Lodgers boyfriend using our address

[cosmobrown]

We have an annex which we rent out.
Our lodger, (lets call her Mary) asked if boyfriend can stay over every so often. We said yes, as long as he didn't add significantly to electric bill or wear and tear etc. All happy.
Mary's post gets delivered through our main door and we pop it into the annex. No problems from anyone.
BUT, for the second time, I have received post for boyfriend. I assume it is the boyfriend, as the initial is correct, but I do not know boyfriends surname.
I feel as though boyfriend shouldn't be using our address.
AIBU?

Why ever not?

You've told her not to do it but didn't say why?

it's an annex with its own kitchen and bathroom she is a tenant

This does not follow. The issue is whether the person living there HAS EXCLUSIVE POSSESSION which is a contractual issue. It doesn't matter if it has its own kitchen or bathroom if those can be accessed and used by the OP or other residents.

So there was a reasonable enough explanation for him doing it after all

@Saschka no. My partner and I live together. I.e. it's both of our homes. Either way, RTFT it's sorted now.

Is nobody else concerned about army mail being insecure???

Soldiers often use their parents’ address instead of barracks, to ensure security of post and continuity on electoral role. Maybe Mary always lets him use her lodging address. But sensible to not permit this, OP.

It could just be that they have a joint membership or something like that I had plenty of things like that with husband before we were married and living together so things would go to his house addressed to me because we were both named on the membership but there would only be one address listed. For example a couples national trust membership, zoo membership etc. Of its a scuba association I'd imagine it's something along these lines or he's paid for something for her so put her address down but his name as he's paying.

This is hilarious. It's like those articles about a 25 year old mum with a 16 year old daughter. If it really is all above board then using the terms rent and annex and lodger is pretty click baity. Why even mention the fact it's an annexe if it's not relevant?

Lodger, tenant, annex, self-contained? I think we can be fairly confident that all Mary lacks is a letterbox!

Even OWNERS of flats don't usually have their own entrances!

No, why should we be. My own addresses in the past have been insecure too. Are you worried about me?

Having thought more about this, I think it does matter because I as a tenant would not be happy if my landlord told me I could not receive post for someone else if I wanted to. As a tenant I should have that right even if, as has happened in the past, I share the landlord's letter box (same address but floor could be specified). I pay to have that right. A lodger in someone else's home is a bit different.

It doesn't matter for the issue being discussed because the OP has said Mary is a lodger.

I feel like OP is me has an annex that my daughter used to live in and still keeps a bedroom in, but I intermittently have lodgers who stay there , they are lodgers as the don't have exclusive at have exclusive use as my daughter has a room in the annex.

Look. Mary has her own bedroom and bathroom. We have a second kitchen (scullery) which we share with Mary, and access other rooms from here too. Shared spaces. Mary uses the side door into the scullery as her entrance.

The only letterbox is our front door.

We call Mary's space an annex as it is kind of stuck onto the side of the main house. We could call it a wing, but that would be quite pretentious.

Yes, it matters IN GENERAL but is not relevant to this specific scenario, as OP has stated, repeatedly, that Mary is a lodger!!

This thread is about OP, Mary (a lodger) and Mary's boyfriend; it's not about general tenancy rights.

Jeez.

The arguments are quite amusing. Ultimately, Mary has her own space (more than most lodgers do), but because there is no separate address or Council tax record for the annex, she is a lodger, not a tenant.

The tax breaks for lodgers are for when you're letting out furnished accommodation in your home. It also says "you can let out as much of your home as you want". OP could let Mary have the entire house, and confine herself to her bedroom, but Mary would still be a lodger.

HMRC link here - Rent a room in your home

Sounds like Mary is definitely a lodger, not a tenant.

And it's not "you don't pay tax if it's a lodger", no, you don't pay tax on the first £7,500 of income. My colleague has a lodger (London) who pays £850 a month, so she will be paying tax on £2,700 of the income.

You also can't claim tax relief for any costs under the rent a room scheme, so if OP has to replace all the furniture for the next lodger, she can't get a tax deduction for that, unlike a residential landlord.

Regarding the post issue, as a lodger, it's up to OP to decide on her house rules and these should, ideally, be included in the agreement. Perhaps something to add to the next version of the agreement OP?

I'm unsure why you are laughing at people telling you have a tennant.
Even though it's an annexe you don't use it's still on your property that you live in. If you didn't live at that address and she was there then yeah you could say lodger.
Why are you so against saying you have a tennant lol people have literally posted things to help understand the difference between the two.

Why are you so against saying you have a tennant lol people have literally posted things to help understand the difference between the two.

OP already understands the difference between the two!

Because it's irrelevant. It's not what she asked.
The only thing that matters is that someone who doesn't live in the property using the address. Nothing else matters.

The op has stated that they share a kitchen.

we have annexes on the ground floor of our property when it was a pub.

our first lodger was with us ten years, when she needed help with the rent. The DSS housing officer came round and was extremely happy that she was a lodger in her/our annexe. She used her own door to her home, she had her own toilet with a small wash hand basin, her own shower.

The front room had a fridge, hob, kettle, toaster, cheese toasty maker, microwave, small chest freezer which her television sat on, she had a small sofa, a table and chairs overlooking the garden which she had full access to thru the french windows/patio area.

She had an alcove into her bedroom area which was a fully equipped as a bedroom - bed, wardrobes, dressing table, chest of drawers with side of the bed.

She shared the washing machine with us, the washing line, the oven in our kitchen, she did alot of batch cooking and froze it in chest freezer, we did agree where she parked her car, she was a wonderful person and I miss her dearly.

The other annexe is roughly the same.

The housing officers were pleased with what they saw, asked about taxation, I said we both work full time PAYE, but do tax returns which I showed them.

We have been extremely lucky, over 25 years of renting the two annexes, we have only had two single lodgers in one annexe, and there has been three couples in the other one.

I understand why rules and regulations need to/should be in place, but our first lodger set the president/tone, which we all were very happy with and it’s been lovely to share our home with some (only 8 over the years) very, very lovely, funny, witty, eccentric people.

Seeing as your boyfriend is now using this as his address the rent will be going up.

Because if he’s a fraudster, it will affect your credit. And, knowing what shysters bailiffs are, they may come knocking at your door for debts he’s incurred.

i would return to sender as the addressee is not known as

Why do not you ask your lodger? Mumsnet would speculate so just tell her you are not allowing letters to other people not paying to live at the address?