago, so take that in to account

When I was not in school and working full time, I paid $200/month rent. If we were in school, we didn't pay rent. Either way we were expected to pay our own expenses like car insurance, gas, clothes, etc. My parents expected us to pay rent if we were not in school because they did not want us to get lazy, sitting at home and expecting everything to be paid for. Not that we did, but I had seen other people my age end up as the "live at home, no responsibility, party all night" types. It is hard to get any motivation to go to school or really get out on your own from there.

Oh, and I am in Ontario.

1. How much rent did you pay while living at home?

I do not pay rent. I am a 21 year old full time college student and part time nanny.

2. Did you feel this amount was fair?
Yes. I certainly don't think I "deserve" to live at home for free (it's certainly not a right), but my parents are financially able to help me and I'm certainly not going to complain.

3. Did you have to help pay for anything else? Or was it all included in the rent amount?
I pay for any extra groceries I pick up, I pay for gas for my car, I pay for all my "fun" stuff throughout the week, and I regularly take my mom to a movie or my sister out to dinner. I also help a lot in the house; errands, dishes, laundry, etc.

4. Where do you live?
Midwestern USA

I only pay $20-$80 a week depending on how much I get paid for the week.

I generally only put $40 in a week. It's fair because in the end I'm only paying for my fish tank lights to be on and the hot water. My brother pays $20 a week to keep his fish tank here because of the expensive lights.
In reality I'm a boarder not a renter because I only have my room and my parents still cook me dinner, pay for my toiletries etc. I have access to foxtel, broadband internet etc.

I am also a full time student, work part time and am currently saving for my own house with my partner.

I'm in Australia.

When I lived at home I paid $450 a month in rent. I would also pay for my cell phone, the house Internet and 1/4 groceries.

Yes, this amount was fair. Well, not really, I probably shuld have been paying a lot more. My daughter and i were both living with my mom when I graduated college and started working. I was just working part time. I got A LOT of free babysitting when I lived at home too.

It sorta seemed like a lot at the time, but once I actualy moved out and started paying all my bills, mortgage and my business expenses, $450 started to seem a little insignificant. When I bought my house I was paying $450 a month in electricity alone.



I live in Ontario, Canada.

I don't pay rent at home. I've been working full time for the last year and have been paying for my phone bill, petrol, private health insurance, pay tv and anything clothes/extras that I want. I'm heading back into full time study and dad said that he is completely willing to support me even more once again. I try and pay for as much as I can, but my parents want me to save as much as possible so that I'm in a better position when it comes time to buy a house.

I consider myself incredibly lucky and I'm so thankful to my parents for supporting me and for being willing and able to support me through university once again (this is my second degree).

I'm in Australia.

I paid rent to my parents when I lived at home after the age of 18, I moved back there after I had my first son, this was a long time ago so the amount isn't really comparable today.

My own kids pay rent if they have a job once they leave school, if they have no job then they do chores, if they pay rent or not, they keep to my rules, if they don't then they can always find a room somewhere else. As they have found out in the past, I might have stricter rules but the rent is way cheaper and it's their choice.

Of course I feel it's fair, if you earn a wage then you contribute to the rent/mortgage, if you can't pay your way then you work it off. There are always ways to contribute to a household.

We were in Ireland and now we're in Canada, but my rules stay the same where ever we are.

1. How much rent did you pay while living at home? None, but then I moved out of home as soon as I finished high school and never went back.

2. Did you feel this amount was fair? Yes because high school kids shouldn't have to be worrying about rent.

3. Did you have to help pay for anything else? Or was it all included in the rent amount? I had to pay for anything that was non-essential. That meant I paid for my own clothes, because "new clothes" aren't essential, according to my parents. I had to pay for my own entertainment. I bought my own car. I think I even paid for my own driving lessons. I didn't pay for groceries or utilities. I didn't pay for my singing or piano lessons, though I did pay for my violin lessons because Mum drew the line at two extra curricular activities she would fund. I didn't start singing lessons until I quit dancing for that reason.

4. Where do you live? Australia

When I first got a full time job, I think I paid my dad £180 a month. This included things for the dog like insurance and noms. When I got a bit of a pay rise I upped it to £200 a month voluntarily, and didn't decrease it when the dog died. I got a subsequent little pay rise but didn't mention it at the time - I slipped up when I got the new job and was explaining how my pay would change but he just laughed at me and called me a cheeky bugger. I'd moved out a long time before that anyway.

