Lodger questions

Lexxi

Hi all, I've rented my house out for about 5 years and it is now empty. I was supposed to be moving back in to it with my husband but he doesn't want to be with me any more.
I could probably just about cover the bills on my wage but I wanted to make larger dents into my debt. I've also not lived in the area for a while and I'm a bit worried about being isolated or lonely.

I am thinking about a lodger but I don't have any furniture except for a settee, washer and freezer. I have two units but need to arrange to collect them. My mortgage is on holiday until January so I should have a bed by then.
My questions, I guess, are where to find lodgers, do any have their own furniture, if they've had a split or something, what would I need to do or buy, I have a gas safety cert. There are probably more questions.
I'm going to move in soon, about a week or two and start a list of what else I would need to complete the furniture.

Does anyone have any advice?
Thanks

caeler

I've never had a lodger but if I wanted to find one I'd use www.spareroom.co.uk and from everything I've read on this forum I'd consider what I want in a lodger. How I feel about overnight guests, smoking, friends visiting, shared cleaning, what bills are included, parking, etc etc. There are loads of threads on this forum which will help you. Do a search.

System

I think you will struggle to find a lodger with their own furniture.

katejo

Lexxi wrote: »

Hi all, I've rented my house out for about 5 years and it is now empty. I was supposed to be moving back in to it with my husband but he doesn't want to be with me any more.
I could probably just about cover the bills on my wage but I wanted to make larger dents into my debt. I've also not lived in the area for a while and I'm a bit worried about being isolated or lonely.

I am thinking about a lodger but I don't have any furniture except for a settee, washer and freezer. I have two units but need to arrange to collect them. My mortgage is on holiday until January so I should have a bed by then.
My questions, I guess, are where to find lodgers, do any have their own furniture, if they've had a split or something, what would I need to do or buy, I have a gas safety cert. There are probably more questions.
I'm going to move in soon, about a week or two and start a list of what else I would need to complete the furniture.

Does anyone have any advice?
Thanks

If you advertise on Spareroom, you could include in your advert that the room would be suitable for someone with their own furniture. I had a past lodger who wanted to move her own double bed into my house but i had to say No as i had nowhere else to put my bed. The Spareroom site also gives advice for potential landlords.

rugbychick81

I use spareroom and easyroommate. Both have worked well for me. Set your ground rules early, it's hard to change boundaries once some has been living there for a while.

Fire_Fox

If you limit to the rare lodger with their own furniture, you might not get one you like/ will be good company. Consider letting out the largest bedroom and move into a smaller one yourself - that should attract more interest and more money, plus means they can use the room more as a bedsit if they want their own space sometimes. furnish the room then you should have a wider choice of lodger. It doesn't have to be expensive, especially if you have transport. Check out the second hand IKEA furniture on eBay, the local British Heart Foundation shop and Freecycle. Don't get anything that could have bedbugs second hand.

You don't need loads of furniture for a lodger just the basics, you can always add to it for the right tenant or they might have odd things of their own. A double bed with drawers under or everyday use sofa bed, a large triple wardrobe with shelves which is flexible for clothing/ books/ CDs/ DVDs/ toiletries, a very tall or double width chest of drawers. You can use a cheap wall mounted shelf or cubby as a bedside table. Many rented rooms they make the mistake of providing multiple small cheap pieces of furniture that take up loads of floor space but don't actually provide a lot of storage. Supply curtains and a mattress protector but not bedding or towels.

If the lodger has their own television they need to have their own television license which actually covers the communal areas but not your private bedroom. IMO everything else (water, energy, council tax, internet, landline rental) bar the actual calls on a landline should be included in the rent. It's a nightmare trying to split bills and extract money from people, as the owner-occupier you are ultimately liable for the CT, as the person named on the bill you are liable for the utilities/ media. It is not conducive to friendship so have the rent paid by standing order into your bank preferably a day or two after the lodger gets paid.

Don't forget to get appropriate insurance, take up references and check them carefully, you are giving someone a key to your home, detailed lodger agreement. Do also install fire alarms up and downstairs and a carbon monoxide detector if you do not already have these.

G_M

Basic furniture is a must. Don't forget tax.

Read more here:

LODGERS (Licencees/Excluded Occupiers)
A lodger (broadly) lives in the same property with their resident landlord, and shares facilities. Unlike tenants, lodgers have few rights.

The Housing Act 1988 (above) provides definitions of 'Resident Landlord' and 'same property'.

There is advice for landlords considering taking in lodgers here:

LodgerLandlord (General information site)

Landlordzone (General advice on taking in lodgers)

Renting out rooms in your home (Government info)

Rent a Room Scheme (Government scheme for tax-free income from lodgers)

PasturesNew

You say you might be lonely .... a lodger is not your friend, it's a financial transaction. My LL wants me to be her "mini-me" friend .... and that's why I'm leaving (one of 100 reasons).

Lodgers are unlikely to have furniture.

azzabazza

Have a look at your local Freecycle. There are often decent pieces of furniture being offered.

dimbo61

You need to measure up size of your bedroom you wish to rent and then have a trip down to IKEA.
They do a mirror PAX wardrobe ( 2 door) and 4/5 drawer chest of drawers,
double or 3/4 size bed divan with or without under bed drawers.
Chair and maybe a desk ( again IKEA legs £2.50 each and £8 for the top)
You can charge £4250 per year TAX FREE

Lexxi

Firstly, thank you all for your replies. I'm not quite sure what I need to know so wasn't sure what to be asking but the replies have given me plenty to think about.
I'm not set on finding a lodger with their own furniture, I was just wondering if it was a possibility. I'm also not looking for a mini me, just knowing someone is there and I'm not completely on my own! Actually I'm a bit worried I'll find someone like me, with no life, and every evening/weekend we'll both be stuck in together!
I think I might price up the furniture and consider the outlay before making a move. Transport links aren't too great here at the moment as I'm just outside Manchester and the trains were stopped to make room for the tram, I think that might affect things in a few months time