Lodger Advice Needed

[MilesUpWithMyWitch]

I don't actually have a lodger yet, but we're seriously considering it, and I just want to pick the brains of some people who have actually had lodgers.

We're a bit financially distressed at the moment, and the extra income would be really helpful.

We've got a nice big bedroom, and they could have full use of our front room in the evenings, as we have a family room at the back of the house. We're also three minutes walk from a well-served station half an hour from Central London. I'm hoping this means we can charge a little more than average.

What I'd really like to hear about are pitfalls and things to avoid.

Also good rules/guidelines to have in place if/when someone moves in.

I'm off out in a minute, so will check back later.

Thanks in advance!

I have had Lodger’s for around 10 years.

The first thing I would do is take a look on spareroom.com and see what the going rate is for rooms around your area. Most people would expect bills to be included, so you need to factor that in too. Although you could probably charge a bit more as they have their own living room.

Think about how this person will live in your home. Do you have a another bathroom for the lodger, or would they be using the same as you? I work shifts, so another shift worker wouldn’t work for me, so my preference was 9-5 as bathroom times wouldn’t clash.

What about visitors? I had one that said she wanted to rent on her own, but wanted her boyfriend around all weekend and weeknights. Obviously that didn’t work.

I used to have an additional charge (£5) for a ‘kitty’ for things that I didn’t want doubling up like, bin bags, toilet roll, cleaning products, etc

What about them cleaning? Most lodgers I’ve had, didn’t clean the house (communal areas), so I got a cleaner and charged them extra for that.

HTH

Hi sofabunnyuk, thanks so much for all that brilliant advice! That gives me a lot to chew on. (Especially the cleaning).

When I think about the downsides, I just have to remember that it will cause less upheaval than renting the whole house out!

Thanks again 

I would also make clear before they move in what is and isn't expected/acceptable. It is very difficult to change things after the fact. Call the list 'house notes' (sounds nicer than rules) and set the boundaries around visitors/overnight guests, areas they are expected to keep clean, etc.

I meant to add to take a look at landlordzone.co.uk. Huge forum with lots of useful information.

Any income from renting out a room is taxable over £7000 pa (although you might need to check that figure) and declarable on your income tax return.

I would charge bills seperately. When I had a lodger anytime I advertised all inclusive, without exception the heating got abused.

You could put a cap on the cost eg include what you think is reasonable usage but if you bill goes up by more than 30 then the cost gets split?

You may find that you won't attract London commuters. People who work in London and rent will want to live in London unless the cost of rent plus their travel card and travel time far outweighs the cost of renting further out.