Lodger - Notice Period

Trusting_72

I have a lodger who's been with me for 3 years. No problems always paid rent etc. Last year I told her that my boyfriend would be moving in - I gave her a months heads up on this. She asked me if I wanted her to leave and I said no she's more than welcome to stay but the choice was hers.
Over a year later she's now decided that it's a problem for her with him living here. Probably because for the first 2 years she pretty much had the place to herself as I was working or out or at boyfriends 3-4 nights a week.
2 weeks ago Friday she said she wasn't comfortable and wants to move out. I said ok please put notice in writing to me - email fine - do that I can look at getting another lodger - if I do I'm not sure yet.
Didn't hear anything until Monday eve she was out all weekend. She came in walked past me when I said hello and slammed her bedroom door like a petulant teenager. I knocked on her door and asked for a word.
I asked her what the problem was because I was quite shook up that she seemed to angry towards me. She went into a rant about how I had obligation to tell her that my boyfriend wasn't moving out and she's uncomfortable with him there etc. First I have heard in over a year and she's also socialised with is and had meals with us our friends and family. She said that I broke the agreement becaus she only agreed to share with me not a strange man aswel!
I said ok you're obviously not happy so move out - she didn't want to give written notice so I said I would give to her because I like things to be done properly.
Tuesday morning sent her by email notice to vacate and that eve left a signed copy of the same for her.
Email received on Thursday saying she didn't want to stay she wanted to go ASAP. She said she thought she'd just leave on the 10th and that would be OK. I have advised that she is bound to pay the notice period (one month) as she would expect me to abide by the notice period also.
She seems to think that the agreement we both signed doesn't apply for some reason.
Today she's moved a lot of her things out. Few bits left and I've no idea if she will return for them.
I have given notice as per the agreement - she's put in writing that she's not going to honour this.
Can I change the locks?
I've no idea what is happening as as her rent is due for this month on Friday and she said she will be gone by Thurs it's pretty clear to me that she's not going to pay anything.
I have her £200 deposit but I will still be out of pocket and I know I will need to deep clean her room - ugh.
Do I have to live with the uncertainty of her coming in whenever she wants when she's made it clear she's not paying anything further?
To be honest I'm fuming because I've bent over backwards for this woman and she's making me feel like I've done something wrong when I haven't at all.
I feel the whole thing has been engineered on her part to get out of paying what is owed.

marc3

Interesting question-and i have no accurate answer -others will be better informed .
that given-to best of my knowledge -there is no legality to any form of lodger agreement-and she could do as she wants re leaving when and how she wants.
It may not comfort you-but it seems relationships have broken down-and in such circumstances-i think i would take the financial loss-and be happy she has gone before can cause any real trouble apart from financial.
It may be you can thus reduce your losses by getting a new lodger in within say a couple of weeks ,and not a full month,if you do know she is going.

I would respectfully suggest, the bigger problem is where a lodger 'refuses' to go ',and i would be interested if alongside your responses-anyone could address that question-how do you successfully/legally 'get rid' of a lodger if they don't want to go !!

Pixie5740

You don't know for certain if she'll be paying the rent on Friday yet or not and you can't have it both ways, changing the locks but wanting her to honour the notice period. Have you phoned her to ask what her she is planning to do? The relationship has broken down so I don't know why you'd want her to continue living in your home any longer than necessary by making her stick to the contract. You want her to go and she wants to so let her.

You have a deposit so you could use that to cover some of the rent owed if she leaves earlier. I know you said you would need to deep clean her room but £200 to clean one bedroom, you're having a laugh.

Red-Squirrel_2

Just tell her that you accept she is moving out and ending the agreement on Thursday and that on Friday you will be taking over the room and changing the locks, so no more rent is due.

Its not worth getting into anything else. Just draw a line. If you do keep her deposit make sure its legitimate, if its just a room its hard to see how she could have caused £200 worth of damage.

ViolaLass

I'd also be wondering whether your BF did something to upset her.

paddy's_mum

I believe that you are massively over-thinking this! Just let her go on the basis of 'least said, soonest mended'.

She is a lodger - not a tenant, not your pal, not staff - and the whole point of lodgerdom is that it is planned to be the least formal set up with a quick escape built into the arrangement.

Trusting_72

Thank you for the replies everyone. She's basically just moved most of her stuff out pops in for half hour or so at random times, she's not sleeping here.
It's my home and she's put in writing that she's not paying anything further.
I just wanted to check I can legally change the locks because she's renaiged on the notice period so can I also?
I'm pretty confident that my boyfriend hasn't done anything to upset her as she's socialised with us and our friends and my family over the last 3 years plus he's a workaholic so very rarely here anyway!
She wants me to keep the deposit towards her notice period which OK is fair enough but until I go into her room I don't know if I will need to decorate and replace carpets as the amount of stuff she had crammed in their and refusal to open a window at any time leads me to think it's going to be a bit grim.
Yes probably overthinking and I am offended by her behaviour because I've done a lot for her above and beyond what a landlady should for a lodger. I was expecting a bit of fairness and respect in return but more fool me- hence my username "trusting"!
She obviously has somewhere to stay so I think I can be safe in the knowledge that she won't be on the streets of I change the locks and she can contact me to collect the remainder of her things. I've tried to be civil and contact her but she's now ignoring my (2) messages sent.
Thanks again and I'm looking forwards to being lodger free from now on!!!!!55357;!!!56842;

Trusting_72

Those random numbers were smiley faces!

dunroving

Change the locks at the end of the current rent period (if you want to), clean the room, then move on with life.

ViolaLass

You can't take the deposit for the notice period AND change the locks. If she's paying for the period, she's entitled to access during it.

dunroving

ViolaLass wrote: »

You can't take the deposit for the notice period AND change the locks. If she's paying for the period, she's entitled to access during it.

Fair point, but what if some of the £200 is needed for repairs, etc.? It sounds like currently there is only a verbal understanding regarding the £200 deposit and the notice period. And strictly speaking, the deposit can't/shouldn't be used by the lodger to cover her rent - it's a security deposit.

It's an odd situation, because you could equally make a case that if formal notice was not given, the £200 could be used to cover loss of rent if the room can't be rented. If the room is rented out, the OP could return any relevant proportion of the £200, minus any repair costs, after the new lodger has moved in.