To get lodgers? Too many rules?

[Lodgeornot]

Apologies if this is in the wrong place, feel free to move.

I'm contemplating taking in lodgers. I live in a 3 bed house alone in a relatively inexpensive area so could rent out the two spare rooms for up to the £7500 threshold. One is a single, one is a very large attic room.
Based on full occupancy, I could pay of my mortgage in just under 8 years instead of 20. Of course there would be gaps though. I could therefore be mortgage free by roughly 40 years old. I'm not a high earner so this would be brilliant for long term financial security.

I've lived with others in various ways before and whilst I enjoy living alone, the financial sense is currently overruling my desire for solitude. I could make my bedroom into my sanctuary opposed to it's current 'place of being unconscious so what does it matter'.

I would have some house rules though, which I don't know if they're unreasonable.

1. female only house. All male visitors must leave before a certain/reasonable time (if at all).
2. variable bills not included (gas, electric, water).
3. no alcohol or drugs in the house.

I know many would say I'm being unreasonable about the alcohol and that people may want boyfriends over. But these are non-negotiables for me.

So, am I too much of a stick in the mud to have lodgers? Or could my house end up being a good safe housing situation for single women on a budget? I would of course advertise with the rules so no one wastes their time.

"The combination of rules makes you sound unappealing as a landlord"

Some people wouldn't like those rules but some people would like them. No drinking wouldn't bother me and I'd welcome living somewhere where other tenants weren't allowed to have partners stay over. I'd actually specify that there mustn't be any overnight guests. ( or I'd 'charge' a nightly surcharge if they did). Three people sharing a bathroom is enough, four is too many!

I think the bills is more tricky. I'd include the bills but I'd include a fair use policy and I'd specify no electric heaters etc,

By not including bills you’re creating a house share environment but then by limiting visitors back to the lodger.

I’d put a bathroom in the loft room and have that as your private floor. Also how many reception rooms do you have? Could you keep one strictly for you? That way you have sole use of bulk of the house.

Having shared a house with three working adults to one bathroom I would strongly recommend you limit it to one lodger.

Your rules seem stifling to me and would make me worry you'd be a difficult landlady but I'm probably not your target audience.

I agree that 1 lodger is enough and 1 shared bathroom doesn’t work for a house of 3.

You can have those rules….but need to appreciate a large part of the market will be excluded. Most adults do drink alcohol sometimes and most want at least the flexibility to have a boyfriend/girlfriend stay over if they choose to. So most will be out off by those rules, but if you’re prepared to have long voids or wait for someone,, that’s fine. It’s better to be clear those are the rules up front.

I don’t think it works if you have a rigid view of what you hope to achieve financially and don’t think about that person feeling at-home as part of it. They pay, but then they have to be able to feel at home. It means you have to be a bit flexible and can’t expect to live exactly as you lived before. Are you prepared to do that?

Do consider if you’re suited to being a live-in landlady or if you’re just attracted by the cash? You can’t always control everything a lodger does. There could be some mess and inconvenience in the kitchen, they might have friends round, they might not always be totally quiet…..and those things have to be accepted to some level as them just living their life.

Think carefully about what would be appealing to a lodger. You need to make sure your home provides that. Think of it from their point of view and not just a load of rules that allow you to live as you did, and almost pretend they don’t exist. It might mean you don’t always have the bathroom slot you’d like, or the kitchens lot you’d like. Is that okay?

It can work really well. However, usually there is some kind of conflict at some point. Are you ready for that and able to communicate clearly and openly? Those are vital skills you need for it to work.

Like you, I live alone and have thought about taking in lodgers.

Personally, I think it would cost me more in outgoings than it would in taking rent due to extra council tax, energy and water bills.

Just my take on it.

I think the general consensus is bills to be included. That can be managed fair enough.

No overnight guests may be a better turn of phrase for my intentions, as I wouldn't want to risk meeting unknowns of any gender on the landing at night.

And phrasing of 'no alcohol in communal areas', would be better too.

I'm glad to hear from a few that such a setup would suit them. I'm not looking to please everyone looking for a room. I don't need the income so I can be selective (yes I'm very lucky).

The thing is OP DOESN'T want mass appeal. They want to appeal to someone who will find those rules attractive - especially as a suitable lodger and some extra money coming in is a 'nice to have' rather than a necessity. Screen out out as many as you need, and if anyone is left standing then that's all to the good

Does the attic bedroom meet with fire regulations to be rented out as a bedroom?

