Anyone had a lodger? (Or are a lodger)

[clopertyclop]

Looking for experience good/bad from anyone that has had a lodger and the pros/cons etc

we have a 5 bed house with only 3.5people living in it. Can’t/don’t want to downsize and looking at renting out the top floor (currently our bedroom/dressing room/en suite) it’s a huge space and even has its own internal staircase/vestible (access via our main door/hall/landing) plenty of room for superking bed, sofa, little table etc
obviously the income is the best bit (roughly £800 all inclusive) and the tax relief from rent a room scheme.

downside is sharing a kitchen/having someone living in your house.

do people generally stay in their rooms?
Can you stipulated age/sex? (I’d prefer an older female as my partner sometimes works away) or is that a big no no these days?

im not sure what to expect really

any info great fully recieved

I used to be a lodger. I mainly stayed in my room & I’d have loved a space like that, especially if it had basic cooking facilities too.

I think the important thing is to make expectations on both sides very very clear from the start. For instance, I wanted privacy but my landlady wanted company. Also around kitchen use, overnight guests, WFH etc.

I used to have lodgers. I had blokes as my logic was that they wouldn't be in the bathroom and kitchen so much. Sharing the kitchen involved a bit of negotiation around best times but generally worked. Mine did not always stay in their rooms but your space does sound bigger. Set out the ground rules early. Mine were mainly leave the kitchen and bathroom tidy and don't keep me awake. Guests overnight in their room occasionally but not randoms just longer term partners. Do get a lodger agreement. Can get free templates online.

That’s good to hear. The room has space for a basic cooking area but then it becomes a self contained flat as opposed to lodger (I think)

I was a lodger a few times. In some places I mainly stayed in my room and was
in and out the kitchen making ready meals, but in other places eg when I was sharing with say one other live in landlord , I was comfortable enough to take my time in the kitchen and the living room was open to me to and they’d be happy to chat.

And yes - you can stipulate age/sex!

I had one couple who were realy nice but then their extended families kept taking over the house every other weekend and I felt overwhelmed. And the woman had her sister stay quite a bit during the week and I got a bad vibe from her and started spending even more time in my room. She completely stunk out the bathroom once as well and didn’t even bother to open the window.

The couple had been okay for me just to keep to my room and make polite friendly conversation when I saw them in the kitchen, but when their sister started coming around they suddenly invited me to a dinner to “get to know me” and I felt it was instigated by their sister who was also going to be at said dinner. I got the impression she (the sister) was nosy and wanted to interrogate me so I declined the dinner and gave my notice in.

But then another former landlady said she missed me when I moved out because her new lodger kept taking over the kitchen for hours every night 😆 so different strokes for different folks and all that…

But yeah basically you should make your expectations clear before they move in!

I had them many years ago. Just take your time to find one who fits you. Set out expectations beforehand. Are they welcome in lounge etc

And I’d put in a microwave, kettle and mini fridge. It’s not a proper kitchen (no sink/oven) and they can still use the proper kitchen for oven etc if they wish, so it won’t be classed as a self contained flat but find someone who doesn’t cook and they’ll probably to all extent and purposes be self contained and leave you alone.

Also look at Monday to Friday lodgers. One of mine left the house Friday morning went home straight after work and drove back up on Monday morning to go to work, so I only ever saw her Monday to Thursday really. It was great.

You’ll need to pay tax on the excess over £7,500

Ive always kept it under the threshold for this reason

ive had a lodger who moved into another place (100 miles away) she wasn’t permitted I. The living room, just bathroom bedroom and kitchen

I would put sofa and microwave, coffee machine in the let

make sure you inform your house insurance, they often don’t charge

i have a rule on kitchen being closed to cooking after 9pm, they must be out of the kitchen by 9pm and no cooking before 6:30am

i learnt the hard way on that one and gave notice after 3 months - fortunately he moved out February 2020…

I was a lodger & I worked 2 or 3 jobs each week
I rented a room

I ate breakfast there
I ate all other meals out at work
I used the bathroom
I used the washing machine once a week
I really only slept there

The woman complained that I made too much noise in the morning !
I was amazed & changed so that I showered & ate breakfast at work.

I moved to live with a friend

These people wanted the rent money, but really did not want people in their home.

yes you have and give different protections if it's self-contained.

I can’t bear the thought of a stranger in my house.

^ all of this. I had lodgers as a single woman in a 2 bed flat, I just made rules & expectations really clear (the main one was limits on guests)

in your situation I’d def put in a fridge, kettle, toaster, microwave - and suggest your lodgers cook a couple of slots a week and reheat other times, people like their privacy

I had a list of rules for my lodgers & this was fine. You can earn 7.5k tax free on rent a room, & I think if you find a Monday-Friday lodger they won’t be trying to take over your home

Meet people and share your rules - you will soon see who accepts this and who tries to shift the boundaries

Don't forget to get a Landlords Gas Safety Certificate, assuming you have gas anywhere in the house.

You could put a kettle, microwave and mini fridge and some cutlery and crockery in the room to minimise trips to the kitchen.

I was a lodger for a couple of years in my early 20s. I wasn't required to stay in my room but I don't think I had a huge impact on the other people. My landlady was a middle-aged mum of a toddler, her (female) partner officially lived elsewhere but was in the house 90% of the time at weekends and at least every other evening. I was at work 8am to 6pm in the week and away from friday night to monday morning most weekends but I was about the place Monday to Thursday evenings and occasional weekends. We agreed that we wouldn't attempt to cook at the same time as eachother and checked in daily on when we needed to use the kitchen. If the tv was on in the sitting room and it was a programme I wanted to watch I was free to sit down and share it, but I had my own TV in my room if I wanted. I feel it generally worked well. We got along fine and didn't get in each others way much.

The worst disagreement was when I got disgusted by how often I would come across dirty nappies that had been left (parcelled up not open, but obviously soiled) on stairs and hallways and sofas and I felt this was unacceptable and she felt that she had the right to do what worked for her in her own home and sometimes she didn't have enough hands to get the toddler dressed and sorted into whatever the next activity was and also disposed of the nappy and it was therefore ok to leave it wherever it was until she had a moment. I assume you wouldn't be in exactly this situation but do consider what concessions you make for yourself to accept some potentially taboo circumstances of unhygienic or untidy practices which you think should be forgivable in your own home but which a lodger might not be comfortable with.

I've been a lodger, had lodgers and also done Airbnb.

My experience with a permanent lodger was when I was single. The lodger became a good friend and we lived in the house like we were sisters and both used every room in the house as we wanted, other than the bedrooms. It was great. They were a friend of a friend, so not a complete unknown.

As a lodger, I also had pretty free reign. Obviously kept the kitchen tidy after cooking, but never did any house cleaning outside of that. The landlord had a cleaner. I was allowed my boyfriend over once I'd introduced them, but I didn't take other friends home without okaying it with the landlord first (it was rare).

Airbnb guests tend to stay in their own room in my experience.

Go on spare room and look at the adverts, I’ve had good experiences and it’s quite low risk. There are many more younger people wanting to be lodgers than older women. What is your location like? Near a training hospital? Uni? Etc?