So shall i get a lodger?

[allgonebellyup]

Following on from my other thread about my ex refusing to carry on with his maintenance payments, and me having make a csa claim, im considering advertising for a lodger?

What do i need to consider?
The room is only a single room, so not huge!

Don't you have 2 children? Are they sharing a room?
I wouldn't do it tbh, as it would affect any housing benefit payments you get, not to mention feeling you have to be on your best behaviour in your own home. I'd hate it

i know i will hate it but i dont have a choice unless i want to lose our house.

Wont get HB payments anyway as house is mortgaged.

We have 3 bedrooms.

Could you not get a job?

What makes you think i dont have a job?
i work full time !!

Its fairly rubbish money though and i am hoping to do teacher training next year.

I just assumed as you were posting on MN that you maybe worked part time if at all. My bad.
If you can't afford to stay in the house even on a full time wage, I don't know what to suggest tbh. A lodger is one idea, but you have young dc in the house, who will not only have their own space taken away, but have to deal with a stranger living in the house. Lots to think about

I'd not want a lodger. Too permanent. What about taking on foreign students? My friend does this and gets about £150 a week. They pick and choose when they have students and also can make a call if they are not comfortable with someone and have them moved.

Surely having a foreign student is pretty much the same as you will still have someone else living there.

But renting a 3 bed house will cost me a lot more than keeping the mortgage on my house, so i would prefer to sit tight.

I used to rent out a room in my house. The a room scheme' meant that it didn't count as taxable income. What it does to tax credits or similar I'm not sure but maybe there is some info in that link.

I would say the things to watch are that you get references for the lodger, get some kind of deposit, set a finite time-frame for renewing the agreement (you might want to stipulate an initial probation period to see if it works), insist on DD payments rather than waiting for cash or cheques. Have a really good idea of house-rules you want to impose, especially if you have children. If everyone knows the score up front things tend to run better. Good luck!

Rent A Room Scheme

If you rent to a tenant under RAR you are stuck with that person for 6 months. If you have students you can have them for a week if you like them. If you don't you make a call and they are gone. More money than RAR too.

Ah ok.
How do i find students though?

depends where you live, I know someone at work who has foreign students - but this is Cambridge, there are stacks of them. This will only be an option if you have language schools nearby - if you do then contact their housing dept.

Contact unis....a student...especially a nice Euro on will be far beter than some hairy builder!

ooh...what about advertising as a theatrical lodging house...I know it sounds really 1930s...but most theatre's have a list of loca lodgigs for actors...phone your theatres up....speak to the manager...nice actors...it might not be ALL the time but that might be better? You would hve some breaks?

Also call Equity...the actors union...they will defo know who to contact.

The only thing is that actors come home lateish...but they're usually nice folk!

It depends on whether you would feel comfortable having a (initially) stranger in your house.

We used to have a lodger, but they were the DH's family friend. The only problem is that when we all fell out, things became awkward and very sour indeed.

Well, I have a lodger at the moment!

My children are away at university and I was asked by a friend if I would put up her friend's child (21) whilst she was on a placement nearby.

It's three days in and it's hard to say whether I'd recommend it. It's quite stressful having someone here, in that I have to make sure everything's looking OK all the time - I'm not used to that! It's a bit like having a mother in law visiting.

It's more expensive than I thought - she's got the heater on in her room all evening, for example, whereas I'm happy with just the central heating on and a throw unless it's really cold, when I put the fire on.

She's boring too - she doesn't have much of an opinion about anything - I find that quite mind numbing, really.

On the other hand, it's made me realise I'd love to live with someone again - I'd rather it was a man, but a woman more my own age who was a good conversationalist would be great.

Caroline, I couldn't think of anything worse than living with someone that you dislike.

Hi, I have foreign students stay with me on a full board basis. They mainly come during the period of march through to August and they stay normally for 3 or 4 nights a week.
I usually earn £162 for 3 students. It suits me not to have them all the time! They mainly come mid week too so thats a bonus as we have the weekends to ourselves. I would not like to have a lodger (I did years ago) as I felt that as soon as they got 'comfortable' they took liberties. But, with short term ones they don't, and if they do you can either wait a couple of days til their gone, or call the tutor to have them removed! Its a great earner for me and my family and its money that see's me through the year for some bills, some treats and a holiday!