Is this a red flag or a reasonable request from lodger?

[blanketsnuggler]

We rent out our Annex, and have just advertised for a new lodger. Decided on a nice lady who said the deposit/rent would not be a problem. (Good English, but not her first language).
Messaged her today to send over the agreement paperwork and bank details etc. She messaged back asking if it would be ok to send part of the deposit now, and the rest with the first rent payment in 4 weeks time.

Disclaimer - I have autism and am TERRIBLE at reading people! Sorry if this is an obvious question. Thanks

As someone who had lodgers....

Red flag.

The annex is unavailable and contract void - sorrrrrrry.

That'd be a clear no from me. Find another lodger. I'd also be annoyed that she's wasted my time. Everyone knows you need to be able to pay a deposit upfront when you rent. She's being cheeky trying to weasel her way out of paying a deposit. I wouldn't want to be in a position where I have to try to get her out due to lack of payment. She's not even signed and already causing problems.

This. I don't think you need to worry about kindness, just be brief and factual.

I think this is the beginning of a nightmare if you have her. That's not a red flag,that's a stream of red flag bunting 😔

contact her and say that you don’t wish to proceed, Even if she pays in full now, this will be the first of many such requests in future,
red flags galore.

Massive red flag! 🚩

Because some autistic people can struggle with communication, inference, reading between the lines, etc., and getting it wrong for years can make you wary and mistrustful of yourself.

Do not let her in. You will massively regret it.

This x 100.

This

If she's starting this already, letting her move in "if she can find the deposit" would be very foolish as it'll just carry on once she's in situ
Much better to avoid this rather than bringing a nightmare on yourself

Do not rent to this woman, what @TubeScreamer has written is the advice I agree with.

Have you had her references back yet?

From wages?
Problem is that a deposit is paid in advance are people are generally paid their wages in arrears so, unless you have savings, you may find an advance payment of the deposit difficult.
If she has a secure job, paying rent at the end of the month won't be a problem.

No, I wouldn’t trust someone who can’t get an overdraft or short term loan for four weeks to pay as agreed, it shows that if something g happens in future she will prioritise keeping herself in the black over paying her rent, and she obviously doesn’t have much of a buffer in her finances.

No, she is a lodger, not a tenant. She will live in a room in the OP’s house and use the shared spaces. It’s not a separate building with its own facilities.

If she can't afford the deposit she probably can't afford the rent either, I would look for someone else unless it's all signed up already and she pays the deposit as agreed. Did she give a reason that she couldn't pay the deposit?

What referencing and financial checks have you done?
It’s definitely a red flag. If your rule is deposit before she moves in, and she won’t/can’t pay it, then she can’t move in. Maybe she is waiting for her previous deposit back, or maybe she didn’t get it back 👀

Surely rent is payable in advance so before moving in she needs to pay the 1st month's rent and the deposit. You said the first month's rent is due in 4 weeks, are you letting her pay rent in arrears? Why?

I thought the OP called it an annex, which usually means that it has its own separate entrance and is self contained.

Lodgers usually share some facilities with the owner.

Definitely not good

send part of the deposit now, and the rest with the first rent payment in 4 weeks time.

WTAF? Rent should be paid in advance.

I agree with everyone else, don't accept this woman as a lodger, she's going to be trouble.

For future reference, rent should be paid in advance. Your next lodger moves in AFTER you have received deposit, first month's rent, and any smaller deposits for keys etc. And the signed agreement of course.
You also need to do credit checks etc. Ask for:

• proof that they CAN pay (eg bank statements, payslips)
• proof that they WILL pay (eg reference/testimonial from a previous landlord).

And lastly, make your autism your friend here. Go over everything in fine detail. Don't worry about being "nice" or "polite", you need to be business-like and clear. People who have accused you of being rude probably just don't like that you are direct and/or have missed some social nicety - but this isn't a social situation.

If she has a secure job, paying rent at the end of the month won't be a problem

That's not an assumption I'd personally want to make, @Gwenhwyfar
It's true that a secure job will make the money available, but not that it'll necessarily be used for paying essentials suchh as rent

Just say you’ve found another lodger and wish her well in her home search.

You need to read all the comments from the OP - she’s clarified this. There are shared areas.

Then she shouldn’t have called it an annexe in the OP. It’s presumably an extension.