The rent was supposed to cover everything but my dad was/is quite lazy at food shopping so I would generally sort myself out with a lot of food. We never had to pay extra for bills or anything.

When I moved into the house that Tim co-owns with his brother, the brother's opinion was "charge her, don't charge her; doesn't really matter either way". They weren't struggling to pay the mortgage and they have another housemate renting a room as well. I now pay £150 a month which is a token gesture really; I think the housemate pays over £300 but then he does earn way more than me and has his own room.

"Back in the day" it was traditional to give your parents a third of your wages every week/month. I really think it needs to be based on wages and allow you the opportunity to save money towards moving out on your own.

My parents worked on the 1/3 principal as well - my first job paid $150.00 per week, I paid $50.00 Board (this was 25 years ago, now). This went up over time over the next 10 years when I lived on and off with my parents until I met and married my husband.

That 1/3 covered my bedroom, food and utilities. I helped Mum out about half way with housework (Dad came from the old school that he didn't do housework, until he retired and Mum put her foot down and started making him do it because she was still working).

There were a few times that I was unemployed and looking for work and on unemployment income. During these times, I didn't pay any board, however I did all of the housework because Mum and Dad were working, so housekeeping was my board and lodging.

I'm in Australia, as you know.

Do I think it was fair - hell yeah, and I did then! If I could go back to only paying 1/3 of what it costs us to run this household, I'd be laughing! Instead, now I pay $1,200.00 per month for rent, $200 for phone, electricity and cable, $150.00 for electricity and about $200 per week for food for the 4 of use. I also do most of the housework. One third - good times!!!

In comparison, since you asked the question - what are you paying now, Felsa, and what do you do sofaras housework applies and what your Mum does?

Cheers
Di

I'm from NC, USA.

Once I turned 18 I had to pay $100/month. Before that I was already paying for my own cell phone and whatever fun things I wanted to do on my own. I hated paying "rent" to live there; and it makes me bad because my brother is currently eighteen and doesn't have to pay a dime. He makes more money than I do too. Ridiculous.

My dad was always adamant about me paying rent if I lived at home after the age of 18, which I thought was unfair, as pretty much everyone else I know has parents who won't do that.

I'm living away at Uni at the moment, and pay my own rent which is what the bulk of my student loan goes on. So they seem to have dropped that idea for now.

I know if I did move back there after University then I would definitely contribute something towards rent/food shopping/etc.

Claire.

1. How much rent did you pay while living at home?
None. I moved out of home a little under 12 months after I graduated high school, but my Dad never charged me any rent/board. He threatened it a few times (usually when he was a couple of beers in and thought he was being funny) but never actually did it.

2. Did you feel this amount was fair?
Yes. It troubles me that parents charge their children rent. I could understand it if your kid was still at home whilst working full time, or at 27 years of age, but it always seemed strange to me that kids on TV would start getting charged rent/board once they hit 18. I didn't take up any more space than I did when I was 17, or use any more water or electricity or gas than I did when I was 17, and my Dad agreed that it was unreasonable to charge me board just cause I had turned 18. I didn't have a job anyway, and lived off Youth Allowance so I could hardly have afforded to pay rent. And anyway, after I turned 18 I was barely home as it was, so if anything, his bills should have been lower

3. Did you have to help pay for anything else? Or was it all included in the rent amount?
I bought whatever I wanted. I paid my own mobile phone bill, and bought food and drink if I were having a party, and if Dad, my sister and I went out for a meal or a drink or to the movies or some other kind of outing, I was expected to pay my own way.

4. Where do you live?
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

Erin.
::righteous babe::

1. How much rent did you pay while living at home?
$125 per WEEK. This was around a decade ago and minimum wage was only $4.25/hour.
2. Did you feel this amount was fair?
No. A check for a 40 hour work week would be $170 BEFORE taxes came out. Do the math. I originally moved out at 17, moved back temporarily and only lasted 3 weeks. I couldn't afford to live at home.
3. Did you have to help pay for anything else? Or was it all included in the rent amount?
I had to pay for all personal items (tampons, razors, shampoo, etc.), gas, car insurance, any extras.
4. Where do you live?
Ohio

The only time I lived at home after 18, I was in school. I didn't have to pay any rent. While my Mom was a single Mom, she wasn't out to make a quick buck off of her daughter, and I'm very glad for it. When she was around 30, we moved back in with my Grandparents so that she could have a baby sitter while she got her degree, and to have a place to live while she wasn't working. Even there, we didn't pay rent. I know we paid utilities on the house, and then everything else was her responsibility.

