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Ages 7+ · Money · Money and the world
Rent: paying to use a home
Tenant: Ben• Pays the rent• Lives in the home• Keeps it tidy• Tells the owner what is wrongOwner: Rosa• Owns the home• Gets the rent• Fixes the roof• Mends big things
Who does what in a rented home.
The big ideaRent is coins paid to use a home someone else owns. The owner looks after it.

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.

Rent paid so far0510152041 month82 months123 months164 monthscoins
Rent comes round every month, 4 coins at a time.
🔑Rosa hands over the key🪙Ben pays rent🛠️Rosa fixes the roof🧹Ben keeps it tidy
A rented home.

Example 1: Rent for three months

  1. Ben pays 4 coins a month.
  2. Month 1: 4 coins. Month 2: 4 coins. Month 3: 4 coins.
  3. 4 + 4 + 4 = 12 coins in all.

Example 2: Four and five months

  1. Two months of rent is 4 + 4 = 8 coins.
  2. Four months is 8 + 8 = 16 coins.
  3. Five months is 4 + 4 + 4 + 4 + 4 = 20 coins.

Example 3: A dripping roof

  1. A tile cracks, and a drip falls into a bucket.
  2. Ben tells Rosa.
  3. Rosa comes with a ladder and fixes it, because she owns the cottage.

Example 4: How many months with 18 coins?

  1. Four months cost 16 coins, and 16 is less than 18.
  2. Five months would cost 20 coins, which is more than 18.
  3. So Ben can pay for 4 whole months, with 18 − 16 = 2 coins left over.

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

Try it

  1. Ben pays 4 coins a month. How many coins is that for two months?
  2. A roof tile cracks in the cottage. Who fixes the roof?
  3. Does rent pay for using a home or for owning it?
  4. Ben wants to paint a wall. What should he do?
Answers: 1. 8 coins · 2. The owner, Rosa · 3. Using it · 4. Ask Rosa first
Try at homeAsk a grown-up who looks after the place where you live, and what happens when something needs fixing.
For grown-upsAsk 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.
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