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A mother has asked the internet whether it's okay to charge her teenage son rent at home.

It sparked a huge debate – as it would.

ShinyShoes2 posted the question to Mumsnet with the title: "Housekeeping money ... It's frowned upon right??"

She wrote: "My DS1 is finally going to work, he's 19, hopefully he'll stick with it.

"My DH wants to charge him housekeeping money.

"I was chatting to someone at work at he said that he wouldn't charge his children to live at home.

"It should always be their home and he'd never charge his children to live there...

"What's the general consensus?"

(Image: Getty)

The response was hugely mixed. Some parents recalled their own experiences of their teenage years, while others, in the same position with 'earning' kids of their own, offered their thoughts.

Overall, opinions were divided between people who thought children should pay their way once they reached a certain age (though this in itself was debated – 16, 18, 21?).

"We had to pay it as soon as we got our first part time job at 16," LaticeRoyale wrote.

"Would never have occurred to me not to contribute once I was earning."

Another user said: "We had 2 DDs and a BF that just appeared one day and never left.

"They gave £10 each a week for electric and water and a bit of food. The older DD and BF were earning more than me at the time.

"We wouldn't have charged more tho as we would be paying the bills whether they were here or not (all gone now). We felt a small contribution was fair enough."

(Image: Getty)

The amount children living at home should have to pay was also contested. Some parents suggested a 'nominal fee', while others think a proper rent is justified.

ButteredToast commented: "I think it's a good thing to charge working children still living at home some board money.

"I was charged an amount, gets you used to the fact that things cost in the real world.

"My son isn't working yet, I was thinking about saving the board money, then giving him it back when he leaves, I'm still having a think about that though, will all depend on whether I can afford to or not."

One option floated was to charge rent but put it away in a savings account to give back to the teenager later.

While others simply said it's not right to force your own kids to pay rent in the home that they grew up in.

"I was never charged, and I would never charge," CheekyFunkyMonkey said.

"Plenty of other ways to teach responsibility with money and for me it just wouldn't feel right."

And RedPony1 wrote: "My parents refused any money off of us. If I moved back now for any reason there is no way they would take my money. I would never charge either."

We can't include whether you think a nominal fee is appropriate, or more money should be paid, but let us know whether you think kids should pay their way at home – and at what age.