Anyone had/have a lodger and what was your experience? Any tips or advice?

FreeBear

Blank11 said: If I did get a lodger I was planning to just include the bills into the price but people really do try to milk it for all it’s worth!

I have a little clause in the contract I use that states anything more than reasonable use of utilities will incur additional charges. I know what my baseline consumption is, and also have historical figures with lodgers in residence. So not too difficult to see if usage exceeds expectations.

Also.. Not being particularly tall myself, I tend to favour shorter lodgers - It is the only time people look up to me.

Silvertabby

Grizebeck said:

I had a lodger who had come out of prison. He was the son of a friend.
It worked out fine for the time he was here

Glad that worked out for you all - but I seem to remember reading something about a similar act of kindness invalidating the house insurance?

theoretica

Silvertabby said:

Grizebeck said:

I had a lodger who had come out of prison. He was the son of a friend.
It worked out fine for the time he was here

Glad that worked out for you all - but I seem to remember reading something about a similar act of kindness invalidating the house insurance?

Insurance asks if anyone in the household has a conviction - but mine also asks how many people are in the household so seems like they want the existence of any lodger mentioned.

Blank11

RAS said:

You really do need to be clear about everything. Otherwise, you'll go to the fridge or the cupboard and find all the milk, bread and oil have been used and not replaced.

If you offer "utilities included", the windows will be open and the central heating on full blast. Or they are playing games 24/7 or working from home. So you might have a fair usage clause.

Have you checked the rent a room scheme and the likely local lodging cost? Even if the standard lodging agreement is one year in Scotland, there's nothing to stop you offering say September to June if that fits the rent a room scheme and might be attractive to students?

Maybe check out friends and acquaintances and talk to those with experience of being a lodger?

Thanks that makes sense. What would you say is the best way to go about payment for the bills if bills and utilities isn’t included? Say for instance they do end up making up for 70% of the bills would they not be a little skeptical and assume you are trying to make them pay for majority of the bill?

No one close to me has experience with a lodger or being a lodger so can’t get personal experience from it. 

Blank11

FreeBear said:

Blank11 said: If I did get a lodger I was planning to just include the bills into the price but people really do try to milk it for all it’s worth!

I have a little clause in the contract I use that states anything more than reasonable use of utilities will incur additional charges. I know what my baseline consumption is, and also have historical figures with lodgers in residence. So not too difficult to see if usage exceeds expectations.

Also.. Not being particularly tall myself, I tend to favour shorter lodgers - It is the only time people look up to me.

That is a great clause but some peoples reasonable use of utilities might differ. I guess the starting point is to know what my base consumption is especially for winter with heating. 

RAS

You start with either the previous owner's utilities, if they are prepared to share or your own knowledge of the utilities since you moved in. The fixed charge is unlikely to change much, so you are looking at the price per Kwh or cubic metre. Make it plain that if that changes, you will pass the increase/decrease on.

And you should know the recent likely monthly usage. Obviously, if you've only been there for 3 months mid summer, winter will be double or more and the shoulder seasons at least half as much. 

Also ask your parents to disclose their usage over the year, as a basis for the  expected pattern of use over the year. If your lodger is staying September to March you might expect higher usage and charge more than if they are staying over the summer?

sourpuss2021

Lodgers will definitely expect their rent to include utilities.  That’s one of the positives in the deal for them.  All the landlord can do is vet the person thoroughly at the interview stage and make sure they don’t work from home, or play PC games, or do some sport that involves washing their kit every day; or feel hypersensitive to room temperatures below 24 degrees, etc!

theoretica

Also it will depend on the property and how the heating is controlled - by you or by them - no plug in heaters or air conditioners without discussion might be a useful thing to state.

Also - I think if I were furnishing a room for a lodger I would put in a single bed, not a double.

Grizebeck

Silvertabby said:

Grizebeck said:

I had a lodger who had come out of prison. He was the son of a friend.
It worked out fine for the time he was here

Glad that worked out for you all - but I seem to remember reading something about a similar act of kindness invalidating the house insurance?

Thanks it didnt effect it and they moved on successfully 

Emily_Joy

RAS said:

You really do need to be clear about everything. Otherwise, you'll go to the fridge or the cupboard and find all the milk, bread and oil have been used and not replaced.

If you offer "utilities included", the windows will be open and the central heating on full blast. Or they are playing games 24/7 or working from home. So you might have a fair usage clause.

Have you checked the rent a room scheme and the likely local lodging cost? Even if the standard lodging agreement is one year in Scotland, there's nothing to stop you offering say September to June if that fits the rent a room scheme and might be attractive to students?

Maybe check out friends and acquaintances and talk to those with experience of being a lodger?

Honestly, I am amazed. Was a lodger for many years. Never took any food which was not mine, even a tiny portion of milk. Heating on full blast with windows open? I think I will remember for very long time one cold Saturday last December. It was about +15 in the lounge/kitchen and I wanted to stay home around lunch time. I asked very politely if we can heating on maybe? The reply was "No way. The heating comes on for 1 hour in the morning and for 2 hours in the evening." 

Frankly, as a lodger, I have always felt the landlord has full control of the house. The landlord didn't bother whatsoever that the washing machine on spinning cycle wakes me up at 3am. The electricity is the cheapest then, so this was the time to do the washing. The fact that I was unable to sleep and was lunatic at work next day was mine problem. 

(Oh, and the only overnight visitor I've ever had was my OH, and this was agreed before I moved in.)