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Home » The Water Cooler – At What Age Should Parents Start Charging Adult Children Rent?

The Water Cooler – At What Age Should Parents Start Charging Adult Children Rent?

by CLAYCORD.com
31 comments

The “Water Cooler” is a feature on Claycord.com where we ask you a question or provide a topic, and you talk about it.

The “Water Cooler” will be up Monday-Friday in the noon hour.

“Parents charging rent” on TikTok has reached over 59.7B views, according to data found by FOX Business.

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QUESTION: At what age do you think parents should start making their adult children pay rent?

Talk about it.

31 comments


S May 16, 2023 - 12:50 PM - 12:50 PM

18

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Xj May 17, 2023 - 5:58 AM - 5:58 AM

Agree. Or as soon as they start identifying as another gender.

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Hanne Jeppesen May 17, 2023 - 11:50 AM - 11:50 AM

I assume you don’t have children!

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WC---Creeker May 16, 2023 - 1:10 PM - 1:10 PM

22 or with a college education, whichever comes first. The child should pay the parents rent then get reimbursed by the federal government. This will incent the government to grow the economy, remove regulations, provide business incentives for creating and expanding businesses. This thriving economy will allow young adults to get out on their own quick and further improve the economy. Getting pulled into this updraft will be to provide better jobs for the high percentage of the people living in poverty in this state. I can dream….

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The Fearless Spectator May 16, 2023 - 3:31 PM - 3:31 PM

That’s one technicolor dream right there…….

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Bone Head May 16, 2023 - 9:11 PM - 9:11 PM

What a clown. Do you realize that we’re already in the beginning of a recession? I’ve been in a professional services business for over 25 years (engineering) and we see the future with construction ….and now it is really slowing down. The government can only “grow” the economy with other peoples’s money (usually our taxes) – and by the way, that’s called socialism. The government is now running out of money because of the idiots voted into office. Especially in CA as most of the “high paying” tax payers have decided to move on to “greener pastures.” My wife & I are about a year from doing the same thing. Go read the news on CA’s growing deficit since many of the high paid professions have left the stae and their tax money won’t be coming in to CA’s coffers. Good luck dreamer….

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Fed Up May 17, 2023 - 11:19 AM - 11:19 AM

Sarcasm? The Government NEVER REMOVES REGULATIONS unless forced, even when the courts rule against them, they still will try to regulate without the consent of the governed.

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Dorothy May 16, 2023 - 1:23 PM - 1:23 PM

As soon as they are adults and out of school. Except if they are young hoods in which case they should give the parent a part of the take.

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Lou May 16, 2023 - 1:31 PM - 1:31 PM

When my brother and I reached reached 18 our parents charged us $ 80.00 a month. We moved out and paid $ 65.00 a month, that was in the seventies. Of course we both had full time jobs not like kids nowadays.

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TheCitizen May 16, 2023 - 2:28 PM - 2:28 PM

haha for $1800 a month you can now get a cardboard box. Good luck at 18 yrs getting a job that pays enough for food, water, and housing

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domo May 16, 2023 - 2:00 PM - 2:00 PM

When done with college – if no college – then right away… option would be to join the military

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To Do List May 16, 2023 - 2:12 PM - 2:12 PM

Great Question!!! I have mixed feeling on this and think it depends on some things besides age, like does the kid have a good plan for their future and acting on it or are they just hiding from life and responsibility. If the parent turns the relationship into an exchange of money, perhaps when the parent is elderly, the kid should charge the parents administrative fees to help them. Always try to look to consequences of actions. On the other hand, letting young adults flounder at the house and hide from life may be creating a monster.

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Concordejet May 16, 2023 - 2:38 PM - 2:38 PM

Start charging rent as soon as your kids turn sweet 16 so they cannot party instead they need to pay rent and save up for college

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Dawg May 16, 2023 - 2:43 PM - 2:43 PM

Isn’t adult children an oxymoron? If an offspring is still living at home after the age of 18, then I’d say that person is certainly behaving like a child. At 18, they are legally an adult, it’s time to start acting like one, and handle your own responsibilities. The kid will mature much faster after they are out of the house and on their own. If they cannot find a job, then join the military, and reap the benefits of the GI Bill, which will help with college, and buying a home.

