Am I too hard?

[springyhope]

A lodger arrived today and, how to say this - she was difficult from the off. I need the money, she needed the room and I thought ah well, see how it goes (didn't expect it to last long). We bashed out payment terms and, as the intro had been short notice (both of us recommended to the other by a friend last night), she said she would go to the bank to get the money. Then she decided she would transfer it on the internet ("I don't want to go out now") - by now her stuff was in the room [

... and if you take the piss, be prepared to have i taken out of you too.

What was illegal about it? I assume you mean in the civil sense? The OP offered a contract but it wasn't signed before the prospective tenant moved in. Hardly illegal or even that unusual.

And as far as I'm aware, renting a room in your home isn't going to join the traditional professions any time soon and attracts rather generous tax allowances.

I'm not really getting the vibe that the OP is some criminal landlord mastermind, somehow.

Under the government 'rent a room' scheme you can let a furnished room in your house, and receive up to £4,250 gross p.a. tax free, without having to declare anything. This applies to owned or rented homes (although if rented you need to clear it with the landlord)

It is a bit much to bandy round accusations of illegal lets opentoffers

Ok, point well made without the snide sarcasm by panic. Thanks for clearing that up. I was questioning, not accusing. All seemed to occur fast for being above board but I concede that it may well of been.
In a nutshell, and more to the point, no she was not too hard but is obviously a nice person for considering her needs regardless of behaviour.

I have a property which is let (now by an agent) and was too soft on someone who didn't pay on time, upshot she owes a packet and I have also had lawyers fees etc to try and recoup the money.

Learnt the hard way to 'be hard' and stick to the rules.

Apropos of not much; my neighbour recently took in a colleague (seperated middle-aged man) as a lodger (she variously has lodgers) and he ended up hanging himself off her bannister. Seriously. She opened the front door and there he was In summer too She knew he wasn't doing that well but...

Screw her. She took the absolute piss and I would've done the same as you op. I thought you were talking about a 16 year old by her behaviour not a 40-something year old woman! Terrible behaviour.

How awful for your neighbour, tzella I hope she's recovered from the shock and the subsequent trauma of the police investigation etc.

I also hope the poor man's family have found some way to come to terms with his decision to end his life.

izzy We haven't spoken at length but she is being breezy. I can't imagine she's quite over it yet though. I wouldn't be.

God, no, nor would I be, tzella. In time it's possible to reach some accomodation with such a dreadful occurence, but you never get completely 'over it'. I hope your neighbour is at least able to enter her home without 'seeing' the past, as it were [sad}

Um, panicnotanymore Can I just say under the Government RentaRoom scheme you can earn £7,500 per annum tax free!

It was increased in April 2017, due to pressure from Shelter and lobbying from other similar organisation.

@ladydayblues so it was correct back in 2012 when this thread dates from then.

I can’t help but wonder if your mutual friend’s rooms were really all full and if this person has form for this. But then I am a cynical bugger

I could feel my bile rising as I was reading this

Zombie thread folks

You did what you had to Springy, people like that (and I've met many through housing work) are absolute piss takers and Bit has it all wrong. She's 41, she knows what to do and not do and she's a piss taker. You're well rid. Money talks and bullshit walks.