We’d like to remind Forumites to please avoid political debate on the Forum.

This is to keep it a safe and useful space for MoneySaving discussions. Threads that are – or become – political in nature may be removed in line with the Forum’s rules. Thank you for your understanding.

PLEASE READ BEFORE POSTING: Hello Forumites! In order to help keep the Forum a useful, safe and friendly place for our users, discussions around non-MoneySaving matters are not permitted per the Forum rules. While we understand that mentioning house prices may sometimes be relevant to a user's specific MoneySaving situation, we ask that you please avoid veering into broad, general debates about the market, the economy and politics, as these can unfortunately lead to abusive or hateful behaviour. Threads that are found to have derailed into wider discussions may be removed. Users who repeatedly disregard this may have their Forum account banned. Please also avoid posting personally identifiable information, including links to your own online property listing which may reveal your address. Thank you for your understanding.
📨 Have you signed up to the Forum's new Email Digest yet? Get a selection of trending threads sent straight to your inbox daily, weekly or monthly!
The Forum now has a brand new text editor, adding a bunch of handy features to use when creating posts. Read more in our how-to guide

Lodger not playing fair - what can I do?

245

Comments

  • When_is_the_reset?
    When_is_the_reset? Posts: 216 Forumite
    Wee_Willy_Harris wrote: »
    Took me ages to work some of the abbreviations used on here, but I finally figured the DS, DD, DH, DW ones out.

    Darling Son, Daughter, Husband, Wife.

    A lot of confusion for the sake of saving one letter in the case of son.

    Thanks for that.

    Mostly I see BS on here.
  • Frosti
    Frosti Posts: 85 Forumite
    Gosh - lots of replies made while I was replying to Jowo!
    ..Hang on..
  • When_is_the_reset?
    When_is_the_reset? Posts: 216 Forumite
    GAPAKHO: -

    Grow A Pair And Kick Her Out
  • anselld
    anselld Posts: 8,733 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    Frosti wrote: »
    It would be really good to know what I can and can't say and do to this woman when I get there..

    For starters do not use the word "tenancy" at any time! It is a license.
  • BitterAndTwisted
    BitterAndTwisted Posts: 22,492 Forumite
    10,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    Lodgers have few, if any rights so don't worry about any notice periods or whatever in this agreement. She's broken it, even if was enforceable, which I believe it would not be.

    Go home, read her the riot act and kick her out!
  • Frosti
    Frosti Posts: 85 Forumite
    Right. Lots of good advice.
    Yes I know letting Dear Son* and Uncle interview people was a risk - but you can't predict when folk are going to fall ill and call for family help. At that time I was needed elsewhere. Dear Son is young, but Uncle's a pretty savvy bloke (I thought - ha!).
    *Apologies for using what I understood to be standard internet shorthand. What's mumsnet?

    BitterandTwisted suggested I can reduce the notice period to a week as the lodger has broken her licence agreement (thanks for that info, Anselld!). That's legal is it? But what if she produces the cash owed - do I have to let her stay? Because bets are on that she'll have another excuse next month..
  • BitterAndTwisted
    BitterAndTwisted Posts: 22,492 Forumite
    10,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    No, you do not have to let her stay if she comes up with the rent-arrears! She is only there as long as you agree to her being there. Lodgers don't have rights in the same way that tenants do, agreement or no agreement. You could give her 24 hours notice if you wanted to.
  • Jowo_2
    Jowo_2 Posts: 8,308 Forumite
    You should be aware that while you have a lodgers agreement, this is premised on the landlord living in the property as their primary residence. By not living there, you may have inadvertently given her the status of a tenant which has much stronger rights compared with a lodger. If she's as wiley as she sounds, she may already know this and contest your written notice.
  • Frosti
    Frosti Posts: 85 Forumite
    Jowo wrote: »
    You should be aware that while you have a lodgers agreement, this is premised on the landlord living in the property as their primary residence. By not living there, you may have inadvertently given her the status of a tenant which has much stronger rights compared with a lodger. If she's as wiley as she sounds, she may already know this and contest your written notice.

    But my son is still there! Does this mean she becomes a tenant if he goes to a festival for a week before I've returned? We've made it clear this is our 'family home.'
  • Frosti
    Frosti Posts: 85 Forumite
    BitterAndTwisted wrote: »
    No, you do not have to let her stay if she comes up with the rent-arrears! She is only there as long as you agree to her being there. Lodgers don't have rights in the same way that tenants do, agreement or no agreement. You could give her 24 hours notice if you wanted to.

    Thanks! Forgive me for asking, are you a lawyer or professional landlord? (no offence intended, but I'm new here).
This discussion has been closed.
★ ★ ★ Meet your Ambassadors

🚀 Getting Started

Hi new member!

Our Getting Started Guide will help you get the most out of the Forum

Categories

  • All Categories
  • 354.2K Banking & Borrowing
  • 254.4K Reduce Debt & Boost Income
  • 455.3K Spending & Discounts
  • 247.2K Work, Benefits & Business
  • 603.8K Mortgages, Homes & Bills
  • 178.4K Life & Family
  • 261.4K Travel & Transport
  • 1.5M Hobbies & Leisure
  • 16.1K Discuss & Feedback
  • 37.7K Read-Only Boards

Is this how you want to be seen?

We see you are using a default avatar. It takes only a few seconds to pick a picture.
Update Your Picture