I imagine it may be harder to find people but if you find the right people they will stick.

Great that you can be very selective and are happy to have periods without a lodger.

I’m sure some people will be forthcoming and of course you only need 1 at a time.

Do you think you’d be easy to live with? It’s an interesting question, especially if you’ve lived alone for a long time.

A key to this might be advertising in the right places. You might be able to out an advert in some local Church newsletters, or on a hospital notice board, or a newsletter of a local club or activity where you think you might find people.

Good luck - I hope it works out for you.

Some posters painting me as an old fashioned house ma'am is entertaining, though some others seem to get what I'm trying to put forward. It's not something I'm rushing into. I'm grateful for everyone's points of views.

Your rules would work for me if I was looking for a room to rent @Lodgeornot.

Perhaps you could have a bills included unless they top a certain amount clause?

Well. You can advertise on those terms and see what uptake you get.

If you don't t fill the rooms then you could drop the rent (assuming that the house rules are more important to you than a set £rent. If not then vary the rules)

I wasn't trying to say that is what you're like, just that that combo of rules puts that image in my head.

I think phrasing it as "no overnight guests" sounds less 1950s ma'am than "no men". I still think you should think about what the alcohol rule is really about for you - is it really a problem for you if your lodger has a small glass of wine occasionally in the living room or is it more that you want to avoid someone who is a party animal? If it's more the latter, you would be better off finding a way to express that. Like "I like a quiet and peaceful home and am looking for someone who feels the same way"

You'd need to check your house insurance policies to make sure they're still valid if you have lodgers. Also you lose your single person council tax discount, so factor that into costs.

Is your attic room a habitable bedroom? This often comes up when you sell/purchase a property and can affect insurance. It needs to meet fire escape regulations.

Op

I think it's clear op that taking in lodgers is not for you. You don't sound stuck for the money so I would just enjoy your solitude

What you're suggesting is TOTALLY FINE

You will either end up with someone the same as you or you may consider a change

I would happily move in with you

If I had lodgers I would have no men over at any time/alcohol in rooms fine/no working from home

I would include bills but a rule that they couldn't change the temperature from a reasonable 20. And no extra heaters in bedroom.

A few have asked about whether the attic is a proper room. It is. The houses round here were built with the third bedroom in the eaves, the staircase is fully compliant etc. In reality it's a full standing height third floor bedroom rather than an attic room. I'm just a wonky northerner who doesn't know what else to call it in short hand whilst also explaining why I don't use it as my own room. 😁

@LaurieFairyCake I wish there was a 'like button' lol

One comment you made was about not accepting people if they worked from home … but what happens if they change their job, have an accident, there are train strikes .. any of those could easily happen so would you evict your lodger ? What happens if they work part time or are on holiday … how long will you put up with them using heat, light and water ?

Sorry but I think all three are unreasonable. The first effectively bans then having an adult heterosexual relationship. The second means they can’t plan their expenditure. The third is unreasonable on alcohol.

You can certainly say no drugs and say overnight guests are set at a maximum or attract a further premium.

I think you fancy the finances (understandable!) but aren’t prepared for the reality of living with other, autonomous adults.

I don’t think you can ban working from home - that’s just odd - and I don’t think you have enough bathroom space.

Basically I think you need to readjust your expectations about how much control you can have over someone who is paying you a lot of money.

I wouldn't go for it, but I'm sure someone would. I think you would also have to not have male visitors/ alcohol etc.

You don't really sound like you are cut out for lodgers if I'm honest. You want an awful lot of control over people. I think that isn't going to be appealing to a lot of people. The no alcohol and paying a share of the bills are going to be the biggest hurdles.

I don't see there being any harm in you going for it. Advertise for the type of person you want, and if you get someone in, then see how it goes. (but I would just have 1 person to start with. You could kit the other spare room out as a space you could use if you wanted some time alone and not be in your bedroom - like a small separate living room)

There's no legal notice period for lodgers, so you can ask them to leave if it's not working for you. Not that I suggest that you should give them one day's notice, that would be a pretty hideous thing to do, but you could!

Don't see it as being able to pay off your mortgage in X number of years, just use any rent you do get to overpay, and everything overpaid is a bonus.

@RabbitSocks but I'm not forcing them to not have an adult relationship. I am not the only HMO/Lodger/rent a room set up in town. There are many without any rules. What I would be offering is the option for women to choose not to risk bumping into a random on the landing in the night, or to come home from work to who knows what party going on in the living room. I'd be offering an option, not enforcing it on unwilling persons.