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Original poster

Tenant is not pulling weight in terms of chores, cleaning

56 replies

Scorcher79 · 26/09/2023 13:41

Hi all,
Find this forum invaluable for totally objective advice/perspective so I thought I'd share a wee issue which is bothering me and perhaps others might be able to advise on?

Basically, I have a tenant renting a room from me for almost 2 years. She's a lovely girl and we get on very well but I fear I have been a little too nice and now I notice she's doing the bare minimum in terms of cleaning and household chores. She also doesn't contribute to bills which are increasing now with the cost of living...

The trouble is I hate confrontation and don't want to make things awkward or uncomfortable for either of us so I'm not sure how to deal with this? Any advice? It's my first time ever being a "landlady" as I only bought the house two years ago...

Any tips greatly appreciated!

OP posts:
BodegaSushi · 27/09/2023 11:38

Scorcher79 · 26/09/2023 16:48

Thank you, I have of course but as I mentioned in my original post, I'm fairly conflict averse and try to avoid them where possible.

Then maybe having a lodger isn't for you. You need a backbone to be able to deal with issues that might arise when someone is sharing your home.

BodegaSushi · 27/09/2023 11:40

ShagratandGorbag4ever · 27/09/2023 11:07

It's not the lodger's responsibility to clean the common parts of the house or do maintenance etc, but you could offer her a rent reduction in exchange for regular, clearly specified cleaning duties. Whatever the agreement, it needs to be in writing. And if you are old enough to have a house, you are old enough to have a 'difficult conversation'.

Hi, do you know of any links explaining this? I have a friend who's recently let out a room and she's been complaining non-stop to me about the lodger's lack of cleaning and not paying for bin bags and washing up liquid and I've told her that I'm sure the lodger isn't responsible for that, but I'd like to be able to point her to information that states it explicitly.

GingerIsBest · 27/09/2023 12:15

You have nothing in writing? What exactly did you agree verbally?

Either way, after 2 years it's perfectly fine to say, "Lodger, it's been two years since we reviewed rent and costs and of course, costs have gone up so I'm going to need to increase the rent you pay by xx%"

When it comes to the chores, this is harder depending on what was/was not agreed up front. But you could suggest a roster for basic chores like bins/kitchen cleaning/bathroom cleaning?

NynaeveSedaiOfTheYellowAjah · 27/09/2023 13:00

BodegaSushi · 27/09/2023 11:40

Hi, do you know of any links explaining this? I have a friend who's recently let out a room and she's been complaining non-stop to me about the lodger's lack of cleaning and not paying for bin bags and washing up liquid and I've told her that I'm sure the lodger isn't responsible for that, but I'd like to be able to point her to information that states it explicitly.

Show quote history

It's not like it's a legal definition but lodgers get no security, they can be evicted with no notice, they are not 'housemates' in the sense of being equal tenants so the arrangement is different. They pay less rent/bills and they don't do communal cleaning, the trade off is that they don't have the security of housing that a tenant would have.
your friend wants the best of both worlds which is highly unreasonable and exploitative.

0lga · 27/09/2023 14:01

A lodger agreement CAN include share of bills and cleaning of shared areas and paying for cleaning products. It’s up to the landlord and the lodger what they mutually agree to.

Lots of lodgers live much more like flat mates, especially if they are around the same age and have the same lifestyle as the landlord eg 2 students.

Others have one room in a family home, have their own bathroom and don’t use the living room or kitchen very much.

It’s up to the individuals ro agree what they want . There’s no set template.

The problems seem to arise when there is no detailed written agreement - that’s just asking for trouble .

And of course there is no “ security “ for either party, both can leave the contract with reasonable notice.

The courts accept that having someone in your own home is nothing like letting out self contained property to someone else. Otherwise no one would ever have a lodger and the housing shortage would be even worse than it is now.

BodegaSushi · 27/09/2023 17:32

NynaeveSedaiOfTheYellowAjah · 27/09/2023 13:00

It's not like it's a legal definition but lodgers get no security, they can be evicted with no notice, they are not 'housemates' in the sense of being equal tenants so the arrangement is different. They pay less rent/bills and they don't do communal cleaning, the trade off is that they don't have the security of housing that a tenant would have.
your friend wants the best of both worlds which is highly unreasonable and exploitative.

Show quote history

Thanks for explaining. And I absolutely agree!

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