Monday to Friday lodgers

katejo

Do you let a room Monday to Friday for a lower rent? If so, do you claim the room back for your use at weekends? I had assumed that the room would still be the lodger's room. Also what percentage rent reduction do you charge for mon to fri only?

G_M

Entirely up to your personal prefernce, and negotiation with lodger.

* If you intend to let the room to someone else over the wekend, then clearly the 1st lodger is
a) only paying for Mon-Fri and
b) must empty the room at weekends

* if you intend to keep it empty (and benefit from the privacy of your home at weekends) why not let the lodger leave his stuff there for convenience. Then charge either
a) full market rate for a week (assuming lodger is willing!) or
b) recognise you are benefitting from the privacy and reduce the rate to5 days

If reduced rate, I guess 5/7ths of weekly rate - but it's all down to negotiation.

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 provides definitions of 'Resident Landlord' and 'same property' (S31 & Schedule 1 (10).

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)

21 tips (Tessa Shepperson's Lodger Landlord website)

katejo

G_M wrote: »

Entirely up to your personal prefernce, and negotiation with lodger.

* If you intend to let the room to someone else over the wekend, then clearly the 1st lodger is
a) only paying for Mon-Fri and
b) must empty the room at weekends

* if you intend to keep it empty (and benefit from the privacy of your home at weekends) why not let the lodger leave his stuff there for convenience. Then charge either
a) full market rate for a week (assuming lodger is willing!) or
b) recognise you are benefitting from the privacy and reduce the rate to5 days

If reduced rate, I guess 5/7ths of weekly rate - but it's all down to negotiation.

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 provides definitions of 'Resident Landlord' and 'same property' (S31 & Schedule 1 (10).

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)

21 tips (Tessa Shepperson's Lodger Landlord website)

I would never let it to someone else during the weekend. I am only asking because my current lodger did ask if he could pay me less if he were away every weekend. I compared my current rent to similar rooms being advertised as Mon to Fri only and found that the rent was the same as mine or higher. It had never occurred to me to claim the room back at the weekend but just happened to see a feature on Mon-Fri letting which assumed this.

Jenniefour

So your lodger didn't start out as a Monday to Friday lodger - one who usually has main home elsewhere, would be bringing in minimal belongings and its' understood that you could use the room at weekends.

I guess it depends on whether you want to negotiate with your current lodger. My lodger is often away at weekends and also takes at least six weeks holiday a year. However, it is understood that the room is hers, it's her home, she doesn't have a home elsewhere and she has moved a lot of belongings into her room. It's also understood that the room will not be used when she's away.

Like you, I see no difference in all week and Monday to Friday rents for lodgers in my area. In fact, quite a few Monday to Friday folks seem willing to pay on the higher side. I think that's because some of them are in better paid work, are not looking for a student type share and want to pay less than staying in a hotel or B and B.

lee111s

I would charge the same per month as it tends to be "their" room. My lodger goes home to Scotland every weekend and also works away from here quite a bit and pays the same as if he were there everyday.

Mojisola

katejo wrote: »

Do you let a room Monday to Friday for a lower rent? If so, do you claim the room back for your use at weekends? I had assumed that the room would still be the lodger's room. Also what percentage rent reduction do you charge for mon to fri only?

I've been a 'Monday evening to Friday morning' lodger - I didn't really have much stuff in the room as my home was somewhere else. If my LL had wanted to use the room or have visitors to stay over the weekend, it wouldn't have worried me.

She charged less than I would have paid if I'd been there all week because she benefited from having the house to herself all weekend and I wasn't using the utilities.

If your house is your lodger's only home and he has all his stuff there, I think he would have to pay the full week's rent to keep the room as his. If you went away every weekend to stay with other people, you'd still have to pay your full mortgage.

If he's a good lodger and worth keeping, could you negotiate a reduction because he's not using the gas, electricity, etc?

katejo

Mojisola wrote: »

I've been a 'Monday evening to Friday morning' lodger - I didn't really have much stuff in the room as my home was somewhere else. If my LL had wanted to use the room or have visitors to stay over the weekend, it wouldn't have worried me.

She charged less than I would have paid if I'd been there all week because she benefited from having the house to herself all weekend and I wasn't using the utilities.

If your house is your lodger's only home and he has all his stuff there, I think he would have to pay the full week's rent to keep the room as his. If you went away every weekend to stay with other people, you'd still have to pay your full mortgage.

If he's a good lodger and worth keeping, could you negotiate a reduction because he's not using the gas, electricity, etc?

It isn't his only home. He has a main family house up north and is trying to relocate there but it is taking longer than he expected. He currently goes home twice a month. However i have had an additional problem with him concerning his attitude to heating. I won't go into detail here as i have already discussed it in another entry but he thinks nothing of turning the thermostat up very high while wearing a t shirt. It makes me more reluctant to offer a lower rate as my rent isn't high anyway. I have already given a discount because I don't have to pay council tax for him.

Mojisola

katejo wrote: »

It isn't his only home. He has a main family house up north and is trying to relocate there but it is taking longer than he expected. He currently goes home twice a month. However i have had an additional problem with him concerning his attitude to heating. I won't go into detail here as i have already discussed it in another entry but he thinks nothing of turning the thermostat up very high while wearing a t shirt. It makes me more reluctant to offer a lower rate as my rent isn't high anyway. I have already given a discount because I don't have to pay council tax for him.

Didn't realise it was that one! In that case, I wouldn't give a discount either.

I thought you were going to give him notice and get someone else in?

G_M

katejo wrote: »

It isn't his only home. He has a main family house up north and is trying to relocate there but it is taking longer than he expected. He currently goes home twice a month. However i have had an additional problem with him concerning his attitude to heating. I won't go into detail here as i have already discussed it in another entry but he thinks nothing of turning the thermostat up very high while wearing a t shirt. It makes me more reluctant to offer a lower rate as my rent isn't high anyway. I have already given a discount because I don't have to pay council tax for him.

Clearly a different issue! I haven't seen the other thread (that I can remember!), but to me incompatibility (whether attitude to heating, or washing up/cleaning, or noise) is a far bigger issue.

Wrong lodger for you. Ecict and find another.

katejo

Mojisola wrote: »

Didn't realise it was that one! In that case, I wouldn't give a discount either.

I thought you were going to give him notice and get someone else in?

Sometimes I am too kind. Don't want to throw him out as he is trying to move anyway. However we had an argument last week. Have sent him an email to state my case. Either he cooperates and changes his attitude to heating or he gives me notice and goes! His choice

Yorkie1

katejo wrote: »

Sometimes I am too kind. Don't want to throw him out as he is trying to move anyway. However we had an argument last week. Have sent him an email to state my case. Either he cooperates and changes his attitude to heating or he gives me notice and goes! His choice

Or, if he does neither, you've given him his chance and you are able to take the initiative / give him his marching orders.