Mom charges her four kids a monthly rent of $255, shares why it's a crucial money lesson

A mom of four from England has come up with a unique method to teach her kids a crucial lesson about rent. Natalie, a 54-year-old receptionist, charges her kids £200 (~$255) per month in rent. She told The Sun she doesn't plan to give up the parent landlord's job anytime soon. Natalie calls her kids "KIPPERS" which stands for "kids in parents' pockets eroding retirement savings."

Here's why paying rent to parents isn't absurd

Natalie lives in a four-bedroom house in St. Albans with her husband, Simon, 58, an estate agent and four KIPPERS. Their three adult children Ambe, a 29-year-old client engagement manager, Sasha 26, who works as a model and business development manager and 23-year-old Dylan, who works as a fire technician, pay rent to live in their parents' home. 

Natalie told the publication that she had to charge a basic monthly rental payment from her kids because of the cost of living crisis that started in 2021.  Before that, all the kids used to live for free, until Natalie realized that she didn't have any spare cash to top up her pension or plan her usual holidays. 

“Some parents will be shocked if I demand a monthly standing order from my kids. I don't care. It is a parent’s job to teach your children about money and paying rent is a critical lesson," Natalie told The Sun. 

Charging rent from kids wasn't easy

Natalie shared that for several years they didn't consider charging rent from their kids. However, as the cost-of-living crisis began they realised they needed to turn into landlords. 

“The hike in gas and electric prices was scary enough.  But I had five adults in our house and was getting hit by bills which had doubled," Natalie said. With five mouths to feed, she expressed that the grocery bills alone were "terrifying". Despite this, Natalie said she was nervous about asking her children to pay rent.  

What do the children think?

While some may think that their kids would be unhappy, it isn't the case at all. She said her children happily agreed when Natalie asked them for the £200 (~$250) standing order each month.

Natalie said her children have no plans to move out any time soon. She explained that her eldest, Amber, briefly moved out to live in a studio flat paying £1,200 (~$1,500) a month in rent.

However, she moved back in after a breakup as she couldn’t afford to pay over half her salary on "a tiny one-room flat." The second in line, Sasha, uses the family home as a base while traveling across the world as a model.

Meanwhile, Dylan, who recently completed his fire technician training, spends part of the week with his girlfriend. "The kids simply refuse to leave,"  Natalie said.

Rightly so, because paying £1,200 a month in rent would be a 500% increase from living at their parent's home. Natalie explained that as long as the kids have a job there is no reason why "they can't contribute to the household expenses."