Lodger Advice 13 January 2020 at 9:24PM edited 13 January 2020 at 9:26PM in House Buying, Renting & Selling 51 replies 3.7K views

HampshireH

So if i get back from work late say I did night shift work a) cant use kitchen b) cant have a shower I know you are assuming this from most people working 9-5 jobs but the rules seem a bit harsh

But you chose to live there and accept these rules..........

You could move if you don't feel its working for you.

onwards&upwards

So you pay rent and are expected to work for 20 hours for free? This is not voluntary or optional? What would happen if you didn’t do your 20 hours?

This seems to me like it doesn’t really fit with the minimum wage rules, it might be worth posting on the employment board for advice about that.

bouicca21

So this is some kind of halfway house? Though I must say it reminds me a bit of a 1950s seaside boarding house.

The drafts are easy - cling film over the window, draft excluder for the door. But if that doesn’t work, you can always use a computer in a local library. I suspect the charity doesn’t really want you skulking in your room all day, they want you to be out and about, looking for work, getting therapy, or whatever it is that you need to do in order to move on.

Why worry about how to cope with a night shift when you don’t have a job? Why on earth do you want to eat after 10 pm?

All these restrictions are there to promote communal living and responsibility. They are also a trade off for living somewhere that cheap. Your total income is £550 a month - that won’t even get you a room elsewhere, let alone allow you to pay your bills and have spending money left over.

As Deanna has pointed out, there is a reason why you have ended up there. Dealing with that reason is the way into something better.

sevenhills

obsidianfox wrote: »

is £160 for bills much considering this place has no gas only lpg & electric its a charity, not sure how that works for counil tax etc.?

There are many houses taking in lodgers, depending on where you live, £300-£450 seems to be the going rate.
If you look like a good tenant, you might want to look around.

obsidianfox

onwards&upwards wrote: »

So you pay rent and are expected to work for 20 hours for free? This is not voluntary or optional? What would happen if you didn’t do your 20 hours?

This seems to me like it doesn’t really fit with the minimum wage rules, it might be worth posting on the employment board for advice about that.

If you don't do the hours or jobs you are asked to leave!

obsidianfox

GaleSF63 wrote: »

If you had your own place how often would you be having a shower during the day or making a meal after 10 pm? "Go hungry"? A lot of people don't eat anything after a much earlier hour than 10 pm.

When I had my own place I had a shower once a day about 10am, I had a combi boiler so no probs with hot water. I used to eat 3 times a day and eat after 8pm and sometimes have a snack after 10pm. All these replies are ok but only really work for a 9-5 job. So I eat once a day now as I cant be bothered with hot water.



Don't you think that having no hot water to wash up is bad, having to boil kettles is inefficient...

-taff

You are inventing problems where there aren't any.
Showering between 6am and 11am is perfectly reasonable. Showering between 6pm and 11pm is again, perfectly reasonable.
Boiling water to wash dishes? Wash them earlier. When the hot water is on.
Single glazed window and draught from next door? Shove a duvet or blanket in the gap.
What work is it you are expected to do and are you actually working 20 hours a week?


You sau, well when I had my own place...But you no longer have your own place, you are there, so you either make the best of it, or move.

obsidianfox

Also to use washing machine and dryer you have to pay an additional £1 per wash £1 per dry! All these little things add up... sounds cheap but i'm sure hostels don't run like this...?

csgohan4

obsidianfox wrote: »

Also to use washing machine and dryer you have to pay an additional £1 per wash £1 per dry! All these little things add up... sounds cheap but i'm sure hostels don't run like this...?

And yet your still there, have you not got any other alternatives?

Complaining about x,y,z but not doing anything about it....

need_an_answer

obsidianfox wrote: »

Also to use washing machine and dryer you have to pay an additional £1 per wash £1 per dry! All these little things add up... sounds cheap but i'm sure hostels don't run like this...?

This isn't an uncommon thing in shared accommodation, my student offspring has done this for the last 2 years.

Yes I appreciate that costs mount up but planning and budgeting for these things are part of everyday life

You seem resentful about living there so I guess there is more to this situation than you are posting about.

There are people that are worse off than you,be thankful that you can boil a kettle to do the washing up and have a shower morning and evening,there are many who would swap places with you.