Maintenance for 24-year-old son
July 20, 2009 | 20,00 EUR | answered by Andreas Scholz
Our son is 24 years old and has had his own apartment for about 2 years. He has completed a second education, and we have supported him financially until the end of his education. Now that he has finished his education, he is looking for work and has applied for rental assistance/housing benefit from the city administration.
Question: Can the administration require me and my wife (I am not the biological father, my wife's son was not adopted) to provide financial support?
Dear inquirer,
Parents can only be held liable to the extent that there is a maintenance claim for the child. In your case, this means:
No, you cannot be held liable for two reasons:
Firstly, you are not the biological father, so there is no maintenance claim against you.
Secondly, your son does not have a maintenance claim either, as parents generally only have to finance education. Since your son has not (yet) pursued studies that could require maintenance payments, there is no longer a claim for maintenance.
I hope this information has been helpful to you.
Best regards,
Andreas Scholz, Attorney
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