Rent a room

[Debbydoo100]

I recently separated from my partner and In the next few months I'll be looking to buy a property to live in alone, my sister has suggested that going forward renting out a room might be provide a useful extra income and I've also heard that this can be done on a 'Monday to Friday' basis for someone who lives out of the area but commutes to work during the week and needs a 'base'. Does anyone have any experience of this arrangement either as a homeowner or 'tenant' and would you recommend it ?

We used to have lodgers before we downsized and like most things, there are pros and cons. Pros obviously are the money, if you find the right person it's def easy cash. Cons are that it's not always that easy to find the right person! You definitely have to be the kind of person that's comfortable sharing your space as even a Monday to Friday lodger will likely be a presence preparing food or watching TV in the evenings etc., don't count on them being the kind of person that always works late or is out doing hobbies in the evenings whatever they say at the outset, not too rigid in your routine (as otherwise you'll permanently be finding your lodger in the shower or cooking their dinner in your 'slot' for those things!), not too noise sensitive (even a very considerate and quiet lodger will make extra noise just by existing especially in a small flat). Probably best if you aren't too precious about provisions also e.g. milk, toilet roll, cleaning stuff, i.e. the things that tend to be purchased communally and a lodger may be more profligate with than you would be - if you are the kind of person that will monitor the level of the fairy liquid bottle on a daily basis or fret about lights being left on overnight or the TV on standby then it may not be for you as realistically most people are not as careful when they aren't paying the bills.

You also need to be totally upfront with them from the very beginning about ground rules, e.g. use of communal space, whether/when visitors are allowed, whether any food is 'shared' or if it's strictly a 'yours and my shelf in the fridge/cupboards' situation. I know it feels awkward but you can't leave these kind of things to assumptions or silently stew on minor gripes or it will never work. It's also crucially important (and surprisingly difficult) to find someone that's a good match for you in terms of housekeeping expectations, again good communication is clear here, I started off by simply saying something like 'we're quite relaxed about housework here but we only want a lodger who is reasonably clean and tidy and will chip in with their fair share of chores' and of course everyone answered 'yes of course that's fine', since nearly everyone thinks that they are a reasonably hygienic and 'normal' person. I ended up with not one but two 'problem' lodgers, one messy slob that would use every plate and implement in the house before doing any washing up and was a total stranger to the hoover and mop (and the shower too 🙄) and after that another who was too far the other way, got incredibly anxious if we'd left our breakfast stuff out to wash up later or if there was ever a speck of dust around and made everything very awkward as felt we had to live up to her standards or she'd spend every available second cleaning up after us... after that we learnt to be way more specific about what we meant by 'reasonable standards of cleaning' 😀

Thanks 'maxelly'...quite a minefield isn't it and knowing my luck I'd end up with the one who'd spend all Sunday afternoon on violin practice ...perhaps I need to think this through a little more...thanks so much for the heads up !

I have a colleague who was a Mon-Thursday lodger in this kind of context. She was a quiet hardworking student who rented a room from an older divorced lady who needed the money. I believe it worked well for both of them.

I’ve rented rooms. It’s much easier if you’re VERY upfront about what you expect and what they can expect.
From experience, visitors and communal area cleanliness are the big ones!

I used to have a Monday to Friday lodger (well, I’d had five by the time I moved, three left of their own accord, one I asked to leave and the last one moved with me), and now I’ve got a full time lodger.

@maxelly has made a great post, the lodger who I had to ask to leave was a student, and I wouldn’t have a student again. I’d also make sure they have had their own place, and aren’t coming direct to your from mum and dad.

Have a look on spareroom (that’s where I’ve found all my lodgers), and they also give you quite a lot of guidance.

At the end of the day, it’s a tax-free £xx a month, which more than covers utilities and the odd inconvenience, and on the occasions it does wind me up, I work out how much overtime I’d have to do to take home that each month. It’s also quite nice (sometimes!) having someone to chat to and share a drink/meal with, without having to get dressed and go out!

I rented a room from a woman who had a filthy, cluttered house.
The windows were never opened and were black with mould.

She did, however, have a cleaner once a fortnight to do surfaces, floors etc.

The cleaner plumped the cushions on the sofa and I had to sit on the floor for 48 hours every two weeks after the cleaner had been, as she didn’t want anything disturbed as she thought it looked so lovely.

She also never put the heating on and worked from her bed all day long.

She was a very strange woman.

Don’t be like that, is what I’m saying……..

We have 3 lodgers (5 bedroom property). 1 gentleman is M-F, the others are full time but one very much keeps herself to herself which is fine by me. We couldn't afford to live here without this extra income. In another context I think it's almost a social responsibility. So many larger properties occupied by single people (of our close friends, 1 lady in a 3 bed house, my brother on his own, 3 bedroom house, another friend on his own, 4 bedroom house) if renting out a room eases a bit of the housing problem then I think it's a good idea. My issue with life in general is noise (chat or, worse still, music) and we are very lucky that our lodgers are all quiet. When meeting prospective lodgers (we use spareroom) be honest and up front about your expectations, and trust your gut instinct. But we'll worth it in so many aspects.

Google the Government's Rent a Room Scheme. Tax free rent for you up to £7500 per year as long as certain conditions are fulfilled.

Thank you everyone, you've certainly given me some food for thought and I agree that there are 'plusses' and 'minuses' to this, @Pugfostermum...you seem to base your advice on one bad experience with your ex landlady, and then warn me that I shouldn't be like that ! I may be inexperienced as a 'landlady' but I keep a clean home and maintain a pleasant environment and have neither the inclination or the opportunity to work from my bed all day, so please don't make generalisations.

@Debbydoo100 it was clearly a humorous post, making light of my situation……. Don’t be so grumpy!!

@Pugfostermum...fine if you think it's acceptable or humorous to talk like that there's obviously no reasoning with you so I won't bother, just drop it.

@Debbydoo100 good for you dear. 😂

We currently have, and have previously had, Mon-Fri lodgers. We offer an ensuite bedroom which helps and prior to my DH WFH they had a small office / living space too.

None of them used the kitchen. They all just brought along their own kettle or coffee maker and microwave so we did get a mini fridge for them.

None have ever been any bother.

Along with SpareRoom, if you have a hospital, business park, major banking complex or major construction work going on locally, there will be loads of temporary contractors looking for weekday lodgings.