What should I consider before renting out a room to a lodger?

[congan]

I am in my early 60s and recently widowed. Have grown up kids who’ve flown the nest.

Whilst I will probably downsize, for now I’m in a 5 bed house in a “desirable” area but a bit short on income.

So I’m thinking of renting out a large en-suite bedroom with adjoining sitting room on a monthly basis. My preference would be to keep my kitchen private but I could put a fridge and microwave, kettle, toaster, etc in the sitting room.

The room can be accessed without coming into my living room or kitchen. I e I could rent the room out with minimal interaction with the lodger, but it I liked them of course would be happy to chitchat.

Before I put an advert out, what are some things to think about? Any tips?

Just sell your house and downsize. Lodging isn’t feasible without access to a kitchen.

Thanks - hadn’t thought this through.

I know I should downsize but stamp duty on a new place could easily be £50k

I've never been been a lodger but friends have and I've read multiple MN posts. It seems most issues are from lack of clarity when they first move in.
-Can they have overnight guests? How often?
-Clarity on cleaning, who puts the bins out and often things like turning the heating right up, having extra heaters in their room or over use of the washing machine and dryer.
-Maybe a Mon-Fri guest would suit you better?

Depending where you are, as others have said, airbnb might suit you better because they are short term and don't necessarily need access to the kitchen if the listing is clear what facilities are supplied. You could put a min number of nights if that suited you better.

DH and I worked abroad for a period and rented out our property. We had a management company organised the cleaning, linen, bookings etc. I assume you could do the same if you didnt want to hassle of doing it all yourself. They obviously take a cut though, but it might be an option to start with, to see how it goes.