Temporary living with parents: considerations and tips

Everything has become a lot more expensive these days and this, in combination with the growing housing shortage, has meant that more and more young people are living with their parents for a longer period of time. Temporarily living with your parents after, for example, a divorce is also increasingly the most chosen option.

When you move in with your parents

If, due to circumstances, you can temporarily live with your parents again, this is of course very nice. However, living with your parents also has its share of consequences. We explain the financial and legal consequences of this in this article.

Are you going to live with your parents temporarily? Then you serve yourself according to the Dutch law to be registered with the municipality so that you are registered at your parents' address. You can find out how this works and what applies to you on the website of your municipality.

The consequences for allowances, benefits and taxes

As soon as you are registered with your parents, this has consequences for the allowances, benefits and taxes of everyone involved. We are happy to explain the consequences to you because you naturally want to take your income into account. Especially if, for example, one of you receives full benefits.

Every household in the Netherlands pays the necessary municipal taxes every year. It does not matter whether it is an owner-occupied or social rental home. Municipal taxes consist of waste tax, sewerage tax and water board tax.

The amount of taxes that must be paid is calculated based on the number of people in the household. This means that when you move in with your parents, higher costs will be charged. For the exact costs of these taxes, it is best to consult your municipality's website.

Is it true that your parents receive AOW? Then it is of course nice for you and for them to know that when you move in with them, this will not have any influence on their AOW. Children living at home do not count at all in the calculation of their state pension.

But watch out! Are you and your partner going to live with your parents or, as a single parent, do you have adult children who will also live with your parents? Do you contribute to your (grand)parents' household? Then it may have consequences for your parents' AOW. Inform yourself thoroughly about this by contacting the Social Insurance Bank.

In the Netherlands, healthcare allowance is not dependent on co-residents. This means that if you move in with your parents, this will not affect your healthcare allowance. This surcharge is always nice, so this is a bonus, isn't it?

When you live with your parents, you obviously do not have your own house number because in this case you simply live with your parents. Do your parents receive housing allowance? Then the fact that you are going to live with your parents may influence the amount they receive for housing benefit. The income of all residents is included in the calculation of rent allowance because it is a kind of cohabitation.

You can find a handy tool on the Tax Authorities' website that allows you to calculate all this. You can also use this tool later for your new home.

The consequences for social assistance benefits

As you have read, registering yourself with your parents not only has legal consequences, but also financial consequences. When you live together again as a family, this counts towards the cost-sharing standard. It is therefore automatically assumed that if several people live together, they can easily divide the housing costs.

This means that if you, your father or your mother receive benefits, this will affect the amount of your benefits. Yes, there are some cases where the cost sharing standard is not applied, but this is rare. This is often only when the child is younger than 21 or when the child receives student finance, for example. You can find more information about this on the government website.

A social rental home

If your parents live in a social rental home, it is important to first check the rental contract because sometimes there is a maximum number of people who can live in a home. For more information about this, it is best to contact the landlord. Landlords are happy to help you with these types of questions.

Always make good agreements

It is of course always cheaper to live with family because this way you can keep an eye on your savings, but when you live with family, such as your parents, you are of course part of their household again and this does entail additional costs. along.

This may all take some getting used to, but if you make good agreements about this in advance, you can live together in harmony.

Make agreements about finances

Every house has its rules and your parents' house is no exception. Therefore, always make good agreements about your finances first so that you will not encounter problems later. This is especially useful if one of your parents receives informal care or, for example, is on social assistance or receives another benefit.

Make agreements in particular about:

• Paying the rent or mortgage.
• Paying for the groceries.
• Paying gas water and light.
• Who pays for what in the event of any damage to the home.

Don't forget the practical matters

When adults live together, this can cause some problems. Everyone needs their own space and when too many people are huddled together, this can cause clashes. Therefore, make sure that in addition to financial agreements, you also discuss the practical aspects of this arrangement.

For example, who will cook and will you eat together or is it every man for himself? Are you allowed to have visitors at any time or do your parents want this to be discussed with them first? And the tidying up and cleaning? Do you want to make a plan for this or does everyone just do this together?

Don't forget your own business

Of course, there are also other things to think about. Of course, you also need to arrange matters for your old rental or purchase home. Did you have an allowance partner? Did you receive childcare allowance? What is your assets and did you receive any other allowances? As you can see, you also need to arrange a few things for yourself before you can take this step.

Your move

Of course, the move back to your parents still has to be carried out. Have you already thought about how you are going to do this? You can carry out the move yourself, but you can of course still do this hire professional movers.