to ask the lodger not to use the living room?

[EricNorthmansMistress]

I have a spare room and have advertised it to rent. I set the rent deliberately cheap for several reasons - to get interest quickly and also in order to find someone who won't mind not having the use of the living room. I said in the ad that they would be free to use it when I wasn't there (not very often! Apart from daytime). I also set notice period at one week. A guy has called (twice) and emailed and sounds very keen. He has a new job within walking distance and at the rent I'm asking he will be able to save a fair proportion.
He's coming over to meet us and see the room later. So AIBU to make it clear the rent is for the bedroom, kitchen and bathroom only? I don't want to be rude but I don't want a flatmate!

I think it sounds perfect and that alot of people would be interested, if fact it's exactly what my brother was looking for and failed to find.

'Ghastly'

YANBU.

It's very normal, IME. If he doesn't fancy it, he needn't take it, but several of my mates rent rooms like this (it's usually cheaper), and FWIW, they don't have especially large bedrooms, either.

Sounds fine to me. I always hated sharing because I disliked feeling like I had to make an effort with random strangers I just happened to be sharing communal areas with. Something like this where you can be a room hermit without feeling deliberately antisocial would suit me (and plenty of others) absolutely fine. If the lodger feels confined then they can go to the pub or somewhere and just use to room to sleep.

I also remember trying to find a houseshare though Gumtree and loads of ads saying things like "no bedroom recluses please," "we are a social house and like to spend our spare time cooking meals together and drinking wine in the kitchen", or "we like to go out to the pub as a house 3 or 4 times a week." Which is fine for a lot of people, but when you're just looking for somewhere comfortable to sleep, not a load of enforced new best friends, it's incredibly annoying.

Unless you get a real "loner" I doubt whether it's workable for any length of time. Expect a high turnover of "lodgers" if I were you.

Bonsoir hit the nail on the head with the difference between housesharing & lodging. What you are proposing is perfectly fine for the latter, but not for the former.

DH loves finding places like this when he is working away from home, cheap as chips, no long notice period & he has a legitimate excuse to spend all evening in his room reading being an antisocial sod Making the bedroom somewhere you can sit in comfort is a big plus, so having an armchair rather than perching on the bed or sitting on a dining chair would be fab.

Can I come and live with you? Just imagining that room you describe all to myself...

And who knows - you might want a fellow True Blood fan to watch it with occasionally.

I'm just wondering ... some of the people on this thread going on about how 'unworkable' this situation is ... have you ever, you know, actually rented a single room or known non-rich people?

I don't know whether to be amused or annoyed ... do you realize you sound a bit patronizing?

Sounds absolutely fine, especially with how you have described the setup of the room.

:o at LRD

I just think of it in comparison to a bedsit really. It's cheaper and more comfortable and risk free (in terms of no contract terms, no putting name to utilities etc) Bedsit living is not lovely, but plenty of people do it. At least with my house they will have a proper (and separate) kitchen and bathroom, and use of a garden. That's a big improvement on any bedsit I've ever seen, and even in my little town a bedsit would cost upwards of £300 plus bills. People do it because it's cheap and they want to save money, or because they are on a low income. If I was looking for more of a flatmate type I could charge around £25 a week more for that.

If I was renting on my own it's exactly what I'd want.

YANBU - you stated it from the off and the guy has a choice. Be firm about it though.

Agree with LRD - what are people chuntering about on this thread! You aren't imprisoning him, he has a choice. Plus he might even have some friends he can spend time with if his 'cell' gets too much to bear

It sounds fantastic to me. When can I move in?

If I were renting a room in a house I would rather have "no living room ever" than "why aren't you hanging out with us?"

Sounds perfectly fine to me, as long as he knows from the start - make sure nothing gets lost in translation, as it were. He might be out for lots of evenings anyway, you never know.

I was a lodger recently, I had a 'bedsit' with a double bed, table and chairs, desk, toaster, kettle and a combi-oven type affair. And a shared bathroom and loo with another lodger in a similar room, and use of the washing machine for a fee. And that worked fine for me, exactly what I wanted. It was made clear in my contract that I could only go in other areas of the house if invited by landlady or a member of her family. I'd still be there now if she hadn't decided to sell.

There are plenty of people who would prefer this arrangement, a lot of the places I looked at were this kind of thing rather than a house-share. I chose that one because there was no shared kitchen or anything, so no 'forced' socialisation with people I don't want to know! The only thing about this arrangement I wouldn't be keen on is a tv and pc in the room- one of my gripes with the last place was landlady refusing to remove the tv, I don't watch it and it uses a lot of space.

Thanks everyone. What I have taken most clearly from this thread is the need to be completely upfront and clear about everything from the beginning.
Pigfarts - I will of course take them out of the room if he wants.

Have just drafted this to give him to read through tonight - is it ok? anything glaringly obvious i need to add?

Terms of agreement

? Rent will be set at £75 per week, payable in advance.
? Deposit of £75 to be paid in advance. This will be kept until end of stay, and withheld only if significant damage is caused to carpets, paintwork, windows, wardrobes or any of the fixtures/fittings in the kitchen or bathroom; or in case of non-return of key.
? The rent will cover the bedroom, use of kitchen, bathroom and garden. Use of the washing machine is included. Internet access is included. Use of the living room is not included.
? Space will br provided in the kitchen for food and implements. Food will be kept separate.
? No smoking in the house during the day.

Notice period needs to be in there

No smoking in the house during the day

Can he smoke at night?

Yes evenings are fine, just not daytime.

why is it only non smoking during the day?

sorry x post

Unless you smoke as well, I would be tempted to just say non smoking -- a seriously chain smoking tenant could be a nightmare and make it hard to re-rent the room quickly.