advice on renting spare room in my flat

thequant

Guest101 wrote: »

I believe you ofcourse, just not sure how accurate this information is.

It was quite some years ago, and I believe there is scope for it to vary around the country.


The info I got was from the guy at council whose job it is to give legal advice to prevent homelessness. He informed that all of this was not legally set in stone as it is a very grey area and all that he and the police had to work to was the latest "guidance".


He informed me that he and the local police agree to interpret this guidance between them (which frequently changes) so they are singing from the sheet I guess.

duchy

I used to let out my spare room in my single days .
The best lodger became a good friend and we stayed in touch and still went out now and again after she moved on -she was a nurse in her thirties.

The worst was a twenty year old estate agent with a liking for moving the speakers into the bathroom if I was out and playing her music loud enough to have my very tolerant neighbours banging on the door. I asked her to leave after discovering NYE she'd had music at pain level with a single track on repeat whilst getting ready and went out leaving it on. My neighbour on that side was getting up at 4am to go fishing and got literally no sleep whilst listening to Yazz singing The Only Way is Up over and over from 8pm to 4am .

Don't assume you will be good friends - if you are it's a bonus - just keep it friendly and see how it goes. If you can find someone who keeps different hours to you eg shiftworker, nurse or even a student then it's easier to share a lounge (and the Sky TV). Obviously it should be someone with a job or student funding. I notice you're in Kent so depending on where there's Unis in Chatham, Maidstone and Canterbury for example plus Tonbridge amongst others has degree level courses too. Any college or uni will have an accomadation office. The beauty of students is they all go home for the summer at latest usually .

I do agree that for the sake of a few quid more it may not be worth narrowing the pool of possible lodgers ...... and listen to your gut -if someone seems fine on paper but just doesn't feel right -keep looking.

Guest101

Yorkie1 wrote: »

There's a recent post on one of the forums here where this has happened to someone - the council tax people refusing to accept that the lodger has left (i.e. that the owner is now the single occupant) without proof of the lodger's new address.

OP, don't forget that you will need to get a landlord's gas safety certificate before you let a room out.

thequant wrote: »

It was quite some years ago, and I believe there is scope for it to vary around the country.


The info I got was from the guy at council whose job it is to give legal advice to prevent homelessness. He informed that all of this was not legally set in stone as it is a very grey area and all that he and the police had to work to was the latest "guidance".


He informed me that he and the local police agree to interpret this guidance between them (which frequently changes) so they are singing from the sheet I guess.

With this in mind, potentially your LL could've removed your stuff and changed the locks and you'd be out on your ear. The interpretation the police and council make is irrelevant. The courts would need to decide and as you say grey area.

But glad it worked out for you

Brighton_belle

Yorkie1 wrote: »

OP, don't forget that you will need to get a landlord's gas safety certificate before you let a room out.

I'm happy to be corrected, but as a live in landlord, I believe this is not a legal requirement.

00ec25

Brighton_belle wrote: »

I'm happy to be corrected, but as a live in landlord, I believe this is not a legal requirement.

consider yourself corrected - it absolutely is a legal requirement to have an annual gas safety certificate for a resident LL with a lodger

see FAQ on lodgers "I have a lodger who pays me rent"
http://www.hse.gov.uk/gas/landlords/safetycheckswho.htm

see definition of a LL "anyone who rents out ... under a licence... rooms let in.... private households"
http://www.hse.gov.uk/gas/landlords/who.htm

katejo

Guest101 wrote: »

It must've been a rare occurrence, and certainly incorrect by the council. It's not even unreasonable to not have an address, excluding the legality of the council demanding it.

Hope the poster sues them for the difference

I was the original poster myself. The council stuck with their policy and refused to budge at all. I raised it on this forum and with my MP and got limited support. Eventually gave up and supplied the address. A colleague of mine in another London borough has since been told the same. Her lodger left without supplying an address and she has told them this . When I last saw her, she had not had a reply.

katejo

Brighton_belle wrote: »

I'm happy to be corrected, but as a live in landlord, I believe this is not a legal requirement.

Yes it is definitely a legal requirement

Guest101

katejo wrote: »

I was the original poster myself. The council stuck with their policy and refused to budge at all. I raised it on this forum and with my MP and got limited support. Eventually gave up and supplied the address. A colleague of mine in another London borough has since been told the same. Her lodger left without supplying an address and she has told them this . When I last saw her, she had not had a reply.

I would be taking them to court, after the initial: can you supply me with the relevant legislation which imposes liability on me for supplying forward addresses. Ur lodger could be emigrating or anything.

katejo

Guest101 wrote: »

I would be taking them to court, after the initial: can you supply me with the relevant legislation which imposes liability on me for supplying forward addresses. Ur lodger could be emigrating or anything.

I did consider it but was told that it could only be considered by the council tax tribunal and that would take several months. By then I will have a new lodger. Also I met with a large amount of opposition to my argument . I was genuinely surprised. No one seemed to consider the privacy / surveillance aspect. I presented all the arguments to the council but they insisted that supply of the address was the only accepted proof that I was now a single occupant. Of course it proves nothing but they chose to ignore that

Guest101

katejo wrote: »

I did consider it but was told that it could only be considered by the council tax tribunal and that would take several months. By then I will have a new lodger. Also I met with a large amount of opposition to my argument . I was genuinely surprised. No one seemed to consider the privacy / surveillance aspect. I presented all the arguments to the council but they insisted that supply of the address was the only accepted proof that I was now a single occupant. Of course it proves nothing but they chose to ignore that

You have every right to go to court, tribunal or not. But sometimes it's best to pick ur battles.

Jumped up councils really do annoy me, forget who they work for...