I took over a lot of my own financial responsibility while I was living at home, to the point where I actually have to beg my Mom to stop paying my cell phone bill - haha!

I heard a friend of mine say that her parents charged her something like $200 a month. However, they didn't pocket the extra cash - when she decided to move out, they gave all of the money back to her. I thought that was really smart. It taught her the value of money immediately after high school, but it also gave her a nice little chunk of money to get started with after moving out. That makes a whole lot of sense to me. Getting your kids to subsidize your mortgage? Not so much..

I do not live at home but I am living in my grandmothers townhouse. She moved in with my parents and I am living in her townhouse while it has been up for sale. I have been here for a year and a half and don't pay rent. I lost my full time job so I am only working part time. I offered to pay rent and she declined. She said the house has been paid off since she bought it so it doesn't cost her anything for me to live here.

If it sells I will end up moving back in with my parents :/
They will not charge me rent because I am still trying to get back on my feet and get a full time teaching job. Once I get a full time job I would move out.

This was never an issue for me since I planned to go to college but my mom said the only time she would charge me to live at home is if I didn't go to college after high school. I think that is fair and will do the same with my children. If they are in school they can live at home as long as they want or I will pay for their living arrangements (apartment/dorm) like my parents did. If they choose not to go to college then they will have to move out or pay rent that would be proportional to their income.

I moved to school when I was 18, so I never paid rent.

Bottom line, though, is that a person can do what they wish with their property (legal stuff, haha) and you're an adult so they don't "owe" you anything. If it's that big of a pain, move out...if you can't, for whatever reason, you really will have to just suck it up and deal until you can leave, I guess.

I moved out after high school, and just recently moved back (a year and a half after I moved out).

I don't pay rent. I'm in school full time, and while I would have no problem with having a part time job and paying rent, my parents are able to help me out financially, and they want to do so. All they ask is that I contribute to the chores and stuff, which I'm glad to do.

I pay for most everything else I do. I bought my car, and I pay for my own gas, clothes, school expenses, and anything fun. I'm still on my dad's health insurance because I'm a student. If I want anything specific to eat, I buy it, but other than that my parents are happy to share the groceries.

I'm really grateful that my parents are willing to support me financially, since it will let me get out of school a lot faster - I can take more classes if I'm not working. Also, I'll have a lot more money saved up when I do graduate.

Oh, and I'm in the southern US.

I had a friend whose parents were really unfair about rent, in my opinion. She was married, but living at home while her husband was deployed. The army gave her a housing allowance of $850, and her parents charged her the full $850 to live at home. Their reasoning was that the money is supposed to go to housing, and their house is where she lives. On top of that, she was expected to buy everything else she needed - food, clothes, insurance, car, school tuition, you name it. My friend was really resentful about that because she thought that her parents were just taking advantage at that point.

1. How much rent did you pay while living at home?
I currently pay £200 a month. That's just gone down from £240 due to me being away from home for work a lot of the time. I'm usually away for at least three days and nights a week, maybe more. However, I'm also paying some back rent from over the summer when I was out of work. So I usually pay between £300-350 a month.

2. Did you feel this amount was fair?
Hmmmm, not really as I'm trying to save up to move out and she knows this. Its sort of difficult when I'm paying so much. I don't mind paying something as I always have but a reduced amount would be helpful right now.

3. Did you have to help pay for anything else? Or was it all included in the rent amount?
Food is included, except if I want anything different or special. I have half of my meals at work anyway. My mom does my washing as she's a bit weird about it and doesn't think I can do it right. Everything else I pay for myself - phone, car, toiletries, TV, clothes, etc, etc. I also do a lot of housework due to her having arthritis. I do a lot of cooking, washing up, polishing, hoovering, ironing, I do most of the stuff with the dog.

4. Where do you live?
Midlands, UK

MOOM