Letting out part of our property

Bizzie_Lizzie

I'd be grateful for hints or tips from anyone who has let out part of their property. I've had a quick search of the forum but couldn't see anything relevant. I'm not looking for advice on what's involved with being a landlord, but rather anything to do with the fact that we'd be splitting our house and living next door to tenants.

We live in what used to be a pair of cottages, but is now one property. It is too big for just the two of us, and we have been talking about selling and downsizing. However, we love the house, and are now considering reconstituting the dividing wall and letting out one side while living in the other. There is only one water supply (metered) and one electricity supply, and no gas in our village. The central heating to the side we would let out is separate with its own tank.

Thanks in advance!

mlz1413

I think elec and water can add meters, but what the charge would be I've no idea, expensive I would think. you might be able to dig the trenches and have the cables laid by a builder and then just get the elect/water boards to connect - probably worth a phone call to ask.

As for living next to your tenants at least you have 6 monthly control of this, you can vet them and decide who to accept, if it doesn't work then you don't re-new. You can always let through an agent and ask them not be directly tell the tenants you own the place, but its probably best to be upfront as finding out could cause arkwardness.

Bizzie_Lizzie

Thanks for your reply.

We don't want to "untangle" the water and electricity supplies to make them separate, not least because of the costs involved, and aim to include water, electricity and possibly council tax in the rent we would charge.

We would be upfront about being the landlords, and would definitely vet prospective tenants ourselves.

zone

Would it be easier for you to rent the rooms out as separate bedsits with a common kitchen/dining space? Or perhaps keep the upstairs for yourselves and let the downstairs floor.

getmore4less

Since this is a single dwelling what about doing it as lodgers that just have a lot of shared space that you will hardly ever use.

You keep 100% control and can kick them out with short notice if needed.

If there is a need to put up a wall put a door in it.

will depend on the layout how easy this would work.

Bizzie_Lizzie

Thanks for your suggestion, but that's not really feasible in a small cottage.

The two cottages were semi-detached, with the dividing wall knocked through downstairs to make it one dwelling at present. There are still two staircases, one in each half, so it's going to be simple to reinstate that wall and turn it back into two cottages. We currently use the other half's kitchen area as a utility room, so all the plumbing is still there, and we would put in a new kitchen.

barnaby-bear

Bizzie_Lizzie wrote: »

I'd be grateful for hints or tips from anyone who has let out part of their property. I've had a quick search of the forum but couldn't see anything relevant. I'm not looking for advice on what's involved with being a landlord, but rather anything to do with the fact that we'd be splitting our house and living next door to tenants.

We live in what used to be a pair of cottages, but is now one property. It is too big for just the two of us, and we have been talking about selling and downsizing. However, we love the house, and are now considering reconstituting the dividing wall and letting out one side while living in the other. There is only one water supply (metered) and one electricity supply, and no gas in our village. The central heating to the side we would let out is separate with its own tank.

Thanks in advance!

If you let out rooms in your own home to lodgers - rent-a-room scheme it's tax free, lodgers often have restricted access to parts of home anyway. Lodgers have no faff with ASTs/gas safety etc. Don't see why a partitioning wall with a locked door between the two wouldn't fall under that criteria.

Bizzie_Lizzie

Aarghh! Not lodgers - we want privacy, that's why we'd go for a separate and defined area to let out by reinstating the wall.

Bizzie_Lizzie

Oooh, barnaby-bear - you posted while I was writing the previous post. That's a very helpful suggestion, and one I'll look into.

getmore4less

The point is you have access to their side, they don't have access to yours.

Bizzie_Lizzie

Sorry, getmore4less - I see now what you were saying, and agree that's the way to go.