Setting House Rules when renting a room out

mlz1413

paddy's_mum wrote: »

I can see exactly where Steve is coming from. I'm also thinking of renting a room to a lodger and intend to specify that there be 'no overnight guests without prior consent'.

This I agree with, but no guests and no smelly food in room is too strict.

Say you would prefer to know if they are bringing someone back and say you do not want food or dirty plates left in the room, but some people just don't like eating infront of people they don't know - I doubt the thought of eating quitely in the dining room on your own at 10pm at night would have any lodger jumping with joy.

I agree with leaving bathroom and kitchen clean I would also ask a potential lodger their timings as the last thing you want is both of you needing the bathroom at 6.30am to 7am every morning.

just seen OP's new post.
On point 5 - the bed will have one lot of bedding on it, provide the other set(s) within the rooms cupboards. My friend had a lodger and expectd the girl to tell her when she ready to change the bedding as storage in the room was limited, but the girl was so shy she just stripped the bed and slept on the bare mattress whilst the bedding dried.

m1ntie

As intimated in my previous reply, I dont have a problem with occasional overnight visits from regalar girl/boy/friends/partners. There is the world of difference between this situation and somebody bringing home "one night stands" - which I would find completely unaceptable.

I think the most important thing in taking lodgers is picking the right kind of person for you. I have let up to 3 rooms in my house for over 3 years and had very few problems. Most of my lodgers have been long term - over 1 year and 1 has been over 3 years.

I have however been very careful about who I have let to and refused to take several people on little more than "gut instinct" So my advice is choose very carefully, and set out the house rules clearly. Try to foster a friendly relationship but dont make friends of them.

With regard to linen etc I provide 2 sets of linen at the start of the let, but do not get involved with laundry - I am not running a hotel!
I find that people often have their own duvet that they prefer to use. Loo rolls / washing powder etc we share - with everyone occasionally buying.

Cooking utensils are there for everyone to use but some people survive on microwave meals.

paddy's_mum

tbs - thanks for that observation re the axe murder friend of the awkward lodger. You have just added an enormous amount to my peace of mind!! :shocked:

PS .. but I know you meant well

redcar_2

Two things for reducing a lot of house sharinf arguments are a dishwasher and cleaner.

You'll need to mentally accept that your bills will go up if you have another person in the house otherwise it will be too stressful for you checking on room heaters, how many baths they have how much loo paper they use!!!

I'd not be cut out for sharing so good luck. Being on this forum you are probably into living in a money saving way so you need to get a lodger with similar outlook otherwise it will really hurt.

lostinrates

Steve139 wrote: »

I can see that there are some strong (and differing) views on this subject. I am actually in my mid forties, so yes I am looking for someone who is an adult with a home elsewhere (as mentioned by "lostinrates")... and yes I am hoping that they are also responsible.

The "no overnight guests", I will change to "no overnight guests without prior consent"... but regular staying over by bf/gf is probably going to be a no no... besides it's the tenant I've credit checked not their guest/partner so I don't want to come home and find that my TV/hi-fi/computer/paintings/anything else have dissappeared cos the guest/partner decided to help him or her self to them!!... (and one month's deposit isn't going to cover the loss).

Also "poppysarah" mentions...

7. No downloading illegal stuff on house internet.

...hadn't thought of this, so thanks for that! The last thing I want is for the police to arrive at my house cos my tenant has been downloading illegal stuff. I am providing broadband but its for checking emails, Messenger, surfing etc but not for heavy downloading of whatever or for viewing !!!!!!! (although I'm not sure how I'd know if there doing this anyway???)

As I mentioned ealier I'll be letting a room out for the first time, so I'd also like to know what sort of things I need to provide/do to make the tenants stay comfortable... some of the things below (although obvious) spring to mind for starters...

