Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Increase in utilities and lodger

95 replies

MotorGreenGrass · 04/03/2022 23:34

I’ve had a lodger for a year, generally fine but he likes the heater to be warmer than I do. Not a problem so I’ve made provisions like the thermostat is in his room, he has access to the App to change the temp/schedule etc.

However with my bill set to double to nearly £200pm for gas, when its generally £100pm for gas tops, how do I bring this up?

I already have switched of heaters like the hallway, my bedroom, dining room we don’t use. We sometimes use the lounge so that’s on low. He’s got a heated blanket for night time and an app to turn on/off. Also a small 500w heater (more about that later).

Would it be reasonable to say if he’s still here in winter next year he can contribute 50% of the gas bills?

I’m tempted to get digital valves on the radiators so can have more control over turning them on/off, eg if I’m out but want to go home to watch tv etc.

I’m sure it’s because it’s my house/bills I’m accepting my room to be cooler etc.

Current upkeep of the house is about £1k including £600 mortgage, £150 council tax, £100 internet/Insurance/water. So gas and electric costs will push it to around £950pm. He pays £400pm.

He is generally good but when he’s complaining the house is cold and two days later will come down in a t shirt, or when it’s cold I tell him to put more clothes because it does keep you warmer etc.

OP posts:
MarmiteCoriander · 06/03/2022 20:48

@CareBear50

I'd charge a fixed rate for rent and he pays half the gas n electric bills
THIS ^

I'd also get a smart meter so he can SEE the real costs. I'd explain the increased price hikes for utilities, and give him- maybe 2-3mths notice of the change in HIM contributing the bills! How long has he been living there?

thecatneuterer · 06/03/2022 20:55

It is of relevance as it’s a good basis for deciding what it would cost him to live by himself in a similar area.

Er no, OP, that is not a good basis for deciding the cost to rent a room in a house. Your mortgage has sod all to do with anything. You are not partners working out together what is fair as you build a life together. He isn't going to end up with a share of your house through paying you rent. The only basis for deciding what to charge for rent is by finding out what the going rate for the area is for a similar room and amenities. If he's paying a lot less than the going rate, then he's got a good deal and you could put the rent up. If he's paying on or more than the going rate then, if you put the rent up, he will likely move out.

The price of rooms, as with the price of everything else in a capitalist socieity, is a function of supply versus demand. That's it. It has nothing to do with what you feel you need to cover your costs of living in your house, or with how much mortgage you do or don't pay. It's based on the going rate for the area and nothing more.

Voice0fReason · 06/03/2022 20:58

I think it's fair to put the rent up but I don't think it's fair to charge him 50% of the bills

southeastdweller · 06/03/2022 20:58

@Lou98

I'm actually against the grain here but I don't really think it's fair.

He's a lodger, not a tenant, he doesn't have the rights that tenants do and he is essentially already paying nearly half of the housing costs for one room. I think £400 when the total housing costs is £1000 is definitely fair

I agree, he should not be paying 40% of the household outgoings when he's a lodger. I bet he's in his room a lot isn't he, when he's at home, and he doesn't feel comfortable enough to use the lounge? Can he bring people round when he (reasonably) wants, as he would do in a HMO? would you want him to?

I think many people on here haven't been both a lodger and a tenant. You should be charging him more like a third of the outgoings.

Lou98 · 06/03/2022 21:04

@southeastdweller thank you - I'm glad it's not just me that's thinking that way!

ChoiceMummy · 06/03/2022 21:26

[quote MotorGreenGrass]@HundredMilesAnHour he’s a lodger, not a tenant, therefore I owe him nothing legally and has a guest in my home.

Having your bike in someone’s back garden is actually a big deal. His last landlord didn’t allow him to put his bike in his double garage, so already he’s getting something more. The terrace houses generally won’t have any access to put the bike in the back garden and also a lot of houses won’t have such a facility. It’s a motorbike.[/quote]
Is it a rolling agreement or a ftc?

ScholesPanda · 06/03/2022 22:30

@SpaceshiptoMars

You sound like you think you're doing this guy a massive favour, but he is paying you for a service, including a house that is kept warm.

He would not be setting the thermostat at 22-23 if he was renting a flat and paying the bills! And, generally speaking, lodgers do not control the thermostat - which is one reason why people aspire to places of their own.

