Legalities of renting out loft room as live in land lord.

mike5678

Hi,

I own a large 2 bed first floor leasehold detatched maisonette with a large converted loft room. A friend of mine is going through a divorce and has asked me if they could rent the loft room off of me (I already have another mate lodging in the second bedroom). Now I'm pretty interested in this as that will take the payments up to almost covering my mortgage!

However, I'm worried about being sued should they injure themselves as the room is accessed by a built in retractable loft ladder. Is there any kind of insurance policy available to cover this? From what I have read previously I'm guessing not as I think that these loft rooms are not supposed to be used as bedrooms as they don't require planning as no staircase (it does have a velux window).

If not, could I have a contract made up saying that I am renting the room to them as storage space only and therefor I am not liable to any personal injury claims?

Any help appreciated, thanks!

456789

I am not sure if that contract would be valid based on what i learned in uni about contracts and personal injury/death

If you can't get insurance - any chance they can have your room and you move to loft - not ideal but if it is paying your mortgage for a while it could be ok

chucknorris

mike5678 wrote: »

Hi,

I own a large 2 bed first floor leasehold detatched maisonette with a large converted loft room. A friend of mine is going through a divorce and has asked me if they could rent the loft room off of me (I already have another mate lodging in the second bedroom). Now I'm pretty interested in this as that will take the payments up to almost covering my mortgage!

However, I'm worried about being sued should they injure themselves as the room is accessed by a built in retractable loft ladder. Is there any kind of insurance policy available to cover this? From what I have read previously I'm guessing not as I think that these loft rooms are not supposed to be used as bedrooms as they don't require planning as no staircase (it does have a velux window).

If not, could I have a contract made up saying that I am renting the room to them as storage space only and therefor I am not liable to any personal injury claims?

Any help appreciated, thanks!

Is the loft room not quite large, why not move into it yourself and rent out your room?

CLAPTON

Loft rooms with retractable ladders are not considered habitable rooms.

you would be breaking building regs and would undoubtedly invalid your insurance.

mike5678

chucknorris wrote: »

Is the loft room not quite large, why not move into it yourself and rent out your room?

I considered this but I don't think that they would be around long term, so I don't want to have to redecorate again etc as it is currently very nice, plus I have an expensive kingsize bed that I wouldn't want them to use and it wouldn't fit through to the loft.

theartfullodger

Retractable loft ladder?? It's a death trap, don't do it...

Yueeccchhhhhhhhh

Cheers!

Lodger

PasturesNew

You might have to change your insurance too ... many insurance companies allow 0 lodgers, some only allow 1. So you'd need to check that.

With lodgers, most insurance companies won't let you have accidental damage cover on your stuff either.

But the loft doesn't sound like a legal habitable room either. You'd need to consider fire escape, window size/location (has to be a minimum of X" from the floor), then the joists probably wouldn't be up to the strength of supporting somebody "living/sleeping" in the room.

That ladder definitely would be illegal.

00ec25

there would be 3 of you living in the same property as 3 unconnected (ie not family or married) persons. This puts you into the grey area of on the verge of a potential house in multiple occupation (HMO).

Whilst it is unlikely the council would make you register, they absolutely would not allow anyone to live in the loft room and can enforce that if if you are not required to register.

It is illegal, you can argue till you are blue in the face, but it has no fixed means of escape and HMO is mainly about safety and fires. You would lose any insurance cover and be in serious trouble if anything happens, so no you cannot evade legal responsibility through a contract.

mike5678

Does anybody know what the penalties in question are?

theartfullodger

Does anybody know what the penalties in question are?

..
Sigh!

..

Don't think you get it yet: It is the wrong thing to do, illegal, immoral, unwise, downright dangerous...

'spose that if it all went t**s up then the penalties could be lots of unfortunate publicity locally during & after the inquest, friends & relos never speaking to you again (maybe a good thing??) not being paid by your insurance company after the fire & death(s) so you are now bankrupt and still liable to damages to the relatives...

btw it is "Landlord" (one word) not "Land Lord", however you might wish to be considered...

Cheers!

Lodger