Views on Lodgers

KatrinaC_2

Hi

We're considering buying a house which is beautiful and in our ideal location, but it is right at the upper limit of the amount we can afford. It's a four bedroom house and so to make ends meet we've thought about taking in a lodger, but I'm not sure how well it would work. The house is in the middle of no-where and I don't know how interested people would be in living in a beautiful but very rural area. The other factor is that I have a seven year old son who can be a bit of a handful at times.

Is this a good idea? Does anyone have any advice, especially from anyone who has combined lodgers and children?

Kat

olly300

I've sent you a pm.

Guy_Montag

As a former lodger, I'd not want to share with a couple with kids.

seven-day-weekend

Yes, when our son was small and we were living on a student grant, we successfully took a lodger into our terraced house. You all have to respect each others' space.

A lodger who is a professional person would be more likely than a student to want to live in the situation you describe.

Try www.easyroommate.com

RHemmings

Children complicates things considerably. Would you want your child living in a house with a stranger? The risk is probably very small, but not zero.

Amarillo

When I was renting I wouldn't have wanted to stay anywhere with a child. And now that I have children, I wouldn't want someone in the house who I didn't know, I think it could well add loads of stress

The only way I personally would consider it, is if you could make a small section of the house self contained so a lodger could be entirely seperate, which I've done before. Is the house lay out such that you could maybe do that in some way ?

barnaby-bear

KatrinaC wrote: »

Hi

We're considering buying a house which is beautiful and in our ideal location, but it is right at the upper limit of the amount we can afford. It's a four bedroom house and so to make ends meet we've thought about taking in a lodger, but I'm not sure how well it would work. The house is in the middle of no-where and I don't know how interested people would be in living in a beautiful but very rural area. The other factor is that I have a seven year old son who can be a bit of a handful at times.

Is this a good idea? Does anyone have any advice, especially from anyone who has combined lodgers and children?

Kat

Urgh when sharing no way would I live with a couple and kid(s). Actually very few educated, professional, social single people and unless it's very cheap or accommodation very short in the area those that would would be pre-selected to be skewed towards the odd - the type of people who have to be lodgers because they can't get flatshares in normal shared houses/flats because well err finding someone 'similar' to share with would be difficult....
Add in the isolated rural location you're probably skewing more so towards the more 'varied' members of society.

Basically you'd have to find someone who couldn't get something better so either:
- it would have to be cheap,
- is there a hospital with floating nurses/medical students on rotation/teacher placements - i.e. people who want short term so excluded from normal setup by situation rather than own personal weirdness
- language school students (common in some towns) again placed not by choice

I'd rather live in a 3-bed without the hassle and stress and loss of privacy of a string of odd folk.

barnaby-bear

seven-day-weekend wrote: »

Yes, when our son was small and we were living on a student grant, we successfully took a lodger into our terraced house. You all have to respect each others' space.

A lodger who is a professional person would be more likely than a student to want to live in the situation you describe.

Try www.easyroommate.com

Unless in a desirable part of London or severe accommodation shortage area. Why would a single 'professional' choose to live with a couple and kid? Not exactly your 'professional' executive lifestyle....

pcwilkins

When I was a student I lodged with a family with three relatively small children and it was fine. Just make clear to them that it is a family home, not a hotel. You need to lay down the ground rules before he moves in i.e. what about him staggering in at 2am and waking you all up? What about his drum kit, can he bring it with him? Is there room for his car?

Above all you need to make sure he/she doesn't absolutely hate children. Some people do.

I don't think your location would be a problem, probably an attraction for some people. And you're more likely to get a quiet person if your house is in a quiet place.

Do you live near any universities? If so contact them as they may have a list of local accomodation. Don't listen to all the anti-student tripe, we are not all alcoholic druggies who hold wild house parties. Just be careful who you take --- you need to be able to trust them.

Peter