Setting House Rules when renting a room out

lostinrates

Bogof_Babe wrote: »

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.

......

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. .......

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?

as NDG says, weekday are not uncommon. Infact, most of the things we're invited to are midweek, so that people who have second homes can go home as normal for weekends.

The OP is ofering a City of London room, think most people will be using public transport (not least because of parking issues and the difficulty of getting a residential parking permit at something that is not your primary address in London ...its very difficult, often impossible). DH does his weektime laundry at his ''digs'' and I think thats a fairly basic requirement TBH, and should be factored into the rent.

With hours, while I agree this is important to get compatible I think restricting times to use the bathroom and the kitchen is unfeasable in the City, and indeed anywhere if your lodger wa a shift worker! I think the thing is to understand if they get home from work ay midnight they are more likely to have a bowl of cereal than cook a roast, and should feel comfortable and be considerate of noise. For very, very many people in the City, its not a nine to five job.

re weekends, That is a very good point. DH did raise this with his LL and she understands he i not there at the weekend to hang around her house! I think its only happened once that he's been there at the weekend, but a couple of times he's had to go back to London Sunday night for a very early Monday am start. (this in part of course relates to public transport availability!)

Bogof_Babe

Lol, thanks for the clarification re. midweek functions. I live in the sticks and no-one goes anywhere except on a Friday or Saturday night .

tomstickland

I think you have to be careful about putting off potential lodgers by writing a long and intricate list. The "no guests at all" rule would make you appear to be some sort of paranoid control freak.

I'd advise vetting lodgers to see if they appear reasonable, explain that there are some basic rules. The aim isn't to control their life, it is to make it clear that they need to consider the others in the house.

Personally I'd not be writing down a list of rules, I'd just explain a few things when they come to look and repeat them when they first move in. Just show them round the house and point out the basic rules.
For example, show them the bathroom and say "I like to keep it clean, so please rinse the bath and sink out after use".

poppysarah

tomstickland wrote: »

I think you have to be careful about putting off potential lodgers by writing a long and intricate list. The "no guests at all" rule would make you appear to be some sort of paranoid control freak.
.

On the other hand the people it will put off will be people unable to stick to basic rules.

Bogof_Babe

Would it be feasible to ask for a reference, either from a previous landlord or an employer? Just basic info like reliability and attitude to responsibility.

Steve139

ok I've read through asll the comments... now I need to know how to go about vetting a tenant... reference from a previous landlord is a good start, but thats assuming they've rented before, they may not have... so any suggestions how to go about vetting a tenant?

Also, I see there are different levels of credit checking, can someone advice a good credit check service they've used and what level of checks should I go for?

Thanks.

neverdespairgirl

I think "no guests at all" is very off-putting. I agree you don't want 1.8 people moving in rather than 1, but not being able to invite someone in for a cuppa seems a bit odd.

macaque_2

Steve139 wrote: »

Hi all, I am considering renting out my spare room, it's a first for me, and it will be for Weekdays only.

I have read lots of information on the net regarding good practices when renting a room out and one thing that seems clear to ensure things work out, is to lay out the house rules from the start.

My question to those who have plenty experience being live-in landlords is how far can one go with the "House Rules"?... (without coming across as the live-in landlord from hell!!!)

For example, is it reasonable to have some of the following for house rules:

1. No guests allowed to stay overnight
2. No guests allowed period! (sounds harsh but how do I know that these guests in my house are trust worthy?)
3. No smelly food to be eaten in the bedroom (would prefer downstairs)
4. To ensure shower cubicle/bath is left clean after showering/bathing (the thought of going into a shower cubicle full of someone's hairs... aaarrrghhh!!!)
5. Generally to ensure the bathroom and kitchen are kept clean and tidy after use.

Also I plan to include the utility bills in th rent. But what I don't want is the gas/electricity to get abused, like the tenant having the central heating on full blast 24 hours day or having an electric heater in the bedroom left on at all times! Can I add something in the house rules regarding control of the central heating, plus reasonable usage of gas & electric?

Finally, the telephone bill is NOT included in the rent... but I know of a friend who had a live-in nanny who clocked up a huge telephone bill while my friend was out of the house... this is also of my concern... or am I just worrying too much!

Sorry for going on a bit, but I would like to hear back from others regarding setting of boudaries and house rules when getting in a tenant.

Thanks in advance.

Steve

Rule 1. No Sheilas
Rule 2. No not drinking after lights out

Spark

I would never rent a room where I couldn't invite friends or eat in it, I think if I pay for the room I should be entitled to do those things.
For overnight staying guests, I think allowing it once or twice a week is allright, but the tenant will have to tell the landlord beforehand when he/she invites an overnight stay guest. I suppose some people could live with a "no overnight stay guest" rule if the rent is low enough.
The tenants should take full responsibility for their guests, and if there are any damages, noise pollution, stealing involved the tenant should pay for repair-replacement and never invite that person again.
Wanting the tenant to keep things clean is obvious, but please if you cannot stand the thought of having a stranger in your home, do not start this as you might end up ressenting the tenant and be unhappy.

Bogof_Babe

Sorry but I still disagree about the guests. The lodger (not a tenant - that would mean having your own front door and being self contained) is in the position of a paying guest, and should respect whatever conditions their host wishes to impose.

If you stayed in a B&B you would not be allowed to bring in someone else without the landlord or landlady's permission, so why should it be any different in someone's own home? If guests were allowed ad hoc, where does it end? Would they want to take baths, thus cranking up the electricity or gas bill, and what if the lodger popped out and left their guest alone for any reason?

If they want freedom to entertain friends then they should rent a self contained studio or something, as paying for the use of a room in someone else's house for a few nights a week is not a licence to have visitors in and out at random. This will be reflected in the price the OP charges - obviously you cannot charge hotel rates for a room with such restrictions. I imagine it being more attractive to a younger person who has perhaps been living with parents, as a mature adult would presumably want the freedom of their own front door.

I think in the first instance the OP should decide on what sort of lodger they want - age, sex, occupation-type etc. Then make sure to spend a reasonable amount of time on the "interview", to ensure you can actually get on with eachother. Just thought of something else too - you need to agree on whether you are allowed into their room in their absence, for cleaning etc.