Mumsnetters are always telling people to get a lodger

[SlothfullyYours]

Have you had one? Been one? How does it work.

Do they have a shelf in the fridge? Cleaning rota? Do they use the lounge in the evening/weekends?

Can they have friends over? Boyfriend/girlfriend to sleepover?

You set your own rules and boundaries in your ad and interview. Be very clear, so there is no confusion. When we had lodgers I always stipulated no shared sitting room. And any relationship, I was to be introduced 1st and max 2 nights a week. No randoms. All bills were included in the rent.
People who came for interview knew what was and wasn't on offer so they were happy with the deal if they were offered the room. Had a shelf in fridge and a basket in the freezer.

"The idea of a lodger seems unfathomable now but used to much more common."

Clearly not unfathomable as quite a few of us even on this thread have been or had lodgers!
As I mentioned, you might not know who is lodging as it's sometimes 'disguised' as housesharing with one of the 'housemates' actually being the LL.

Eh?

What an odd assumption.
People have lodgers all over the place.
I'm in the Midlands - it's a really normal thing to do.
But I've got friends all over the country who either have had lodgers or have been lodgers (or both, at different times).

I find it amazing that people find this an odd concept.

Also odd, that an extra £400pm wouldn't help your budget tbh. If you are in an area that is only netting £400pm for a room in your house which includes bills, then you must live in a part of the country where mortgages are also a lot lower than many other places.

My neighbour took in a couple to lodge with him so he could stay in his home with his home post divorce. It’s working out really well for him. Means he has some company when his son is with his mum. The three of them keep the home spotless!

I wouldn’t be getting £400, it would be less than that as my bills would go up.

I don’t get why you think it’s odd that someone wouldn’t want to give up their privacy and have a stranger come and live with them for so little money.

For someone like me who lives alone, it’d mean I wouldn’t be able to do what I want, when I want, in my own house.
For a couple, it’d change the dynamic, and would mean you wouldn’t be able to do things like walk around in a state of undress.
If you’ve got children, you’re welcoming a stranger into their home.

I personally don’t understand why anyone would want that unless they were absolutely desperate for money or were very lonely.

We always had language students staying with us and they almost always stayed in their rooms. I had to cook for them so they didn't have space in the fridge.

I did then have a lodger for a few months and he also stayed in his room. That was better in a way because I got to meet him first.

It was very very weird and intrusive when the students didn't stay in their rooms although obviously they were entitled to be in the living room. I wouldn't like to be a lodger living with me because I'm far too uptight :)

How do you think the thousands of people in house shares survive?

My friend has one. The living room is off limits but the kitchen has a table. I think she cooks when she likes but if my friend is hosting will tell her. She just asks if the washing machine is free. They are fairly casual. Interesting she is vegan and my friend eats meat but they seem to have turned that out. No idea about the having boyfriend/girlfriend aspect.

I don't think it is odd that you, or anyone else would choose not to do it.

I find it odd that you think it only works in London or other expensive places.

Also that you haven't taken into account people charge the price they do, having taken into account any increase in bills. That people would have done the maths and thinking and chosen to either split bills, or to include an anticipated difference in bills in the part of the rent.

I've had lodgers (one at a time) for years. I look on spareroom.com to get an idea of current rents. I charge a bit less than those who offer an en suite or full use of house (my lodgers have access to kitchen, but not lounge).
I live near some major, long term, building projects, so have been lucky to have several who stay on a Mon-Fri basis, just here for work.
I charge on a weekly basis, ask for one week's notice, and take a month's deposit.
If you get single occupier discount on council tax, you will still get this if your Mon-Fri lodger is named on a council tax bill at their main address. You will need to ask the lodger for a copy of their council tax bill to supply a copy to your council. Alternatively, you need to let your council know if your lodger is full time, and your house is their main address, as you will lose your single occupier discount.

I have a lodger. He’s my third one. I’m a 44 year old woman, he’s in his 20s and we get on really well. He’s actually much less hard work than my previous lodgers who were all women closer in age to myself. He’s tidy, respectful, loves gaming (bonus as he’s always in his room 😆) and feeds my cats when I’m away!

I used to work away a lot and was a lodger during the week. It was ok, mainly I was at work or in my room but would watch telly with LL every so often. We would time our getting ups so we didn't need the shower at the same time. You sort of adapt to using space in a respectful way. I would definitely have a lodger if I had the space. I don't think you have to pay tax on the income but I may be wrong.

My friend has had a lodger living with her and her 6 year old son (no dad in the picture) for the last year. She was very particular about who she would "accept" and they have become good friends. The lodger is a mature student (not from the UK) and has her own shelf in the fridge/freezer and has the whole of the top floor (loft extension) which has its own bathroom. Mum and son have the middle floor and share a bathroom, and the lodger also babysits on ocassion. She does have use of the downstairs living area but tends to use her own floor instead aside from when she is cooking or socialising with us and our friends. I think she has always been to the other persons house when she has been on dates.

