Worst situation ever!!!!!!

nicp60

siowenson wrote: »

Again, thanks for the helpfull responses, they are very much appreciated.

I am now in the house after my ex went totaly crazy at the weekend - I'm not going to get into it but she admits that she basically set out to hurt me. Trust me, much arguing followed but I'm glad to say we're back on speaking terms as of last night when she appologised and is now looking at things from my perspective. She concedes that I need time apart from her to get my head back together - thank !!!!!

Sooo, I'm now taking on one of my mates as a lodger and I'll probably be placing an ad on gumtree to find someone else, my next question is where can I find more information regarding being a landlord(if thats the correct term for this situation?)?
Do I need to write up a contract?

I found my lodger on gumtree and didn't bother writing up a contract. I kept it informal as the flat was on the market and she was understanding that it might only be a short-term thing.

There are simple tenancy agreements that you can find online, just be careful that they're not tying either of you into something and make sure if you let to a stranger that you have an inventory of the furniture and photos of the state of the room. Sounds OTT, but it only takes 10mins and it's worth it.

You need to decide if the rent you charge will be inclusive of bills (mine was, and it's much simpler that way) and whether the room is furnished or not. Technically, you're not really a landlord I don't think, as you're simply letting out rooms in your property, it's much more informal than that.

I hope it works out for you - definitely get solicitor's advice. Write a list of all the financial history between the two of you, cards, loans, accounts mortgages etc and call the CAB - they'll be able to give you a list of solicitors that have free clinics where you can go and fire questions at them for half an hour. The CAB are amazing and saved my life several times.

An alternative is buying her out - you give her 50% of the equity - this would be half the difference between the mortgage and the current selling price of the house. If you're planning to stay put for a few years and are happy to let rooms out, this may be a way to get back on your feet when the market recovers. Her name would be off the mortgage and the property would be 100% yours. The mortgage company would entertain this if you could prove that you can make the repayments. It was something I considered before I found a buyer. They also allow you to borrow more if necessary to pay her off. I'm not sure how the current climate would affect this, though.
If you have any trouble making the mortgage repayments, make sure you tell your mortgage company. If you let them know you're in trouble and why, they will often be understanding. Is your ex still contributing? Make a note of who has paid the mortgage since you split. You will need to keep records to keep things fair.

Hope it all works out for you - we're not all like that you know!