Renting out my spare room - first timer

DietIrnBru

Hi all,

Seeking out those with experience of renting out a spare room.

I am considering renting out my spare room. Before I commit to advertising it, I've been pondering some of the technicalities such as:

*how does house insurance work with having a lodger? (my buildings insurance is through my factor; my content insurance is my own policy);

*best way to approach discussions with potential lodgers - the advert i've written does make it pretty clear what my expectations are, I just dont want to appear unreasonable with limits such as there being no overnight guests.

I'd be interested to hear what the experience of others has been, ranging from good to bad.

Thanks in advance.

theartfullodger

So this is Scotland (like the user name!)?  And you are in a tenement or similar? 

Suggest you check with factor's insurance policy what is covered: And your own insurers:

If this is Scotland, unlike in England where lodgers can be evicted without court, in Scotland if someone renting spare room declines to leave you'd need court order to leave. They would have a common law tenancy..

See...

https://scotland.shelter.org.uk/housing_advice/downloads_and_tools/online_checkers/what_kind_of_tenancy_do_i_have



Slàinte mhath!

RAS

Your name and the reference to "factor" suggests you are in Scotland?

Can you confirm that, as Scottish rules are different?

FreeBear

Before you advertise on somewhere like spareroom, spend a few months scanning the "room wanted" adverts. You'll soon be able to spot the serial advertisers (probably ones to avoid). Do your checks and ask questions like "why do you want/need to move". Have a clear set of house rules & contract without any ambiguity (e.g. "gas, electricity, & broadband bills included" rather than "all bills"). Also worth having a "subject to reasonable use" clause with the bills - You wouldn't want someone running a fan heater 24/7...

With the right lodger, it can be a rewarding experience, with the wrong one, a nightmare - I've had both.

DietIrnBru

Thanks for the advice and directions for further research. Points for those who guessed Scotland based on the username - I shouldn't have gone for such a cliche name.

RAS

Actually, the term factor was the key indicator!

Rosa_Damascena

FreeBear said:

Before you advertise on somewhere like spareroom, spend a few months scanning the "room wanted" adverts. You'll soon be able to spot the serial advertisers (probably ones to avoid). Do your checks and ask questions like "why do you want/need to move". Have a clear set of house rules & contract without any ambiguity (e.g. "gas, electricity, & broadband bills included" rather than "all bills"). Also worth having a "subject to reasonable use" clause with the bills - You wouldn't want someone running a fan heater 24/7...

With the right lodger, it can be a rewarding experience, with the wrong one, a nightmare - I've had both.

You are brave! This is not for the faint-hearted.

My house is my sanctuary and the thought of coming home to a nightmare is enough to put me off!!

zagubov

Your lodger needs more notice than might be expected in England. Might be worthwhile thinking about how long the initial term is e.g if it's a one year contract it will automatically renew for a year unless you give 40 days notice.

Might you be better off starting with a rolling one month contract if you don't want to get stuck with someone unbearable for a further year.

Or put in the initial contract that you can end the the lease just by giving sufficient notice (40 days seems to be quoted a lot).Really needs to be in writing, in addition to the usual rules about smoking, pets, temporary or overnight guests, noise, shared facilities, bills, paying rent on time, locks on doors, and such like.

Not sure that needing a court order to evict still applies in Scotland if you're a resident landlord, The Shelter website seems to suggest this.

I'd really recommend you get proper advice as there may be safety requirements (e.g fire-sresistant furnishings etc.) whereas in England there isn't much beyond a Gas safety certificate.

Other posters have mentioned that male lodgers tend to stay away with their partners, while female lodgers more often have their partners staying over.

mags21

Be very, very careful… this recent post covers a nightmare scenario!
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6328839/lodger-lied-during-application-now-hes-attempting-legal-action/p1

katejo

DietIrnBru said:

Hi all,

Seeking out those with experience of renting out a spare room.

I am considering renting out my spare room. Before I commit to advertising it, I've been pondering some of the technicalities such as:

*how does house insurance work with having a lodger? (my buildings insurance is through my factor; my content insurance is my own policy);

*best way to approach discussions with potential lodgers - the advert i've written does make it pretty clear what my expectations are, I just dont want to appear unreasonable with limits such as there being no overnight guests.

I'd be interested to hear what the experience of others has been, ranging from good to bad.

Thanks in advance.

I did this for about 10 years and it was worth it. i did make some small mistakes at the beginning but had no real disasters and had 2 guys who stayed for several years each. The last moved out last summer. You do need to inform your insurer. I found several who wouldn't cover it at all. However others allowed 1 lodger and I did see one which allowed up to 4. Throughout the time I used Direct Line. They didn't charge any extra but, had I had thefts from the house with no evidence of a break in, they wouldn't have paid out.
I allowed my lodger to have an occasional overnight guest but they didn't do it often. My last 2 guys tended to spend most of their time in their rooms despite being welcome to use the living room.
I included gas/electricity in the rent but, with current rising prices, you might want them to share bills. One of my less successful lodgers only believed in wearing a jumper outside. He walked around the house in t shire and shorts and put the thermostat up to 24C.
Make sure you know what the rent a room allowance is before you decide on your rent. I didn't want to be bothered with completing tax returns so I stayed below the limit. 

FreeBear

mags21 said: Be very, very careful… this recent post covers a nightmare scenario!
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6328839/lodger-lied-during-application-now-hes-attempting-legal-action/p1

And for something a little older - https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/5848168/lodger-wanting-to-cook