1. provide storage space in bathroom cabinet
2. provide cupboard space in the kitchen, along with shelve space in the fridge freezer
3 for weekdays let do I provide cooking utensils?
4 do I provide the washing powder etc?
5. I plan to provide fresh linen weekly (for Weekdays only let, do I leave it in the room for them to change themselves?)
6.I am quite happy for them to use the loo roles I provide
7 ehmm can't think of anything else???

Sorry if some of the above sound stupid/silly/obvious!!

What I do plan to say to my tenant is to just let me know if there is anything they need to make their stay more comfortable during the week.


Steve

I think the prior permnission bit for guest is fair

DH sometimes gets home in time to watch tv with his LL, rarely. Too rarely to need one in his room, your market is not lodging for fun, so I think provisions needed are minimal. Also, they are likely to be able to afford a radio of their own etc etc

Two sets of sheets etc.

The most important thing to do to make them comfortable is to be consistant and reasonable yourself. It need not be a onerous experience. DH and his LL rarely see each other (hourse of work) but she has a dog that DH walks and carries up and down the stairs , when they do end up intogether for the evening they usually share a bottle of wine and chat, watching tv...just normal things.

tbs624

Steve - what are your views on door slammers?

http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/s/222/222563_lodger_fined_40_for_slamming_door.html

redcar_2

lostinrates wrote: »

The most important thing to do to make them comfortable is to be consistant and reasonable yourself. It need not be a onerous experience. DH and his LL rarely see each other (hourse of work) but she has a dog that DH walks and carries up and down the stairs , when they do end up intogether for the evening they usually share a bottle of wine and chat, watching tv...just normal things.

I keep re-reading this but why does he carry the dog up and down stairs?? Fair enough to walk the dog for exercise but I'd say this is taking things too far

OP don't forget a 'no carrying the dog' rule if this is likely to be a 'bone' of contention!

lostinrates

redcar wrote: »

I keep re-reading this but why does he carry the dog up and down stairs?? Fair enough to walk the dog for exercise but I'd say this is taking things too far

OP don't forget a 'no carrying the dog' rule if this is likely to be a 'bone' of contention!

LOL, its a dog with a long body and isn't meant to do stairs but likes to sleep with its owner.

Bogof_Babe

As this is to be a weekday lodger not full time, it is more like a "digs" arrangement and therefore I think the landlord/lady is entitled to expect more in the way of compromises.

One thing to sort out is what if the lodger wants to stay over at a weekend for whatever reason? Will you allow this, and how much extra will you charge?

As for overnight guests in the week, what size room and what size bed are you providing? If it is a single room/bed I think you are right to say this is not acceptable. In the case of someone wanting to take their partner to a function and stop over, surely these are unlikely to be midweek anyway.

If you have a separate dining room perhaps it would be worth turning this into a private sitting room for your tenant, so that you are not under eachother's feet and he/she does not have to stay in their bedroom all the time.

As well as bathroom timings I would also attempt to agree what times you both want to use the cooking facilities, and perhaps ask that these are not used after a certain hour, e.g. 10.00 p.m., as it will cause disturbance when you might be wanting to go to bed yourself.

p.s. For a part-time lodger I wouldn't have thought the issue of laundry would arise (except for bedding), unless they travel by public transport so would struggle with a week's worth of clothing. Either way, have you thought about where they will dry their stuff if they do a load of washing? If you have a tumble dryer presumably most of it can go in there, but they might want some things to dry naturally, so a shelf in your airing cupboard or use of a clothes horse would be useful. As for the bedding if it were me I would change the bed while they are away at the weekend, but I don't see the need for fresh bedding every weekend if they are only sleeping there four or five nights.

Finally, what about parking if they have a car? Is there space off-road, and are you happy for them to park in your drive?

neverdespairgirl

Bogof_Babe wrote: »

In the case of someone wanting to take their partner to a function and stop over, surely these are unlikely to be midweek anyway.

Not necessaily - functions at the Bar are often on Thursdays, for example.