Rent a Room issues

maninthestreet

If she wants a swivel chair, surely she should but that herself?? She'll be asking you to provide a TV and laptop next.

Brallaqueen

Thank you for your input everyone, I appreciate it and it's helping me hash it out in my mind.

She is a mature student, doing a one year course in the area.

I don't live close to hospitals or to any of the FE colleges so I am at a disadvantage as it stands. I'm not in a rough area (its very nice and quiet and safe) but renters aren't so keen because it is so far out of town, and is full of old people and retirement homes.

The rent is £286 pcm/66pw inclusive.

I did make the mistake of asking if there is anything she needed, so partly my fault as I think mum may have jumped on that.
Also partly worried that, although I'm lonely and want some company in the flat, I might be getting cold feet about the giving up space aspect.

And her mother wants to stay over on the odd occasion.

If I leave it longer, I might end up with a first year student just desperate for somewhere to live until something better comes along, which is not what I want.

But, thinking about it, I'll walk away from this one. Somthing isn't sitting right.

whitewing

Mother wanting to stay over would put me right off. Aaaaaarrrrgggghhhh!

tbs624

OP - you perhaps need to do a bit more reading up on what having a lodger entails.

You can negotiate on the list in the potential lodger's proviso, and then she can either take it or leave it but you also have to balance up where you are prepared to compromise and where you want to stand firm.

You mention that you wanted to be able to give your lodger 7 days notice and that she is requesting 14 days: the usual reasonable notice for a lodger is 28 days.

If she is asking for a chest of drawers, this is presumably because you have only provided a wardrobe?

If you have provided a chair suitable for desk use then that's sufficient.

If you want to have a student in then you do need to have a reasonable sized desk, but it's probably subjective

Iif she wants to bring her own bed and you have somewhere you can store the one you already have in the room then that shouldn't be a problem. Alternatively, get some of those "elephant feet" castor things used for rasing the bed height for elderly/disabled people.

She has highlighted that mum may want to stay now and again, so this gives the opportunity for you to set out in your lodger agreement what is acceptable to you regarding overnight visitors.

Tessa Shepperson has set up a website, Lodger LL .co.uk, and there is useful info on LLzone too.

Brallaqueen

tbs624, thanks for the info. I'l check out thse websites, can't have too much info on my side.

I'm aware that reasonable notice is whatever signed and agreed with the lodger in the first place. I work in advising on housing issues so I'm not totally in the dark about this.

Riq

Consider this a bookmark for 6 months time when you start a thread asking how to evict your lodger ASAP

split_second

as an ex rent a room landlord i would put the rent up a small amount so that over the minimum period she pays for what she wants

and you get to keep it

i'd say no to overnight visits from mum, unless she stays in the room, which i doubt will happen- its your house, she rents a room and there is no way a grown woman would share a bedroom overnight with her mother

neverdespairgirl

split_second wrote: »

there is no way a grown woman would share a bedroom overnight with her mother

Really? Why on earth not?

split_second

neverdespairgirl wrote: »

Really? Why on earth not?

just seems a bit like, i dont know, not the done thing

olly300

I would also say no to overnight visits from the mum as it give both you and the lodger space. After all why is the daughter moving in the first place?