issues with lodger

That is incorrect advice. For a lodger, the law envisages 'reasonable notice'. A week or any other term is not specified. Reasonable notice in normal circumstances would consider the lodger needing to find somewhere else and would typically envisage the occupancy being from rent period to rent period, and therefore give a similar period of notice: if paid monthly, a month's notice or if paid weekly, a week's notice.

But the idea of reasonable notice is to allow for other circumstances, recognising that the landlord is living in the house with the lodger and the more usual period of notice may not be practical or suitable and indeed there may be no notice in certain cases, for example, if there's unacceptably bad conduct or threat or danger. The landlady would need to protect herself and her home.

To be fair. I don’t think I did 😂😂😂😂

my bad

The comments saying you've made a mistake are harsh. Some disordered/messed up people don't show their colors for a long time.

Has he said he lived in your home specifically for six months/two yrs, or just in the area? Sorry op that you don't feel safe in your home after everything you've been through.

She might well ‘get away with’ throwing someone out on the streets with zero notice (and breaking the law), however there is absolutely no legitimate basis to do this.

You could say the same about all sorts of things.

OP could probably ‘get away with’ nicking a sandwich from Sainsburys.

Doesn’t make it the right thing to do (or legal).

You’re getting some terrible advice here OP.

Have you not read all of OP’s earlier posts? It’s more than that.

Also this lodgers’ behaviour may well get much worse after he’s been told to leave.

In practice OP will be absolutely fine to give 48 hours notice if she argues that this man makes her feel unsafe in her home.

No court in the land would award the lodger any damages against her, and the police wouldn’t force her to take him back in.

Ending an excluded tenancy requires "reasonable notice" which is usually the rental period, I think OP said he pays monthly so it would be a month. I really don't think moving a key to a shed and potentially eating an edible gift are reasons to fear for safety, while they might be irritating or unsettling for the OP.

You might tell him that you don't feel it's working out, and want to give him his notice of a month but would happily accept if he wants to leave earlier.

Can you make mini kitchen In the lodger living space so does not need to share kitchen with you?

You can’t override statutory housing laws because you think someone lied about an aspect of their personal life unrelated to the lodging arrangement.

Can a friend from up north come and have a visit with you whilst your lodger searches for new digs?

Sorry what did he steal?

I suggested OP call 101, the police non emergency line, just to leave a record of why she’s giving the lodger 48 hours notice.

They may yawn and say it’s a civil affair, but the call will be recorded. That might come in useful to OP in future, for example if he tries to kick up a stink legally that he’s not been allowed to serve out a long notice period.

Theft and dishonesty are just two of the issues with this lodger so far.

Telling him that she’s spoken to the police may press upon him the seriousness of the situation as well.

Has OP called 999?

Eaten an edible gift and moved a key!

What’s he done that involves calling the police?

But a live-in landlord’s duty to ensure their own safety overrides standard notice periods.

The lodger’s bad behaviour will only worsen during a notice period. He should be on best behaviour at the moment - he’s only been living with OP a fortnight!

OP can also make a cal to the police non emergency line so that there is a paper trail recording her fears and why she is giving him 48 hours notice.

You’re legally obligated to give a week’s notice at minimum or whatever your rental payment period is (the latter if longer)

Female lodgers aren’t always better, though. With a female lodger you never know what men might be given access to your property.

One of my worst experiences was with a nice female lodger who would go out to work leaving her aggro boyfriend hanging around the lounge and kitchen all day awaiting her return.

After a while I put a stop to it, she moved out, and overall it was an ugly situation. I couldn’t have predicted him being part of the package.

I agree. Such a deliberately malicious thing to do.

@threeunrelatedwords the town 🤦🏼‍♀️ I’m reporting it now and hopefully mods remove. Don’t know why she’d do that.

I would tell him he has to leave immediately: the placing of your key somewhere so unobvious was not an accidental move. He's up to no good. He can go stay with a friend / parents. It's not your problem at all.

You don’t need to give a lodger a full rental period’s notice when you legitimately believe your safety is at risk.

You can tell him today that he has to be out by Saturday. No debate needed. Give him a fixed time of midday so he doesn’t try to drag it out or not leave at all.

If he is from the town (which you probably shouldn’t have identified, OP! Mods can remove that!) - then he surely has friends and relatives he can stay with till he finds somewhere else.

We know he has a girlfriend, he can shack up with her for a while.

You’d be perfectly within your rights to change the locks. Ask the police to attend if you fear there will be a breach of the peace.

Surely that’s the difference between lodger and flatmate. I’ve been both and lodging is very much a stick to your room when here type thing. Fine for me at the time. I think it’s really important to get expectations clear at the outset.

oh for goodness sake !

now you don't feel safe !

give him the month's notice.

it's now becoming one issue after another, and it started off with him using the kitchen for too long the other day, 14th Oct it's now 17th

you are the person that didn't issue a contract, didn't seem to take references, did you carry out a credit check ?

you decided you wanted a lodger but seem very unprepared for having one - you are not stupid you know how to use the internet and have a Mumsnet account and can post, you managed to buy a property

why on earth did you not find out about lodgers ? there is enough info on Google.

and as a woman living on her own, you chose a man to lodge with you ! ?
why.

how many lodgers did you interview, or was he the only applicant. or the first applicant ?

you are now putting yourself into a situation where you are going to have to stay in all day every day, and follow him around the property / garden or stay in the (shared) kitchen 24 hours a day

maybe you could invite family / friends to come and stay with you as much as possible for a month.

Totally! I’ve had lodgers and would never dream of making them feel like a second class citizen in their own home.

If someone is paying to live somewhere it is their home!

A lodger needs access to a kitchen and bathroom, it’s totally normal they would share a meal with a friend in their kitchen. And since they are living there, it is their kitchen too.

Accepting someone’s money to live in your home comes with responsibility. It’s not just a one-way street where their funds get redirected to you and you get to live your life as if they don’t exist.

Special preferences about guests, etc. need to be communicated and agreed in advance. People aren’t mind-readers, and cooking tea with a friend is not ‘disrespectful’, it’s normal behaviour.