How it works
Ben has a new job in a new town, and houses cost a lot of coins to buy. So he rents a little cottage that belongs to Rosa.
Rent means paying coins to use a place that someone else owns. Ben pays Rosa 4 coins at the start of each month.
The cottage still belongs to Rosa. She is the owner, and Ben is the tenant.
The owner looks after the home and fixes big things like the roof. The tenant keeps it tidy and tells the owner when something is wrong.
Worked examples
Rent for three months
- Ben pays 4 coins a month.
- Month 1: 4 coins. Month 2: 4 coins. Month 3: 4 coins.
- 4 + 4 + 4 = 12 coins in all.
Four and five months
- Two months of rent is 4 + 4 = 8 coins.
- Four months is 8 + 8 = 16 coins.
- Five months is 4 + 4 + 4 + 4 + 4 = 20 coins.
A dripping roof
- A tile cracks, and a drip falls into a bucket.
- Ben tells Rosa.
- Rosa comes with a ladder and fixes it, because she owns the cottage.
How many months with 18 coins?
- Four months cost 16 coins, and 16 is less than 18.
- Five months would cost 20 coins, which is more than 18.
- So Ben can pay for 4 whole months, with 18 − 16 = 2 coins left over.
A taste of the worksheets
These are some of the questions on the sets. The printable sheets have more and an answer key.
- Ben wants to paint a wall. What should he do? Just paint it / Wait until the rent is paid / Ask Rosa first, because it is her wall
- True or false? Ben says: the roof is dripping, so I must fix it myself. Is Ben right?
- Ben has 18 coins. How many whole months of rent can he pay? 3 months / 4 months / 5 months
- Which one is not a job for the tenant? 🧱 keeping the walls sound / 🪙 paying the rent / 🛋️ living in the home
- Which one is not a job for the owner? 🧱 keeping the walls sound / 🧰 changing a cracked tile / 🔒 locking the door at night
Words to know
- rent
- Coins paid to use a place that someone else owns.
- owner
- The person who owns a home and looks after it.
- tenant
- The person who lives in a home and pays rent.
Watch out for
- Paying rent does not make the tenant the owner. The cottage still belongs to Rosa.
- The tenant does not fix the roof. The tenant tells the owner, and the owner fixes it.
- Rent comes round every month, like a calendar page turning, so keep the coins ready.
- Ask the owner first before painting a wall, because it is her wall.
Try it
Ben pays 4 coins a month. How many coins is that for two months?
8 coins. 4 + 4 = 8.
A roof tile cracks in the cottage. Who fixes the roof?
The owner, Rosa. The owner looks after the roof and the big repairs.
Does rent pay for using a home or for owning it?
Using it. Rent pays for using a home that someone else owns.
Ben wants to paint a wall. What should he do?
Ask Rosa first. It is the owner's wall.
For grown-ups
Ask a grown-up who looks after the place where you live, and what happens when something needs fixing.
Ask your child who looks after the place where you live, and what happens when something needs fixing. This story is pretend, with made-up people.