From what I have seen, it works out well and the extra income means my friend has to worry less about mortage repayments, as we live in SW London where costs are high. However if I were doing it then I would follow my friend's lead and be very selective, particularly if it was my house with my son living there.

My mum's cousin is 70 and has had the same lodger for 35 years; another guy. We're fairly certain that my mum's cousin is actually gay, and that his "lodger" is his partner. But, he's never come out, we're not about to push him if he doesn't want to, (although he really has nothing to be afraid of), so the lodger he will stay.

I had a lodger when i bought my first place at 21, she had her boyfriend over a night a week on average and stayed at his sometimes.

I'm mid 40s and getting divorced and would considered taking short term lodgers in the form of students on placement in my NHS trust to boost my income and pay for holidays and nice things.

I've done both. Lodged with an elderly lady (who was quite a character!) when I had my first job. I had my own room plus a kitchen and bathroom that I shared with her frequent visitors whilst she had her own room, sitting room and kitchen. Most evenings she'd pour me a drink when I got home from work...... I cleaned my area and her housekeeper cleaned the stairs (and redid the bathroom after visitors).

Had a lodger who was a friend when DH and I bought our first flat in London - that was like a house share but he paid us a modest rent (he was at bar school so broke). Shelf in fridge but a lot of just replacing what he used in general and we had a cleaner who did his room as part of her job.

When we mortgaged ourselves to the eyeballs to buy our present home we had a lodger via the FCO accomodation office. She had her own bathroom on the floor above plus half the fridge and a drawer in the freezer in the kitchen and also a kitchenette area upstairs with a kettle and microwave. She was away a lot so I think just wanted a safe base for her stuff and when she got a more fixed posting in London she moved into a house share with colleagues. Her replacement was a friend and it became a fun girlie house share in the week (DH was working away) and then she went to stay with her military boyfriend on base at the weekend. She's now DD2s godmother as living together really strengthened our firendship.

I’ve definitely had this. A lovely family lawyer from a London firm came to our house and gave us way more than 30 minutes of advice. We didn’t instruct them then but the next time we needed a lawyer we kept their kindness in mind.

My DH used to commute a long way for work so had an arrangement with a work colleague (arranged via internal advertising) where he had a room to stay at their house from Mon night to Thurs night.

DH didn't use it for all the 4 nights every week but it was available to him. He paid the same every week for the 4 nights. It worked really well for the couple of years it was needed. His colleague had some money every week in return for sharing her kitchen and(occasionally) living space for up to 4 nights a week, though in reality it was more like 2-3 nights a week and occasionally none. DH confirmed the nights he would be there with her that week on Sunday evening via email so that she knew when he was going to be there between Mon-Thurs night.

For us it was less expensive than the B&B option he tried for a year and was better for him than the sharing a student house with PG students , whch he did another year

My mumn and Dad also had a very large house in London and when they retired they had several lodgers who basically my mother said were her penison . The house did have 3 bathrooms and two kitchens though so lodgeres didn't generally share the kitchen with my parents, although one or two did over the years for various reasons.

Many of them became friends over the 25 years my parents did this after they retired. It was mainlyy managed by my mum as my dad was less sociable, yhough he liked the money!, and some of her lodgers even regularly visited her in her care home in the last couple of years of her life. Yes some were a pian but many more were absolutely fine and some were really lovely. One even became a semi carer for her by making her lunch a few times a week and taking her to the odd doctors appointment, when my sister or I were not available, in return for a very reduced rent

I used to go home to visit at the weekends and 9 times out of 10 my mother already had a visitor or two, usually one of her current or previous lodgers who was living nearby who came to see her semi regualrly or soemtimes one who was popping down to pay the rent and staying for a cup of tea. So yes people do have lodgers

We rent a room out with Airbnb and it works out quite nicely. We live in a suburb of a City so we don’t get loads of bookings but it brings in about £300 a month for very little effort. We tend to get people who are working in the area or visiting family so most people are out most of the time and come back just to sleep.

I have had two lodgers over a period of several years. I did it because I had a large mortgage and children to provide for and my salary didn’t cover our expenses. In both experiences it was really positive. My children also adapted to it and became appropriately friendly with the lodgers i.e. playing board games with them in the living room. It’s all about sharing clear expectations upfront and not getting confused that this person is now your personal friend. But it can work really well and I don’t see a downside. The secret to knowing that they are not murderers is getting character references upfront. Also securing a healthy deposit. I also interviewed several candidates for lodgers and turned most of them away because I knew it wasn’t the right fit. You can be fussy!