% of bills for lodger.

[jellyjelly]

Will be hopefully be getting a lodger soon but have a child in the house so it is split 3 ways and i pay 2/3rds or is it half/half?

All views apprecaited.

jellyjelly, I have had lodgers for years and years, both in my house in the usa and in my house in the uk. I have tried many different methods of billing utilities. I used to divide it by the number of people in the house each month. Problem is that if you have someone come and stay or go away on holiday it becomes an issue. And you have to make sure that you read your utility meters regularly and get the bills regularly. All of that can add up to more time and trouble than you need. Also, now that I have children, there is exactly the issue that you have brought up. For the last few years, I have switched to a flat charge for utilities. I took an average of the bill for the last year and divided it by the number of people in the house and came up with a flat figure that is the same regardless of seasonal and other fluctuations. The reality is that you will probably find that your utilities will be unchanged by an extra person in the house. The big ticket items like the fridge/freezer (electricity) and the heat (gas) are on whether or not you have an extra person. I also included in my calculations for how much to charge for the utility fee a cost for a few basics like toilet paper, paper towel, garbage bags, sugar, flour, milk. It ends up keeping you from going crazy because someone is using these things and not replacing them.
If you are in London, another thing that's worth considering is getting in short term tourists. You can charge them much more than a regular lodger (3 or 4 times the amount), so that you don't have to have the room full all the time AND they are much less intrusive, because they are pretty much out all the time being tourists. If that sounds like something you might be interested in, let me know and I'll give you some websites and hints to look for people.

We have agreed a flat fee which suits both parties - lodger isn't surprised by unexpected bills, and I know how much I'm paying. Agree that lodgers don't usually add too much to utilities except possibly hot water. Wouldn't shre phoen in this age of mobiles - far too much hassle billwise.