I was never charged rent by my parents nor was my sister. We have our children for such a short time before they move out and get all grown up. Your child earns a small salary which you now want to take some of. Put the shoe on the other foot now. What if you are 55 or 60 years old and now have to go live by one of your kids. Will you be happy to pay rent contribute to the food closet if you only get R 2500 to R 4000 per month from your pension fund knowing that they get way more than you...

My grandmother lived with us for about 12 years. We gave the food, electricity etc etc. It was a honour to be able to do that.
They need you now...
You'll need them later...

Yes as many people say, only when they are out of school and tertiary education and have a full-time job or reasonable regular paying part time job. But do not rip them off by charging 30%, that's madness, how would you feel if you earn R4500 and have to give R1350 for rent, the remainder is their petrol expense.
A good idea would be to ask them to take responsibility for say the rates and taxes or electricity or water accounts, something that they can manage themselves and understand why his/her parents moaned about swithching the lights off.
I had to pay for school clothes, personal clothes, toiletries, school books, entertainment, snacks, hobbies, sports etc from std 6. This forced me into labour market at very early age, which is not desirable if you want your children to achieve in life.

So speak to your child, discussing their income and expences, as well as your feelings. I am sure if your child is responsible he/she will suggest a good solution which he/she will be able to stick to.

Damn right they pay rent. 25% min of gross. When they moan tell them to find somewhere cheaper. They have to learn life at moms house does not last forever

My dad made me pay rent - was around R1000 18 yrs ago. Which at that time I knew is was cheaper to pay him R1000 cus it would have have costed me around R4000 to live on my own.
This went on for 3 years .in the fourth year on my Birthday he gave me a lump sum R30 000 and said that the money I gave him for rent he use some of it to pay the bond .... the rest was mines

I think a minimal rent is a great idea. Its a great way to start preparing your teens for the real world and when you really love your children you want to prepare them as best you can and give them the very best start in life.

My parents charged me 10% from the moment I started work, as did my husband's and I think it well prepared us for reality. We will definitely do the same with our two children.

We have some very close friends who disagreed with our views on this subject and who now find themselves in a situation where their 26 year old and 22 year old are still living with them and still not paying rent. As their father has just been made redundant for a second time, our friends are having to put their house on the market because they can no longer afford it. You would think the children (now adults) would appreciate their parents position but, because they have no concept of the cost of living at all, they go on oblivious to what their ignorance is actually costing their parents - and I dont just mean financial cost - they are going to lose everything!

I started working when I was 14 years old in a fish and chip shop on weekends (yes I know..still battle to walk into fish shops to this day hehehe)
I didnt have to pay rent but I bought my own clothes and paid my own entertainment. I left home at 17 and can count on one hand the times Ive called my folks for help in my late teens and early 20's (normally a few rands for food after spending all my money on jolling lol). Yes, they should be charged rent, it teaches independance and responsibility and NOTHING in life comes for free!

I believe its a good thing for teens to start contributing to the household when they start working.
My son is an apprentice and doesn't earn much at all, but he eats at home every day, gets driven to work and back every day, he showers and shaves, he has DSTV, internet access, a maid to do his laundry and tidy up his room properly twice a week, a pool, PC, Xbox and PS2. Were he to move out, even into a shared commune space, those would be luxuries and well out of his "price range" so he pays a small portion of his weekly salary to contribute to these expenses.
I started giving him an invoice every month with a list of what he contributes to so that he can see why he has to pay board and lodging. And if- for example- he eats all the cheese without asking or thinking of the other people in the house, I add a block of cheese to his invoice. He is also a smoker, so if his money is finished and he asks to borrow money for lunch or cigarettes I detail those small loans on his invoice too.
It may sound as if I am being petty, but I don't want him to be okay with borrowing money for everything and anything. One needs to learn to live within your means and making debt should be something serious and a last resort.