Waleed Aly ‘disgusted’ parents charge adult children for rent

Recent studies have found Australian parents are forking out $12.2 billion every year to keep their adult children at home. It was a hot topic on Wednesday night’s episode of The Project, where host Waleed Aly admitted he was shocked when he found out his co-stars were forced to pay rent to their parents when they were adults.

Co-host Ryan Fitzgerald recalled Aly being “disgusted” when he learnt he, along with Carrie Bickmore, paid board to their parents when they were younger.

“Talking about this earlier today, you were disgusted our parents were charging us,” Fitzgerald said to Aly. Aly said his upbringing had something to do with his views and values.

“Coming from an Egyptian family, and basically every wog in the country will understand this, the idea of being charged or charging your kids rent would be the most shameful thing you could possibly do in the world,” he said. “If the rest of the community found out, you would be banished. You would be sent to Antarctica or something for doing that to your kids.”

Read more: Aussie parents spending billions to fund adult kids still living at home

Bickmore asked if that had anything to do with parents wanting their kids to look after them when they were older.

“That is true, but I think also within these sort of communities or cultures, they do find it hard to send their parents to retirement homes,” he said. “To be really clear, I will be charging my kids rent, but that’s just beside the point here, I’m just talking about what generally happens. It’s really unusual.”

Earlier in the segment, Steve Price said the reason so many Australian adults are staying home is because it’s free.

“I think they stay at home because it’s free,” he said. “That’s the theory. They don’t actually have to pay any board or any rent. I think the other reason parents don’t actually mind having their adult children at home, Baby Boomer parents like me, your kids actually make you feel a bit younger. Our house feels a bit younger.”

He also said times were changing and parents these days were more relaxed when it came to their kids having relations in the family home.

“There’s one other theory I’ve found out today by doing a bit of research on this. Apparently when I was growing up, we weren’t allowed to have sex at home in our parents’ house,” Price added.

Waleed Aly could be heard groaning, but Price continued.

“Apparently now, parents don’t have a problem with their children having sex at home, so they have no reason to leave.”

Bickmore said she stayed home until she was 21, but noted she always had to pay board and do chores.

“It was almost easier to move out of home than it was to live at home,” she said.

Price added that parents these days were too soft.

“I think they’re definitely too soft,” he continued. “When I started work, I paid a third of my first salary in board it was called, not rent, and you had to mow the lawn with a mower that didn’t have a motor in it. And then you had to wash your dad’s car on the weekend. It was very tough.”

What do you think? Why are so many adult kids staying at home longer? Do you think it’s acceptable to ask adult kids to pay rent or board?