Should teens living at home pay rent?

I think you are responsible to provide your child with everything they need until they are 18. If they want "extras" then they could use there money towards that but I don't think it's fair for a parent to charge there 16 year old rent. If you have a generous child that wants to help out then more power to them and LUCKY you.

That's pretty altruistic of your teen. I think that if the kid refuses to do chores around the house, then perhaps making them pay rent (perhaps more than what your kid voluntarily pays) is a good idea. But if you've got a kid under 18, whom you're legally responsible for anyway, who's making good grades, does there share around the house, works at a job--Hey even if they are 18 (a high school senior)then they shouldn't be expected to pay. Instead encourage them to save, reminding them of what they got coming....

It's not really a question of SHOULD they pay (as a general rule), it is a WOULD you charge. At the end of the day, it doesn't matter to the world at large, it just depend on what you and your family is comfortable with. Is there a right or wrong answer to this question? No. If you daughter is earning, she might want to contribute, knowing that if she moved out she would be paying many times more than any figure a mother would accept. Again, this is a family issue.

i am so into that. my son is 17 and he has been giving me $20 a week for the last year. i take it and put it into his graduation fund. he graduates next month. once he does, he will have to give me $100 a month. $50 will go into his savings account that i started for him and he will get that money when he is 21. there is not such thing as a free ride. i think that it is fine to make them pay their way. it teaches them to be responsible.

absolutely! i dont see a problem with this and feel also that this is a great way to get them ready for the big bad world lol...life has responsibilities and eating and paying for other things... our oldest daughter is turning 14 on sunday and she has gotten quite a bit of money...and because she texted her friends (at 15 cents per text and after we told her not to) she is giving us some of her birthday money...ya wanna play, ya gotta pay :-)

I guess it good for her to pay rent, so she learns the value of money, but I personally don't agree with teenagers paying rent while they are still in high school. If they graduate and are still at home and not going to college, then I agree, make them pay!

I never paid rent because I cleaned up after everyone is the house all of the time. I never had to pay rent because I did all of the work around the house.

I for once paid when I worked and still lived at home and it did help me to prepare for living on my own. I also think that it is something that should be done out of respect. I mean - if u get paid, why should your parensts still support u with everything?

I waited till my children were 18 before I started charging them rent. I thought it was best wait until they were adults. I charged my son $75 a week. But this included food etc included. he didn't need to buy his own food. Now that he's living outside the home I think he knows how cheap $300 a month was considering all the benefits. Like water, heat, food, etc etc. HAPPY POSTINGS FROM GRANDPA BOB !!~

I started paying $200.00 a month "rent" to my Mom when I turned 18. I lived at home until I was 24. It was a bargain, considering I didn't have to pay all my own bills. I just paid for my car and the insurance to go with it. I think it's the right thing to do. I didn't volunteer to do this, Mom set the price. I think it taught me a bit about paying my own way. It was a good lesson to learn. PEACE

I would have to say when they are legaly an adult would that be a good idea unless they offer to help prior. Since technically they dont have a choice as a minor of living at home or not unless consented by the parents anyway. I started paying my parents for room and board at 17 slightly, but when i hit 18 i payed them a fair amount for room board and food by my own choice. They never asked once i simply insisted in all fairness. Unless they are in college they friggin better be payin up if they hit like 20 and still are bummin it at home in my opinion anywho.

I don't think so, but that's just my opinion. I stayed at home with my parents during various times of my teenage life, and they paid for everything and although I offered money for food and what not they always refused. I feel so appreciative for that and plan to do the same for my kids, although if they offered it would be nice but I would turn them down and have them spend their money on them.

I'd start charging the kids rent when they graduate high school and they weren't going to college. If they are going to college I would make sure they are working and then saving their money for while they are at school. I only lived at home six months after I graduated high school but I didn't have to pay any rent during that time, although I would have if they had asked.

I think they should pay rent at 18. I also think they should work during high school. Not everyday but enough to pay for clothes, food etc. This will help them when they go to college.

I think it depends on a number of things. First are they still in high school or college, how much are they making. If they are still in high school Instead of paying rent they could be paying all those high school deexpences. ie. year books school trips, parking fees, school fees, and so on and so forth. They should also be doing house hold chores as long as they live at home. They will have to when they are out on there own.

I think it is great that your dughter helps out!! I would say once they are out of high school they should start helping out. I paid rent to my parents when I moved back in with them after my divorce and it helped me to be responsible, I didn't mind at all either!!

I have the rule if you are going to school no room or board is needed and will help out with money if needed. If not going to school or savign for school rent is due the first of the month.

Swtrose, this is actually a new concept to me. I had never heard of having your own children pay you room and board before, but I find myself rather liking the idea/concept of it. It would be a good learning lesson for a lot of different things that they will face once they leave home for good. I think it is a good idea to instill in your children they idea of helping out around the house when they are old enough to do so. I will have to remember this when my children get older and start working. As I am sure they will be. lol

No because they didn't ask to be born,you chose to have them. My mother did us the same way when my brothers and I lived at home and she got 100.00 every two weeks from me and my youngest brother and my oldest brother paid her 100.00 every week ,so after she had her sinus surgery she decided that she would stop working because we supplemented her income. she became dependant and didn't want us to leave,well i got tired of pay money and having a tweleve o clock curfew at the age of 21 and washing grownups clothes and cooking everyday so I moved out and she got mad because at the time my husband was my fiance and she said it was wrong,but anyway i left and then my younger brother moved out then the oldest moved out and they lost the house because she still didn't go back to work. My point is no!

I dont think its a good idea, not at that age. Depends how well your daughter is doing at work. I dont personally make enough to be able to afford to pay that much, not to mention saving up for school and stuff. But I believe if a child is still living with the parents after they graduated college then they MUST pay. Im kind of on the fence whether they should pay rent during college, since they will be very strapped for cash with having to pay for tuition. I dont think parents should MAKE their kids pay unless they are under 20, unless the child offers.