Money Moral Dilemma: How much board should I charge?

A question about : Money Moral Dilemma: How much board should I charge?

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How much board should I charge?

My partner’s daughter is 18 and has just started a full time job. She was at uni part-time before that and my partner gave her Ј30 per week, plus paid for expenses such as mobile, clothes and gym. She’s now earning over Ј200 a week and we’ve asked her to pay Ј30 a week towards board, so she can learn the value of money. She thinks it isn’t fair and says she’ll only pay Ј20. Should we make her pay up?

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• "quote" MSE Archna
  My partner’s daughter is 18 and has just started a full time job. She was at uni part-time before that and my partner gave her Ј30 per week, plus paid for expenses such as mobile, clothes and gym. She’s now earning over Ј200 a week and we’ve asked her to pay Ј30 a week towards board, so she can learn the value of money. She thinks it isn’t fair and says she’ll only pay Ј20. Should we make her pay up?
  Hello MSE Archna
  In my opinion your partner's daughter should be paying more than Ј20 per week, if she is working full time then she is responsible to pay board, if she had to live away she would have to pay an awful lot more than that per week.
  I would insist she pays the Ј30 pw you are asking for or tries to find somewhere else as cheap as that and stick to your descision.
  I personally feel that young adults have it far too easy now, when i left school i earnt a measly Ј25 per week, i had to give my mother Ј15 pw, it certainly taught me the value of money.
  Good luck
• Ј30 a week and she is moaning, so it leaves her Ј170 a week to herself.
  Tell her to pay up or ship out. She should be paying at least Ј60 a week.
  Dont let her get away with it,
  If you must write everything down and split the gas, elec, water, rent, food, etc etc, etc, present it to her
  and tell her she must pay her way or find somewhee else to live.
  Follow through though or you will regret it.
• I think at least Ј50 a week. My daughter leaves college next year and we have already had this conversation and she understands that as a working adult she need to contribute to the household. If she thinks she can get it all for less elsewhere, let her try.
• Ј30 a week! Gosh, that's good. Lucky girl! Up here in London a room in a house is Ј80 a week minimum. And how much does she pay seperately for heating, water, light, internet, food, domestic phone, TV license, Council Tax and insurance? She is getting a good deal. Has she considered looking for an alternative place? If she needs to learn, she needs to learn. She will not be able to negotiate a reduction of a third of her costs in the future and has she said why Ј30 a week will leave her short?
  Sorry if that seems harsh but it really isn't!
• I agree with Mckneff and dronid - work out what your costs are to run the household and divide by the number of adults - that's a fair contribution - I would think she'll be quite shocked by how much it actually costs to run a house . Otherwise a minimum of 1/3 of take home pay (you can always do what a friends mum did for her as a suprise - save any amount over the Ј30 or all of her contribution if you are feeling generous and give it to your partner's daughter when she leaves home as a deposit for a flat/house etc)
• Ј30 is peanuts for someone earning Ј200 a week. My parents and I always agreed that when I was earning a living from a full time job I would pay Ј120/month board! If she can find the same things for less, kick her out
• Are there tax implications? What's the max that can be charged prior to it becoming an issue?
• Isn't it the same as the rentaroom scheme so about Ј5k (ish)
• I think I paid about a third, so she should be looking at around Ј66 a week. I'd also ask for Ј30 a week till she's repaid what you gave her when she was at uni.
  If she pays Ј20 that's less than repaying what she got while she was at uni! I think she's having a laugh.
  If she wont pay up, then say that Ј20 just covers the room. So take out anything electrical, even the lightbulb, don't buy her food, don't let her use the washing machine or phone...
  I know that sounds really, really mean, but I got into loads of debt when I left home. My sister's finished uni owing dad and me thousands. I really, truly believe that it's in her best interests to be introduced to the real world in a 'safe' way while she's at home, than suddenly be faced with a huge drop in disposable income and a rise in bills without learning money management.
• When I was living at home and earning the rule was one third of my wages for saving one third for spending and one third for keep or towards household expenditure whatever you term it. I stuck to the same example with my son who has just left home at 21 and he understands what things cost, that nothing comes easy and he has several thousand pounds in the bank towards his house deposit. Please stop supposedly letting your kids off lightly and teach them how to live within their means.
• Ј30.....out of Ј200.. (Screeeeech!!!) Trust me you will be doing her no favours at all if you let her get away with that. I agree with Jany - One third contribution, one third saving. If she doesnt need (operative word - NEED) to learn how to budget before she is an adult (21) you will be supporting her and her debts all your life........ and when she has run through your remaining assets when you are dead ...who will bail her out then!
  Having said that - be fair to the girl - if she can find somewhere else she would like to live for Ј20 a week - dont hold her back!
• She's going to get a nasty shock when (if) she moves into the real world someday and has to pay for things herself!
  If she thinks Ј30 a week is too much out of her Ј200, why not suggest you forget about this whole "board" thing, and just split all the household bills like adults: food, electricity, gas, council tax, water rates.....work them out and show her how much her adult share of the household expenditure would be; Ј30 might not seem quite so "unfair" to her then.
  Proper Geordie
• The discussion here is all about a difference of Ј10
  It's family, why argue over a tenner?
  One day parents may have to go into care, I hope the daughter remembers their stinginess when that time comes.
• It's not a tenner it's the principle of it. If she were to leave home she'd be paying much more than Ј30 and have much less than Ј170 a week to spend on...well...pretty much anything. It's much more than most people in the real world have after paying the rent and the bills. It's all about encouraging them to leave home and get a home of their own. At Ј30 a week I'd stay there as long as possible. I'd be saying 1/3rd as well as other posters have said (but...I would save most of it and give it back if required..and proven to me that it would be spent on something such as a deposit on a rental or a deposit on a home)
• Let her look! If she finds a place for the Ј20 a week she thinks is fair, you and OH go and and grab rooms there and rent your own place out for a few months and make a few bob lol!