Renting out a spare room to an overseas carer

[Mollymolloy]

Afternoon all,

I am a recent ‘empty nester’ so, placed an advert on sparerooms.com to see if there would be any interest in renting my spare room.

i have been approached by a company called Lifted Care UK about renting to one of their overseas carers who had secured a job locally.

It seems like a good idea as they seem to have checked out this lady for the carer role. She has lived in the UK for 2 years. She also drives so, can get about. She does have a friend who also lives locally. Lifted Care UK have said that I can rent my room for a month to see how it goes and they will deal with any issues. It seems a lovely idea to help out someone who is working hard to make a better life for themselves and their family.

Has anyone has a similar arrangement?

Brillant idea . I think it would be a perfect fit for you . As they say any issues etc. would be handled by the agency .

Sounds good! Could be the best thing you’ve done in ages, or could be a nightmare that the agency sort for you.
I’ve lived in house shares for years prior to kids, and if I didn’t have young kids now I’d do it again in a heartbeat.

My only reservation might be, if this woman is already in the UK, and has a local job, why is she not contacting you herself in response to your advert? Surely she’s capable of finding her own accommodation. Why does the arrangement need to come through this agency?

Otherwise, so long as you meet her and get on, do what feels right.

Has the company said they have a standard license agreement to rent the room and have you checked the terms? If not, have you got a license agreement?

Will the company be responsible for payment or will the person renting the room? If they say they will deal with any issues it sounds as if your agreement is with the company ? Will they let you talk to someone else who rents a room in their house so you can see how they find working with the company?

Can you draw up a list of house rules in advance and discuss them with the person before they move in?

If the overseas worker is a social carer caring for the elderly in their own homes then they will work long hours - their first client call could be from 7.30 am so they could be getting up very early (5.30) if they need to travel and getting back very late if their last call is 10 pm. Carers in the UK on Healthcare Visas work really long and unsociable hours - including weekends.

The person having a friend locally is not necessarily a good thing if the friend will be wanting to socialise with your lodger in your house - you could feel excluded.

My relative has overseas carers looking after her and while they have all been brilliant with her , their English language skills are often not great. You may not find that renting a room is as companionable as you anticipate.

Finally , many overseas carers find England really cold ( don't blame them! ) but you may find that your heating and water bills go up massively if you can't control the heating and water usage so you may not earn as much as you think.

My elderly relative has met many fascinating and highly educated overseas carers and many of these points apply equally to anyone renting a room from you but another point to flag is the homesickness many carers feel as they can no longer bring family members with them as dependants and are often very short on cash as they send a proportion of their income home.

Hopefully some food for thought and you can do some calculations to see how much better off you will be if you rent a room out.

Many thanks for all your responses. I did think that it would be a lovely thing to do and could be really good fun. I have been told that she is working somewhere else in the UK and has been offered a job locally that has more hours.
The agency has suggested that we give it a go for a month and see how it goes. I can then get a licence in place going forward.
i was just worried that I had overlooked something.
Thanks again for all your advice. It is much appreciated.

I think you may be being rather naive, but tbf I am also very cynical being on the receiving end of a lot of too good to be true 'solutions.'

My experiences with carers who have a company involved in their housing as well as their employment aren't good news for the carer, especially overseas workers. Their rent is taken direct from their wages, may not be the same as what you're charging, and they may have to pay 'management fees' on top.
All parts of these businesses need to make money, and penny pinching from the two end users (in this situation the carer and caree) to pay those seeking to make money (in this case you as landlord) in it all, is common.

It makes it very hard for the worker to have agency in their lives, and much disposable income unless they in turn start penny inching from others.
It takes more than a month for the realities of situations to become apparent, and the person can find themselves having to top you up for additional heating, water etc, or work whatever hours and shifts the company wants with a disregard to their welfare.

I note the company you mention has been acquired, alongside others fairly recently...
There are a lot of companies involved in 'providing solutions' in everything from care, SN / homeless / refugee accommodation, social housing repairs, etc who are effectively the front face of investment schemes, that operate to channel LA money, personal allowances, rents etc into them. It's the gathering up and handling of lots of individuals small pots and cost cutting solutions at scale to pay out handsome dividends and directors remuneration.

They are often big, come covered in 'social value' and awards, and are clean, shiny, and respectable at the top and front, acquiring good smaller agencies, then in reality sub contract services at scale to the cheapest bidder, who in turn sub contracts and by now you're into dodgy territories.

At the bottom are the people who's services and any funding are taken over who become just exploited funding units, and those being exploited to provide for them at as low a cost as possible, to feed the chain above.
I probably sound like a cynical tin hat wearer, but someone else may be able to explain exactly how it all works better.

So if she's been here two years I'd be looking hard at why the company is doing the running in this?

If I was in your shoes I'd be suggesting they just put their prospective tenant in touch with you direct.
If at a local level they're genuinely a lovely caring helpful bunch who also think "It seems a lovely idea to help out someone who is working hard to make a better life for themselves and their family" then her renting direct should pose no problems for them beyond having to give her a small amount of time of to go to see you...

PS, it doesn't mean every company is part and parcel of this sort of stuff, but do due diligence if you don't want to be part of one that is.

You must meet the carer first, and ideally not just on video call. I had a housemate once from abroad, we spoke on Zoom but tuned out she was an alcoholic - admittedly difficult to tell in advance.

Just don’t rely on a care agency to sort any kind of problem out. There must be the odd good one, but generally the agencies are appalling to deal with for those needing care, their families and the carers.

Yeah, I’m also wondering this. Maybe they’re short-staffed and desperate to hire her.

Many thanks @Elleherd . You have given me a lot to think about.
To be fair, the agency have said that the carer will pay rent direct. Apparently, they are only involved in her getting a visa. You need to renew a working visa every time you change job. They have helped her change jobs as she wanted more hours.
They have given me her number to contact her directly and to sort out the arrangements between us. I have messaged her and haven’t heard back. But, I presume that she is workings
The local company that she is starting the new job with is a well known company here. I would ask to see her contract before I let her stay.
As you say, there are many pitfalls…

I'd be concerned the agency could be overcharging her for the rental. If they say they'll pay what you ask they're not just going to administer it for free.
Theres nothing wrong with having a carer from overseas as a tenant though.

@Mollymolloy Really good to hear. Yes you are entirely dependent on your employer when attempting to change jobs on a working visa. You will do and say almost anything if it's keeping your family together, especially if you are working towards being able to stay and potentially be reunited with your children.

Well done and thank you for taking it onboard. The sharp end sees some very sad situations evolve, often with no redress.