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Jeff (the other one) May 16, 2023 - 2:46 PM - 2:46 PM

When a parent turns 55, they should start charging their kids rent. It is just 5-10 years from retirement, and that can help build up their nest egg. If parents reach age 60 without charging rent, that could impair their ability to retire.

Really, if and when they think appropriate. Housing costs today are not conducive to youth moving out. Starting salaries are generally insufficient to support getting a house (in a decent, safe, neighborhood). It does however help teach responsibility.

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Old Timer May 16, 2023 - 2:50 PM - 2:50 PM

If they are in school no within reason.Otherwise get a job and start paying a portion of rent and utilities.And with the understanding they save money to move out on there own.Then bye bye.

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The Fearless Spectator May 16, 2023 - 3:29 PM - 3:29 PM

Charge them rent at adulthood. Then unbeknownst to them, impound half of it.
If they show a lot of fortitude in pursuing a career and working hard, present it to them later to be used for something important in their life.
If they unfortunately turn out to be the type that goes through life with a sofa strapped to their rear end, then put it toward your own retirement.

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Old Otis May 16, 2023 - 4:03 PM - 4:03 PM

One year old! You goofed off for a whole year now PAY UP!
No free ride.

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Mustang Sally May 16, 2023 - 5:08 PM - 5:08 PM

My son moved back home after college, he was 22. I suggested he pay off his student loan and car. He then saved for a down payment on a house. In exchange I didn’t charge him rent as long as he paid everything off. He was able to buy his 1st home at 25. He also rented one of the rooms in his new house to a friend to help with the mortgage. This was in 2019.

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Angry American May 16, 2023 - 5:52 PM - 5:52 PM

As long as they are in school nothing. If they chose to not attend or take less than the minimum instantly and then bank the rent so they have a leg up later when they get their act together (don’t tell them). If they do not get their act together they take a vacation on them. If they mature slower than expectations (current generation) it may take patience and a little tough love but we seem to have to be parents a little longer than we expected so “hang on” it is a rough ride. “I will get off my soap box now” (dad of two “almost” adult girls)
Good luck folks!

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Angel May 16, 2023 - 6:35 PM - 6:35 PM

As long as our kids were in school, we didn’t charge rent. When they stopped going to school, we charged an agreed % of their paychecks at first. We also required a % to go into their savings account. We made sure they still had money to live life. That way they had the responsibility but weren’t working just to pay rent. As they got older and continued to stay in the house, we changed it to an agreed set amount. They have since moved out. There were times they hated it when they wanted to do something but didn’t have the money. But they have both told us they appreciate the lesson and habit we instilled in them. They also payed for their own cars completely on their own and payed their own car insurance. If they ever had a tight month, we would loan them money interest free. But only one loan at a time. So they had to decide just how badly they needed that loan because they knew we wouldn’t give them another one until that one was paid off. It was all about balance and teaching our kids. We didn’t want to throw them into the deep end, so we eased them into it. Both are out on their own and happy. They sometimes complain about “adulting”. But don’t we all?? LOL

Reality May 16, 2023 - 6:43 PM - 6:43 PM

Keep in mind, if you charge them rent then they become a renter and you a landlord. Complete with all the benefits California bestows upon renters. You would have to evicted them if it goes sideways.

Googlar May 16, 2023 - 6:52 PM - 6:52 PM

At no age.

Are shekels more important than your bloodline and lineage?

Pathetic.

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Negotiable May 16, 2023 - 8:43 PM - 8:43 PM

If the kids a getting good grades or good job w/ good behavior – negotiate what rent household goods to share. One can’t be so greedy with a well behaved individual.

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HonestAbe May 17, 2023 - 3:33 AM - 3:33 AM

I feel bad for the kids of the commenters.. Forcing your adult kid to pay rent just because they’ve reached a certain age is archaic and explains why so many kids stop talking to their parents.

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The Fearless Spectator May 17, 2023 - 4:05 PM - 4:05 PM

You are correct. Teaching offspring responsibility has become archaic.

Local Lady May 17, 2023 - 7:37 AM - 7:37 AM

Were I to do this, I would set the money aside for my child until she was ready to move out.

