Concerns on renting out a room

asherd7889

Hi,

I am a single mum of 1, and unfortunately my partner has just left me. I work full time and earn a fairly decent income so I am not eligible for any benefits or help.

I can just afford to keep my home currently but it will be tight every month.

I live in a 4 bedroom house and have a large spare room empty which I was thinking of sub-letting to someone to bring in some extra cash?

However I have concerns about letting the room out to strangers with my son being at home he is only 5 and I am worried?

I have been looking for a second job to try and bring in the surplus cash, however this will be a struggle with my full-time job, looking after my son and studying and I can't move out as I am stuck in a 12 month contract and it is very difficult to find a home in the area around my sons school and that I feel safe in.

Please has anyone had any experience in letting out a room? Any advice is helpful.

Propertyauthor

Yes I've rented out a room in a small flat before. Originally we took people we didn't know but made sure we had references and treated the whole thing as if they were renting the whole property eg had a gas and electrical safety check, we also had a signed agreement. The good ones were mature students or visiting lecturers at the university.

We had a couple of a good experiences and one not so good, it wasn't that the tenant was bad, it was just that as we weren't there at the weekend, he moved his mates in and made a lot of noise so the neighbours told us and we had to ask him to leave.

What did work long term was my husband's company HQ was abroad, so they regularly had people there who needed a room. That worked really well.

If you have a child though, it might be worth thinking about taking in someone that you know or someone of someone that you know or someone through work, so they come with a strong recommendation.

What might work be looking at is someone that just needs a 'crash pad' from Monday to Friday. There are free booklets from free sites like SpareRoom that will help you better understand how to rent a room.

G_M

I assume you wouldn't be leaving your son alone with the lodger....?

So provided the lodger knows you have a small chils and is happy about it, what's the problem?

See also

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)

dimbo61

Maybe a Signed agreement but NOT an AST!
They are Lodgers and have very few rights Unless you give them rights by signing a tenancy agreement.
You can use " Rent a Room" you are allowed to earn £4250 a year tax free

freeisgood

Are you in a city? My friend lets her room out to mature students via the local uni. Or uni schemes, sometimes for international students. She has had some lovely people lodge, and they tend to be out all day and the weekends, and quiet in the evenings.

Annisele

You may have signed up to a 12 month contract, but it's possible that your landlord would let you go early - especially if you agree to pay his costs in readvertising the place.

Mojisola

Some people just want a Mon-Fri room because they're working in your area and go home every weekend. That would give you and your son the house to yourselves at the weekend.

vansboy

Just a thought, but have you changed your Council Tax to being only 1 adult in the house?

And you mention signing for 12 months. Does this mean you are actually renting the house? There may be restrictions on any form of sub letting, or additional tennants, placed by the landlords/agents.

Depending on your area, sometimes large employers have staf wanting short term accomodation. You could always ask their HR department if they are in need
VB

Guest101

vansboy wrote: »

Just a thought, but have you changed your Council Tax to being only 1 adult in the house?

And you mention signing for 12 months. Does this mean you are actually renting the house? There may be restrictions on any form of sub letting, or additional tennants, placed by the landlords/agents.

Depending on your area, sometimes large employers have staf wanting short term accomodation. You could always ask their HR department if they are in need
VB

This isn't subletting

The OP has sole and exclusive rights, so can choose who can and can't be in the property, unfortunately the LL has little say in this.

Kynthia

If you rent your property then sub-letting is when you move out and let the place to someone else. Taking in a lodger is completely different. Some landlords don't like it but as the lodger has few rights and the tenant is still responsible for the property and rent to the landlord, it is possible to do this.

Lodgers have few rights so be careful not to give them more than you intend in a lodger agreement/contract you sign with them. The main thing is not to ask for too much notice to leave, as imagine you fall out and can't bear living with them but are stuck with having yo give a month's notice.

tiggerbodhi

Had a lodger when I needed the extra to pay the mortgage, was a very good experience and still good friends with them now, interview them a bit first, have a friend with you when you do this so they can ask questions and see reactions, personally would go on gut instinct and reject anyone who just doesn't "feel right" on meeting them.




Would ask for references from them, parents if a student, employer etc, set ground rules from the start (see Sheldon's from Big Bangs "Room Mate Agreement"!! ) and they really have no "rights" as a lodger, if they don't abide by "my house my rules" kick them out on their ear.


Good Luck!