Advice needed for Lodger

buzzby

Hi

A friend of mine is lodging with a council tenant, and she has decided to move out to her boyfriends house.
The lodger is all above board, but needs to know if he will be able to takeover the flat when she moves out, or does he have to find somewhere else to live?

Thanks

Buzz

poppysarah

Lodger all above board? Does that mean the council know? They should ask the council to get on the housing list properly. They won't be able to take on the flat.

buzzby

Yeah he's on the rent card. They were just living there as a couple.

tek-monkey

Living there as a couple, but she's moved in with her boyfriend?

purplebuzz

tek-monkey wrote: »

Living there as a couple, but she's moved in with her boyfriend?

I get the impression that they wern't actually a couple, but that they just said that so that he could go on the rent book and live there?????

buzzby

purplebuzz wrote: »

I get the impression that they wern't actually a couple, but that they just said that so that he could go on the rent book and live there?????

Thats right, probably not totally above board then. What will happen though when she goes?

tek-monkey

So I presume he's not entitled to a council house? In which case aren't they depriving someone who is?

Forget the morality of it though and I dunno, depends if they realise they were never a couple I suppose. If they think its suss they'll prob turf him out, dunno though TBH.

Jowo_2

Well, I guess their options are to pretend that their pretend relationship has had a pretend breakdown and, if its a joint tenancy agreement, whether the council will allow the one moving out to give her consent to it being transferred into her pretend ex's name.

However, if he was a lodger on a rent book, I assume he has absolutely no rights to this because he has a status akin to being her guest, so when she ends the tenancy, his automatically ends he must move out. If she is found to have moved out and it is no longer her primary residence, the council will reclaim the property and be able to evict the occupant and perhaps take civil action against her.

Get them to speak to Shelter or the local council about the position to clarify this and confirm his actual status according to housing law.

buzzby

I think thats their best bet, Go to talk to someone who knows. I said I'd have a quick ask on here, as its a very helpful community.

Cheers