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Lamorinda Larry May 17, 2023 - 8:31 AM - 8:31 AM

Depends on the family’s finances and the adult child’s circumstances.

My children are likely to inherit enough money that they will never need to worry about making rent, and I expect to have sufficient means to cover my housing costs ad infinitum. As such, there’s no financial imperative for me to collect rent from my own offspring.

I won’t charge an adult child rent if he or she is home on leave from military service or on break from full time attendance at a residential university. Nor would I charge rent to an adult child living at home while enrolled in a full time post secondary degree program (undergraduate or grad school) because I’ll spend far less if they live at home while attending Cal or UCD than I’d need to spend for them to live on campus.

I WILL charge my adult children rent if they work a dead end job, flunk out of university, come home from incarceration, or opt not to work or study at all. I will, however, segregate rent collections and hold the funds in an interest bearing escrow account (e.g., series I-Bonds or TIPS) to cover their down payment once they get their life together.

I recognize that a non-contributing adult housemate would impose genuine hardship on many households, especially outside the 680/24 affluence bubble. If an adult child is living with his parents who themselves failed to accumulate a sufficient nest egg, the parents should absolutely charge said adult offspring market rent or evict the adult child and take in a tenant who can pay market rent. Adult children have ample time to build a retirement nest egg. Their aging parents do not.

We should also recognize that aging parents who don’t accumulate a modest nest egg ($1 million – $3 million, assuming no pension) are are likely to retire in poverty. Such parents must prioritize their own financial security and consider downsizing to reduce their rent burden or sell and trade down to supplement their savings. Such parents, however, need to acknowledge that own profligacy and poor discipline caused their lamentable situation. Hopefully their adult children will learn to make better choices.

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Exit 12A May 17, 2023 - 10:04 AM - 10:04 AM

.
In a sense, as soon as they are born.
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Young children (as early as five years old) should be taught that as a member of the family they are expected to contribute to maintaining the household… set the table, clear the table, empty the dishwasher, sort silverware, fold clothes, sweep, water plants, etc.
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The complexity of chores increases with age.
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Teach them the value of work and that nothing is “free”.

Hanne Jeppesen May 17, 2023 - 12:17 PM - 12:17 PM

As other have mentioned here, it depends. I lived at home off an on I came to the States at almost 22. From I was 16 to 18 I lived at home and worked full time. At 18 I wanted to take a secretarial 3 month course in Copenhagen, my favorite aunt and godmother, offered me free rent as long as I went to school and worked part time. To make a long story short, I hated office work and wanted to become a teacher. More schooling, some at a boarding school. I then wanted to travel, I moved back home, and worked sometimes 2 jobs to get the money to travel. Would get up at 5 a.m. and ride my bike (in the horrible Danish weather) 10 miles to start work early. When I was ready to leave for Israel my parents gave me extra money, because I had worked hard, saved my money and reached my goal. When I came back from Israel and wanted to go to Iceland (Icelandic girl I met in Israel invited me and girlfriends to Iceland) I then rented a room in the small town where I could get work. My parents were very conservative with money, but as long as I was working and trying to reach a goal the did not charge me rent. It would not have gone on forever, had I not stayed in the US, I’m pretty sure they would have expected me go get a job and housing on my own fairly soon after returning from the US, however I never returned for any length of time. My daugther went off to college at 18 and was pretty much on her own. Her dad paid for her college. I would have her live with me for a certain period of time as long as she was either working or going to school, but I had moved from Foster City to Benicia when she went off to college, and she didn’t want to live in Benicia. When she wanted to go back to school to get a master’s degree, her dad did not pay for that (he could easily afford it). So while I don’t think there should be a hard and fast age, I think by 25 or so at the latest they should be able to be on their own, or if living at home pay resonable rent and follow the house rules. I think most young people wants to be on their own as soon as it is feasible. Housing in this area is difficult, it is expensive and sometimes hard to find rentals. so living at home might be the most practical, but not a free ride if someone have a decent job and education.

The Mamba May 17, 2023 - 2:39 PM - 2:39 PM

Right after birth, nothing in life is free. The child starts accruing daily rent and food charges and is presented with a bill once they are gainfully employed. I only charge 15% on the interest though, I’m not a monster.


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