Parents criticised for charging daughter rent to live at home two weeks after she finished school

A set of parents are being criticised online after revealing they charged their daughter rent to live at home only two weeks after she finished school.

Although many would agree that graduating from school means you have to start adulting and thinking about responsibilities like paying bills and rent, these parents have divided the internet with their decision.

TikTokers Erika and Cody Archie, from Gatesville, Texas left social media in shock when revealing their living situation with their 19-year-old daughter Kylee.

The mum and dad have accumulated almost a million followers on TikTok as they share their experiences living on a ranch. They got a whole heap of new attention after revealing that Kylee gets charged $200 (£160) a month in rent.

Kylee graduated from high school in May 2022 and did not plan on going to university. Within two weeks of graduating, her parents started charging her rent from 1 June.

"Our thought together is that since [Kylee] has graduated I told her... I been telling her, '1 June, your rent's due if you continue to live here'," Cody said in a TikTok video posted last year.

Cody admitted to being a bit stricter than Erika, who apparently wanted to give their daughter some ‘leeway’ on the payments.

"I thought that was a little harsh, I mean maybe a little leeway," the mum then said, to which Cody added: "200 bucks a month is plenty cheap to live like a grub in your parents' house.

"That's cheaper than she eats in food," Erika then said. "We think it teaches them a good lesson in paying bills."

People on TikTok were divided over the parents’ decision, with some parents agreeing and others on the fence.

“A definite no for me… I know it’s rare, but I will forever help my kids… no matter the age,” one parent commented under the video.

Another parent said they are planning to charge their children, but will save the money for them when they move out.

They wrote: “I’m gunna [sic] charge them rent same as y’all but imma [sic] save it up for them for when they move out, it will set them up pretty good and they will still learn.”

Other parents said charging children rent once they’re older teaches them about responsibilities. One mum commented: “I charged my daughter 200 a month when she quit college. It teaches them a lot.”

One person in the comments who used to pay a fee to their parents shared: “I didn’t pay rent but I paid half the groceries, half the propane, half the electric bill. It was just me and my dad but he didn’t make me pay rent.”

While someone else wrote: “My dad did the exact same thing!! I had to pay $500 (£401.32) a month.”

Another commenter was against it and said: “Never charging family for anything.”

Figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show 4.8 million adults between the ages of 18 and 34 live with their parents in the UK.