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Rent a Room - Questions to ask potential housemate
Comments
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I would spend some time with them to work out if they are the type of person I would get on with and maybe agree to a trial period of a couple of days or so.
Don't forget to check their ID and references etc to satisfy yourself that you know who you are letting into your home.
I wrote an introduction letter for my lodgers explaining how the household items work (washing machine, heating, cooker), where the closest shops and facilities are (post office, newsagents, bus stops) and some rules (milk/bread sharing, cleaning of communal areas, rules about visitors and overnight stays etc).
As I came across things that bothered me I added them to the list, so more recent lodgers had a good understanding of how the household works and if they didn't like them they had early notice!
It is always difficult sharing your house with a stranger and there will always be things that bug you about them-
Over 2 years I had about 5 lodgers who managed to; leave the gas on on the hob, put 6 nails in my newly painted walls, spill black hair dye in my cream hallway carpet (which I have now have to tile!), try to flush 2 ham rolls down their en-suite toilet, use my new dyson to hoover their car ash tray and not empty it (which took months to get rid of the smell out of the dyson), hanging wet washing from lampshades, and one guy lived in his room constantly and didn't open the window- when he left there was mould everywhere! To name just a few!0 -
BitterAndTwisted wrote: »Eh? Landords who think they can enter their lodger's room at will should eff off and stay the hell out of there
I always took this approach when I had lodgers - it was their room to do with as they pleased. So long as they shut the door, and I couldn't see/smell what was in there lol. But it's often stated on here that you should access (or at least, have the ability to access) your lodger's room in order to prevent them from acquiring rights you didn't intend them to have. I couldn't have slept at night with a pet spider in the house though. (And I once made the mistake of letting someone bring a hamster who didn't then want it to live in their room so it ended up in the living room)They deem him their worst enemy who tells them the truth. -- Plato0 -
I think, "do you own an axe?" and, "have you ever murdered someone?" should cover the basics though.They deem him their worst enemy who tells them the truth. -- Plato0
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That's me ruled out. I answered yes to 3out of 4 there.Vegans should also be encouraged to use a separate toilet as a vegetable only diet has a profound impact on their intestines.
Questions I would ask:
Have you ever cut off a horses head and left it in someone's bed?
Have you ever been convicted of any acts of random violence?
Are you known by a females name at the weekends?
Do you think it's acceptable to have relations with farm animals?0 -
Have you got a big erection to share with potential lodger?Feudal Britain needs land reform. 70% of the land is "owned" by 1 % of the population and at least 50% is unregistered (inherited by landed gentry). Thats why your slave box costs so much..0
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i didnt realise mse had so many trolls0
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To be honest, I found meeting potential lodgers for the first time the worst part of the process! I tend to be uncomfortable with strangers in most circumstances so that didn't help.
Anyway...what no-one has mentioned is that your initial advert could have helped with a big part of the selections process. My adverts have been somewhat lengthy and were basically a big list of what I didn't want.
No smokers.
No pets (although I wouldn't have minded the spiders!)
No party animals.
No students.
No couples.
Etc etc
You get a good idea about someone when you meet them...just make sure you go with your gut instinct. Don't rent to anyone you think will be just "ok"...you will end up seeing them almost every day so they need to be someone you'll really get along with.
Good luck!0 -
OP - clarify your rules on lodger's "friends" and overnight stays, from the very start0
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i didnt realise mse had so many trolls
Well mutual interests might be a good starting point...Feudal Britain needs land reform. 70% of the land is "owned" by 1 % of the population and at least 50% is unregistered (inherited by landed gentry). Thats why your slave box costs so much..0
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