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Should I rent out a room to a lodger
Comments
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We had lodgers for several years when Mr HB and I met/were first married. Usually just one person but we did have a married couple for a while too. Some lodgers preferred to keep to themselves, others wanted company. We never had any real problems and are still friends with one lady, 26 years after she moved out (to get married).
When I was a lodger myself, I became friendly with my landlady and we are still good friends now. That was in 1988-9. One of my lodgers stayed 3 years and we have remained in touch since last year.0 -
Except, Im not. Read your own link, and you will see that i am 100% right. A lodger does not need a tv license. The lodger is not a tenant, and does not have a self contained accommodation.0 -
Incorrect. I have queried the wording of their guidelines more than once because they are ambiguous. They sometimes say tenant and don't give enough details for lodgers. However they do say the following re. exemption from a licence
If you’re a lodger and have a relationship with the homeowner – for example, a family member, common law partner, a nanny, au pair or housekeeper
The lodger has to have the relationship as stated here to qualify.
No it is the site deliberately trying to confuse you. Successfully it seems.
A lodger and a tenant are two different things. If you are a tenant you will have a statutory agreement/ tenancy that gives you exclusive access to a property. That property will be self contained in someway, ie it will have a door and key.
A lodger has no such rights.
But, hey, if you want to carry on paying an unnecessary license fee go ahead.0 -
No it is the site deliberately trying to confuse you. Successfully it seems.
A lodger and a tenant are two different things. If you are a tenant you will have a statutory agreement/ tenancy that gives you exclusive access to a property. That property will be self contained in someway, ie it will have a door and key.
A lodger has no such rights.
But, hey, if you want to carry on paying an unnecessary license fee go ahead.
I am not paying any unnecessary fee. My current lodger has no tv. However I am not wrong. I have challenged their wording more than once because of their failure to distinguish between tenants and lodgers. However the licensing body insists that a lodger who is not a relative does have to buy their own licence.0 -
I am not paying any unnecessary fee. My current lodger has no tv. However I am not wrong. I have challenged their wording more than once because of their failure to distinguish between tenants and lodgers. However the licensing body insists that a lodger who is not a relative does have to buy their own licence.
Then they are lying. No separate tenancy agreement no extra license. A lodger becomes part of your household. Their relationship is neither here no there. That website is intentionally deceptive.
As you know, a lodger and a tenancy are two different things. A lodger does not have exclusive access and shares living accommodation.
The TV licensing are trying to imply (they don't say, they obfuscate) that a lodger creates a new autonomous household.
No lock and key, no tenancy, no extra tv license.0 -
As a contractor that works away a lot, I always use Spareroom. People advertise whether they want Mon-Fri lodgers or week long lodgers. I've been in 6 houseshares now and have kept in touch with all bar one person I've stayed with as we've become friends.
The Houseshare I've just left was great, we went out for meals and trained in the gym together. As I end up all over the place, I like to be part of the household, and I particularly look for houseshares where there are pets. It can be lonely working away so it's nice to have company.
On the flip side I too have a lodger in my house, he works weekdays and goes home at weekends so when I come home I have the house to myself. He particularly likes having his own space whereas I search out company.
If you have people come to view, you'll know if you could share your house with them. But you should be clear whether they're invited to mix with you from the outset.
And the money comes in useful. Mine offsets the cost of living away.0 -
Yes. The money definitely comes in handy. As we exchanged contracts on our much bigger house last year my wife got put on notice for redundancy. She earned more than I did. We could still manage the higher mortgage costs and higher council tax and general running costs, but it would be a struggle, and I'm self employed so you never know if the phone will stop ringing.
Our house is a large four bedroom house with three reception rooms. We talked about taking in a lodger to cover the costs.
We ended up with two lodgers, their combined monthly rent cover both the mortgage payments and a chunk of council tax.
Not only has it meant we haven't struggled, but it has allowed us to make direct over payments of about £10k off our mortgage, reducing its term by two and a half years.0 -
why distinguish between an au pair and not an au pair? A non au pair lodger is not part of the household and needs their own licence is how I read it, you appear to read it differently, do you have proof to support your interpretation?Then they are lying. No separate tenancy agreement no extra license. A lodger becomes part of your household. Their relationship is neither here no there. That website is intentionally deceptive.
As you know, a lodger and a tenancy are two different things. A lodger does not have exclusive access and shares living accommodation.
The TV licensing are trying to imply (they don't say, they obfuscate) that a lodger creates a new autonomous household.
No lock and key, no tenancy, no extra tv license.0 -
unless those 2 lodgers were living as a couple in one room then as soon as you have a second lodger you lose your exemption for Capital Gains tax so when you sell the property even though it was your main home you will be liable for CGT on a part of itWe ended up with two lodgers, their combined monthly rent cover both the mortgage payments and a chunk of council tax.0 -
Having a lodger can be intrusive and especially if this is your first home together she may feel that she just wants it to be the two of you.
Rather than just a vague "a lodger" (she may be imagining something like the lodger in Hugh Grant's home in the movie Notting Hill
) draw up a profile of the sort of person you'd both want and also some spread sheets detailing what that income will mean regarding renovations versus what you can do without the extra income with timelines for both.
Ultimately though it is both of yours home and some people simply aren't comfortable sharing with strangers and would prefer to renovate more slowly as they value their privacy more. Has she ever houseshared or lived in halls? Is it just the idea of a lodger or past experience that is driving her reluctance ?I Would Rather Climb A Mountain Than Crawl Into A Hole
MSE Florida wedding .....no problem0
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