I think the advice is to keep a living area at 18-21 degrees? So I don't think 22 would be unreasonable if someone ran cold. In this case the OP has given him control of the thermostat, that ship has sailed. As I said in the rest of my post, if the OP is concerned they can pass 50% of the bill increase on to him, as long as the room rent remains competitive.
worriedatthemoment · 06/03/2022 22:43

@southeastdweller so if someone has no mortgage and bills come in at £500 you think they should only charge the lodger £200 ? People have lodgers to earn money not for the fun of it most of the time
Its irrelevant what the costs are just wether the room is priced well for the area

worriedatthemoment · 06/03/2022 22:45

@southeastdweller by your reckoning then if Op mortgage and bills are £3 k she should charge her lodger a lot
Room prices are dictated by area and cost of other similar rooms

southeastdweller · 06/03/2022 22:46

[quote worriedatthemoment]@southeastdweller so if someone has no mortgage and bills come in at £500 you think they should only charge the lodger £200 ? People have lodgers to earn money not for the fun of it most of the time
Its irrelevant what the costs are just wether the room is priced well for the area [/quote]
Morally, yes I think £200 in that scenario is appropriate.

Original poster
MotorGreenGrass · 07/03/2022 18:20

Hi @WhatsitWiggle the issue with putting on TMVs is that he was still cold (as have others). So I removed the TMV and replaced with an open system. So as long as the heating is on, his radiator is on. He has the thermostat in his room (as well as a small heater). The rest of the radiators are set on a TMV of 2 or open valve on 1/3 open (I also have over sized radiators).

Out lifestyles are such we don’t often sit watching tv from set times etc. He also never cooks at home.

The issue is he will come home, be cold when he’s watching tv, turn up the lounge room radiator high, thermostat higher…. So his bedroom and the bathroom gets super hot the living room moderately warm. He needs to bring the thermostat down to the living room and turn down his radiator….. bit obviously not his bill so not his priority.

I don’t want to be stingy and at the same
Time he might not be home until 10pm and go straight to his bedroom. In that time I could be heating the 2 downstairs rooms for 3/4 nights of the week, which adds onto the bills.

OP posts:
Original poster
MotorGreenGrass · 07/03/2022 18:21

Point about staying the mortgage is also so people get an idea about the price of houses.

OP posts:
Original poster
MotorGreenGrass · 07/03/2022 18:25

@southeastdweller he can do whatever HH wants…. You seem a bit weird to think I wouldn’t let him have people around.

OP posts:
southeastdweller · 07/03/2022 18:33

[quote MotorGreenGrass]@southeastdweller he can do whatever HH wants…. You seem a bit weird to think I wouldn’t let him have people around.[/quote]
Was it really necessary to insult me?

I've been a lodger and a tenant. I know how these things work. You're always aware you live in someone else's home when you're a lodger so you do some things differently in both situations.

Perhaps you need to talk to him about the potential rent increase and see what he says.

southeastdweller · 07/03/2022 18:34

Also, he can't really do whatever he wants, can he? Otherwise you wouldn't be on here complaining about him...

Original poster
MotorGreenGrass · 07/03/2022 19:01

@southeastdweller

Also, he can't really do whatever he wants, can he? Otherwise you wouldn't be on here complaining about him...
In a hMO he would have zero control of the heating and a 6 month min term, plus no control over who he lives with.
OP posts:
Original poster
MotorGreenGrass · 07/03/2022 19:02

@southeastdweller you seem like a harsh landlord if you ever made such suggestions t your lodger.

My only concern is to control heating costs.

OP posts:
Original poster
MotorGreenGrass · 07/03/2022 19:03

@southeastdweller morally what?

So if your company doesn’t make any money they should morally not pay you? After all you didn’t make the company money.

OP posts:
Original poster
MotorGreenGrass · 07/03/2022 19:08

@ScholesPanda damed you do, damned if you don’t…. Either I’m horrible for not giving him control or I make allowances and tell him to stop heating rooms for hours neither of us use, and I’m the baddy!

OP posts:
DontLookBackInAnger1 · 07/03/2022 19:18

I always find it a bit 🤨 when landlords/home owners want lodgers to pay half ALL costs. I mean, in the long term, you're making significant money by paying off the mortgage. So I personally don't think it's ethical to charge him as though he's a 50/50 shareholder.

I would increase the rent to cover half of he extra energy, yes, but the fact you're charging half of all the costs over all is a bit unfair to me. Assuming he has no control over the decor, the contents and no further financial gain to staying there.

Just be kind. He's helping you out and finding a replacement may not be easy

New posts on this thread. Refresh page