Should I rent out a room to a lodger

trailingspouse

I think you will probably need to let your girlfriend know that the extra work involved in having a lodger in the house will not fall entirely to her. And you will have to really mean it.

So - who will make sure that there is always clean bedding on bedding day? Who will keep the shared bathroom spick and span ALL the time? Who will keep the public areas tidy so that your lodger doesn't have to tiptoe around shoes on the stairs or shopping in the hall on the way up to their room? Will the lodger be responsible for keeping their room clean? Or will someone have to go in at the weekend and clean it?

I suspect this is what is putting your girlfriend off.

gazter

booksurr wrote: »

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?

Actually, much of the website is conjecture. The first part of the site is the state of play.
"If you live in self contained accommodation such as a separate flat or annex, then you need your own TV Licence."

That's 'no'. Lodgers do not live in self contained accommodation.

Those are the circumstances in which you *need* a TV license. A lodger in my home doesn't fit into that category.

It's very kind of them to suggest reasons I don't need a TV license. But it is not in the slightest relevant. Only the circumstance that I do.

dominoman

Thanks everyone for all the useful advice. It's great to hear so many positive experiences, with people staying in touch with their lodgers for years afterwards. My best friend had a similar experience. He was a lodger for 3 years and now is getting married in Vancouver in August (I am best man). His landlady of the house he was lodging in is flying out with her entire family to be there!

I've spoken with my girlfriend and she is happy to do it. I think what swung it is that I said we could use part of the money to pay for a cleaner every week to do the whole house. That convinced her it was worth it!