Children require care and affection, and family members should seize this opportunity to provide them with these essential qualities.
A user asked, Am I wrong for charging my 16-year-old nephew rent to live with me?
Backstory
In February, the Original Poster’s (OP) 16-year-old nephew moved out of OP’s younger sister’s home and came to live with OP.
OP’s sister has four other kids with OP’s nephew’s stepdad. The oldest is eight, and the youngest is just a few months. OP’s nephew and stepdad both hate each other.
What Did OP’s Nephew Do
OP’s nephew had been couch surfing with friends on and off for a few months before he moved in with OP.
What Did OP Say
OP says, “My roommate moved out at the end of last year, and I can afford the rent without him now, so I wasn’t planning on having someone else move in.
My nephew has a job and works around 20 hours a week. When I offered him a place to stay, it was on the condition that he pays me 10% of his weekly paycheck. His mom knows I am taking part of his earnings as rent and has no problem with it.”
What Did The Older Sister Say
However, OP’s older sister (not his mom) found out OP was charging him rent to live with OP and thinks OP is a jerk. She says because he is still 16, nobody should be charging him rent.
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OP Disagrees
OP says, “I disagree as he has a bedroom he can sleep in free of charge and where he can get all his food free of charge. He is choosing not to live there. He chose to live with me even though he knows he would have to pay rent upfront. I don’t have any custody and am not his legal guardian; his mom still is.”
Sister Thinks She Can Afford It
OP’s sister argues because OP can afford to house him/feed him etc that means OP is charging him for no reason (OP can afford it but not comfortably as her grocery bill has doubled and electricity has gone up), and he should be saving or spending that money on himself.
She also thinks he’s not choosing to live with OP but rather choosing to live somewhere he feels safe (which is not with his stepdad) and that OP is making him pay for something he has a right to.
This Made OP Question Herself
This point makes OP question herself as she somewhat agree.
OP says, “I know he would instead be living with his mom because they are very close, but living with his stepdad has become too hard. He would probably live anywhere else right now.
I am also the only relative that lives in the same town as his mom, so even if my older sister would happily let him live with her, she lives to far away. I’m his only alternative option that isn’t his friends’ houses. Am I wrong?”
Read: 21 Things You’re Saying That Make People Dislike You “Instantly”: Guilty of Any?
He Is Scared
“You are wrong – Poor kid is scared to be at home, and you want to charge him rent? Not ok.”
You’re Charging The Minor Rent
“You’re wrong for charging a minor rent. His parents should be paying for him (whether you need it or not – his parents should be paying CS) a 16 year old should be encouraged to finish HS, think about college/trade school, and work part-time to start saving.”
You’re Taking Advantage Of Him
“You are wrong you are taking advantage of a child who was seeking a safe place to live. If you need money to cover the increased expenses, talk to his mom. Maybe you can help him set up a savings account so he can work towards getting his own place some day. But charging a child rent isn’t ok.”
His Parents Should Be Paying
“You are wrong. If CPS finds out about this, they could investigate you for financial exploitation of a minor and his mom for neglect.
The child is a minor and he’s still a dependent which means, his parent should be paying for the roof over his head, clothes, food, etc. if you want to charge someone, charge his mom and step-dad but don’t charge a vulnerable child.”
10 Percent Is Reasonable
“Not wrong, 10% is less than $15.00 a week, and this is going by the federal minimum wage 7.25 an hour. The kid has no other bills and can spend the rest of his money as he sees fit.”
“Not wrong, you’re charging him like 80$ a month, people need to chill, just covering some of his groceries.”
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This article was originally published on Mrs Daaku Studio.