Lodger arrangements

becky4131

Hi,

A friend from work is moving into my spare room next month to help out with my living costs.

We have agreed on £300 a month rent includes all bills and access to internet, sky t.v and own parking space. The only thing it doesn't include is food and toiletries etc.

My question is- How do you go about buying food? Do we both buy our own food and cook seperatly or take it in turns to cook each night? Who buys what? at the moment i eat alot of ready meals and do limited cooking as a single person.

Alao things like toilet roll and cleaning products last me ages, would it be my responsability to buy these all the time?

Sorry for all the questions, pretty clueless on how it all works but want it all sorted before she moves in so we both know where we stand.

Thanks

whitewing

Food - buy own and cook separately - that way you are not tied to each other.

Toilet rolls etc - maybe have a petty cash tin to which you both contribute.

McKneff

You really ought to get the ground rules sorted before she moves in.

Ask her what her eating habits and compare them with yours.
Laundry, no point in you washing 2 shirts in one go if she has 2 shirts, get them all together.

Toilet rolls, cleaning products, down to you.

Talk about cleaning the house too, communal areas, toilet, kitchen etc.

dorset_nurse

I agree... buy food seperately but agree to take turns buying milk/tea bags/washing up liquid/cleaning products/toilet rolls etc or agree to both contribute to a fund to be used jointly for these.
Make sure you discuss this before they move in as it is difficult to arrange afterwards- especially when you know them.
I would also discuss cleaning schedules/house rules/deposit etc beforehand, in my experience its more difficult once they have moved in.

m1ntie

Hi, I have been letting rooms to 2 or 3 lodgers for several years now.

I definately would not share the food and cooking as you may have different tastes, keep different hours etc. I think you need to give her a shelf in the fridge and let her buy her own.

With regard to cleaning products, washing up liquid, toilet rolls, etc you could agree a monthly fee say £10.00 and include these items, you could even charge a little more and include things like milk, tea, coffee etc.

What ever you decide you need to make it very clear from the begining, what is included. The best thing to do is discuss it with her and come to an agreement.

One thing you do need to watch is toiletries such as shower gel, shampoo, conditioner etc - some girls use loads of these products and they can be quite expensive.

Oh, if you live alone at the moment, you probably claim a 25% discount on your Council Tax you will no longer be able to do this.

Regards M1ntie

Good luck

becky4131

Thanks for the replies.

I will sit down and discuss it with her but i like the idea of her paying £10 a month and i will provide toilet rolls, cleaning products, washing powder etc.
We both work almost identical shifts with the same days off so using cooker, washing machine etc may need to be organised so we both don't want it at the same time.

dorset_nurse

Be careful with fixing a price like £10 per month... cleaning products are expensive and if she uses loads of loo roll it might become an issue!

becky4131

Ok so she is moving in on thursday but has just got herself a new boyfriend.....What do i do about him staying over?

Not entirely happy about having a stranger in the house especially as she has only known him a few weeks. Don't want to be a nightmare and say she can't have people over (i don't mind occasional visitors) but didn't really think about her having guys stay over

Am i being unreasanable if i tell her i don't want him staying over?

Going to be difficult sharing my space with her nevermind a complete stranger!

G_M

There are no firm rules about any of this, except that it is important to discuss/agree the arrangements fully at the start, and preferably write it down to avoid arguments.

Some sharers eat together/share cooking and this can work - indeed it can be cheaper, more friendly and save effort. Others keep separate and that works better. Why not have a 2 week trial period and then review?

Costs for shared items? Either have a fixed charge, or keep a book and write down who buys what when - then every month sit down and divvy up who owes what.

Boyfriend? Big one. You need to decide how you feel about guests. OK in the evening? Occassional overnights? 3 times a week? 4? 5?
You seriously need to decide in your own mind, and then discuss it and get agreement. It can become a serious bone of contention otherwise.

edit: are you there on your own at present and if so do you get 25% rebate on council tax? You know you'll lose this........

Yorkie1

It is your house and you need to feel that you are not excluded by being the third person in it. Decide what you would be happy with and again set that out. Are you happy for him to stay over - particularly if you meet him first thing in the morning and you don't know him? If so, how many times per week? He will be using the facilities, shower, toilet, etc. How much extra will that eat into the communal fund?

I don't know the answers as I've never let out a room but these are some of the questions I'd want to ask myself before deciding how I wanted to respond to the situation.