Renting my spare room(s) out

gravitas

Hi all

My current lodger has just moved out and im wanting to rent his double room out, does anybody know of any good websites on which I can leave some adverts?

Also i have a box room and I was thinking I could rent this out and tap into the short term rental market, im thinking shop fitters who need somewhere to stay for three weeks for example or people who need somewhere to stay for the summer, does anyone know if there are good websites for that sort of thing?

I am based in leeds in case these websites are area specific?

Im basically right on the edge financially and really want to get someone in as quickly as possible, im hoping that with some shrewd savings elsewhere and some rental income coming in I can start to make overpayments on my mortgage to chip away at the equity I've lost over the last 18 months (26 year old male who bought at the peak in 2006!) im not having to borrow 100% next year when my mortgage is due.

Cheers guys

lyndsey80

I live in Leeds to and know that renting out my spare room would solve a lot of my problems, but I am shared ownership and scared of getting found out! Also, the room is decorated for a young boy, really need to sort out the decor and clear the junk from it.

I found easyroommate.com is quite good - can't think of the others now, or maybe Gumtree?

djkaizen

Gumtree is definitely worth a visit. I know people who have found rooms and others who have found housemates via it with ease

gravitas

Cheers guys I had a look at gumtree and it seems to have a lot of people on there

Anymore hints and points in the right direction would be appreciated

Pee

I always used postcards in the local supermarket. I always found someone before I could move on to plan B, which was to put a postcard up in the local hospital. There is a theory that nurses make better lodgers than other types of students. A lot more money for a start.

You should think too about what you expect from someone so that you can make this clear from the start.

gravitas

Yer i've been thinking abouts what reasonable this morning, essentially if they have a partner I wouldnt want them to be staying over more than 2/3 nights a week because then it would be more like their house and im the guest, plus the inevitable domestic tensions might creep in and make it uncomfortable!

Other than that just clean, tidy and considerate!

vanpiggy

When I'm looking for places to rent I like rightmove, but I'm not sure if you have to go via estate agents. Many of the bedrooms are one room available in shared houses, so it might be a good place. Also seems to have a high turn over, and people can sort by postcode, so that might help with short term lodgers as they also do holiday properties. Good luck!

onlyforboards_2

Try ringing local contractors and agencies and ask how they allocate accommodation when needed. Or go to a large building site and ask the workers direct how they find places to stay.

downshifted

My daughter and I have used spareroom.com with success :-)

ali-t

easyroomate and flatmate click have always worked for me

puddings_2

Gravitas - i've tried postcards in newsagents windows etc and waited weeks for a single reply. Then I paid for an ad in the local paper classifieds and got about a dozen replies in about three days.

So if the room is empty and "ready to go" then its worth paying out £30 or whatever for an ad, in order to get it filled quick. The first weeks rent will more than pay for the ad. Time is money!!!