Dad Tells Son He Has To 'Pay Rent Or Move Out' When He Turns 18, Despite Allowing His Older Brother To Stay For Free
Should he pay the rent or move-out and do life on his own?
Freeograph / Shutterstock. A 17-year-old boy is seeking advice on Reddit regarding his current home situation.
He turns 18 in a few weeks, and his father just informed him that he can either start paying rent or pack up and move out.
A young man's father told him he had to 'pay rent or move out' when he turned 18, but his older brother was living at home for free.
Turning 18 is a difficult time in life. These teens are recognized as adults but, in many cases, still feel like kids. Add to that our current economic climate, and fresh high school graduates have limited options when it comes to jobs that can actually sustain living independently.
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Case in point: an almost 18-year-old teen took to Reddit because his dad gave him an ultimatum. He wrote, "I turn 18 April 21st and my dad told me that he wants me to start paying rent after I turn 18 or I'll have to move out. This made me upset because both of my brothers weren't forced to move out or had to pay rent when they turned 18." He continued, "My oldest brother (25M) only moved out 2 years ago and my other brother (22M) still lives with us."
Understandably upset and frustrated, he questioned his father about making his older brother start paying rent as well. "He told me that he wasn't because he was unemployed and if he were to kick him out he'll be homeless. I asked my dad why he cares about him not being homeless but is ready to make me homeless," the young man shared.
His father said he would help with the move.
In response to his son’s upset, the dad offered to help him find a place and even co-sign the lease if he moved out. He asked why he couldn’t do the same for his brother and have him move out instead, to which he responded that he did not trust his older brother to be responsible.
"I feel like I'm getting punished for being well-behaved."
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To add insult to injury, his family has called the teen "ungrateful." He explained, "I tried to call my family to try and have them convince my dad that he was the one being unfair, but they told me that I should be grateful my dad cares about me and that they agree with him. They told me his only fault is letting (22M) and (25M) stay as long as they did and they are glad he wasn't gonna enable me?!"
Moving out at 18 is an impossibility for most teens.
Forbes recently published an article breaking down the average rent prices and square footage of apartments in every state, from highest to lowest. North Dakota was the cheapest state, with an average rent cost of $880 per month.
While this may seem affordable to someone in a well-established career, finding a job that would pay enough at 18 with no experience and still factor in incidentals, including utilities, groceries, and any other necessary expenses, would be next to impossible.
However, if this father, instead, charged his son rent to stay home, that was in alignment with whatever pay he could get at 18, isn't necessarily a bad idea. In fact, his dad could take that rent and save it for him in an interest-bearing account that would help him when he was in a more stable position to live independently.
Ex-Wall Street trader and financial influencer Vivian Tu told The Motley Fool that charging kids rent and saving it for their future is a great idea once they turn 18. She explained, "Ideally, this will get your kiddo out of the nest, on their own two feet, and paying their own rent sooner rather than later."
Many young adults stay home after graduating high school or college because of the high cost of living and low wages. According to a recent poll by Bloomberg, about 45% of people aged 18 to 29 live at home. And honestly, what other choice do they have?
Young adults should not feel the need to defend their decision to live at home. If their child is a good kid, working or going to school, parents should help when and if they can. The economy is very different now than when our parents were turning 18 and moving out.
Madison Piering is a writer on YourTango's news and entertainment team, specializing in human interest and pop culture topics.