Heating and lodger

[HarryPotterDucks]

Hello all.

With the massive bills with heating and electricity I don’t know how I’m going to survive over winter.

I have a lodger and obviously as he’s not paying the bills than he doesn’t care about reasonable saving of money.

However this has to be approached. I’m just a softie and probably a bit on the spectrum.

Would I be unreasonable to be strict about the heat?

My normal bills were £110 in the winter and already my DD is £70 per month, just for electricity.

Ive not put up his rent, which I maybe should. He’s paying £400pm at the moment.

Not really sure it’s a battle, the desk has been purchased and is going in his room, simple.

the heating will be a battle because I’m not spending money on his wreck less use of the heating.

I’m actually starting to hope this is a windup.

Why? I

@Trying20 He might decide to walk out, although I expect it'll depend on whether he can find a better deal elsewhere, we don't know what average "all inclusive" rents are in the OP's area.

lol I don’t want massive bills do the heating will go on when I say.

just using your logic.

Let me guess….

Somebody is certainly getting very wound up yes

On one hand you seem to expect him to split everything with you and every increase as he has full use of the house the same as you, and on the other hand you say its your house and want to dictate changing furniture in his room - you really cannot have this both ways and want to boss him about as its your house but expect him to pay half of everything for you.

You need to decide if you are either - sharing your house with someone and set your rent at around half the bills cost per month, but give them equal say on providers, heating etc, or decide its your house and they are a lodger renting a room at which point they shouldn't have much of a say but i would expect their rent to be much lower than half the bills.

Surely the Op should just charge the going rate for a similar room In Her area?
It could actually work out more profitable to just let the room Monday to Friday on airbnb.
Either way, the room needs to be reasonably warm in the morning , and warm after work.

This is 6 of one and half a dozen of another.

Desk - it's his room he rents, you should have only purchased different furniture for it IF HE wanted it. Totally unreasonable just to decide yourself. The time to upgrade is between lodgers.

Bills - totally reasonable to put rent up £40-£50 a month. You don't need to justify the list of costs. Everyone is well aware everything is going up. If he doesn't like it, he can leave and you install the new desk.

His mortgage comment - well in part yes, that's why you have a lodger. You also have all the risk and responsibilities of home owning. So a ridiculous comment from him.

Heating - what minimum temperature is it set to in his room/rest of the house and at what times in winter? Answering that is the only way to figure out who is being unreasonable. If you are letting it go down to 14/15 degrees in communal areas, you are unreasonable. If it's 18/19 during the day = fine. If it's 21 in communal areas in the evening, totally fine.

I agree with @Cherchezlaspice and @SwanBuster
The more this thread goes on, the less and less reasonable you are coming across OP.
I agree with @PenguinLove1 on this page too.

If you need to rent out a room in your house - and it can be a great way to increase your income - then you need to be more business like about it. More objective if you like. You come across as if you are trying to parent him. That isn't how it works.

Thermostat is in his room. 22.

mortgage - no he’s not. Does the business that employs you, tap you on your shoulder and says “I pay your mortgage, get back to work”.

As I can and pay the mortgage without his money, as well as him having no financial stake in my mortgage, nor does he contribute to the house…. Any talk of him “paying my mortgage” is unfounded.

How am I not being reasonable?

I think if I want to upgrade furniture, I can. And I don’t need his permission or consent.

Not sure what you mean? i don’t expect him to split anything. He doesn’t pay half of anything…. He’s not my boyfriend

I'd be getting another lodger...

No wya would I let someone say this... And then just wait til he rang up huge bills that you had to pay.

My only response would be...due to the increase in cost of living I'm changing the terms and conditions here... Any lodger will jave to pay 50 per cent of the bills.

If he doesn't like it, he leaves.

You've lost the plot

How so?

Don’t know, I used to say it about my buy to let HMO owner. But he did have 30 properties and stopped paying virgin media TV without consulting us.

Wonders never cease

He's not paying your mortgage. Your name is on the bank that's paying it, not his. He's providing an income. Any tenant in a house is not paying the landlords mortgage. They're renting a commodity. Same as any other thing that you rent- a car, a van for moving house, a tool. You're paying to use a commodity.
People are idiots who say that.

Anyway, it sounds like he's not a good fit. He's got next to no rights as a lodger, he sounds as if he's quite argumentative, rude, and is not respecting the rules of the house. So why are you bothering to keep on flogging this horse? Will you feel better about him for an extra £50 a month? Or £100? Or while he still wind you up?

All the people arguing his side, have more than likely never rented a room in a landlords house (not a privately rented room in a HMO, thats completely different) or rented out a room in their house to a stranger. It's a completely different situation to most, and one that needs a good relationship.

And just for info, I work at a letting agent, we are very slowly raising rents in our HMOs by a rate of £5 a week, so fairly minimal, but we are in a low-rent area (about a 4-5% increase on average). Single apartments are about £50 a month extra.

Thank you