new lodger, ,lovely girl but electric has gone mad!

BitterAndTwisted

Wait until the next electricity bill comes in, compare it to what the same quarter's usage was last year and ask her to pay the difference if it's significant. This is what I'd do if I was charging a friend-of-a-friend rates for rent.

zzzLazyDaisy

That's one of the problems with lodgers, they don't always have the same attitudes and ways as you. If you take people into your home and charge them rent, then you have to learn to relax and make allowances, otherwise you will all end up stressed.

If it was me, I'd be very upset that someone was timing how long I spent in the shower (she may be doing other things in the bathroom, but if you are actually listening to check if the shower is running, that's a bit creepy imo)

To put it in perspective - that's 60p a shower. That's 30p more than your normal 10 minute shower. Assuming she has one shower a day, each week she is using about two quids worth of electricity more than you consider appropriate.

If you can't afford that, then I'd suggest you have set the rent too low.

To be honest I wouldn't stress about a couple of quid, especially as it is a short term arrangement. If money really is that tight, you could always increase her rent by a couple of quid a week, but really is it worth it?

EDIT cross posted with above (oh, and I'm a girl, and 20 minutes is about right for me)

sarah_elton

snapping_crocodile wrote: »

Perhaps it goes up to £1.80 when you are in the shower, it's just you can't see (cos you're in the shower!?)

I don't have one of these monitors. OP said it was "per hour". So does that mean a 20 minute shower costs 60p, vs 30p for a 10 minute shower? (I'm ignoring the baseline usage of 8p/hour to keep it simple) If so, her keeping to 10 mins would save 30p a day = £9 a month.

harryhound

Is that with or without the VAT.

The fair sex have different priorities; remember: "Lord give me the determination to change what I can change, the stoicism to endure what I cannot and the wisdom to identify one from the other".

Harry

PS I do think that for the sake of the planet, every home should have a prominent electricity monitor - it is like private car usage and water usage - you cannot see it and it feels like free.

zzzLazyDaisy

She's probably going to use the washing machine more than you, eat less take-aways, and spend less time playing on the playstation.

Sorry, that is a sweeping generalisation, but you get the picture.

For the moment, it is her home too.

harryhound

It is probably an age thing too.

When I was a teenager, (long long ago), I never could understand why my dad got so up tight about me staggering in after midnight and forgetting to turn off a light somewhere on my stagger to bed.
("OK Dad I'll give you the 3d that it has cost" - blimey a pint of beer was at least 30d in those days)

Harry.

PS make sure she uses her own mobile not your land line!

OzzMosiz_2

How lovely is she? Got any pics?

I'd just let it lie to be honest. 20 minutes isn't unreasonable for a woman.

atwitsend_2

I've never really thought about how long I take in the shower before, but I do turn it on full blast hot to warm the cubicle up first for 5 minutes, been known to forget about it and leave it half an hour before :rotfl:

Fire_Fox

Just because you spend twenty minutes in the shower doesn't mean the water needs to be running the entire time! If it's a power shower a bath probably would use less water. If you are doing someone a favour rather than it being a commercial arrangement I don't see why you can't ask for your lodger to moderate her water use.

josephine33960

I have has several lodgers in the past and you have to accept that sometimes people will use a lot more electric than you, once my electric bill doubled! My advice would be to wait until your next bill comes and if it has increased a lot and you can show her previous bills then it is perfectly reasonable to ask for an additional contribution and explain that in the rent originally agreed you had not expected such an increase.