Lodger has stolen money from me and been absent from home - what can I do?

BlueNose1984

For the past 2 and a half years, my Dad has had a lodger living here who has been nothing but trouble from day one.

He doesnt clean, won't find a job and is very lazy and can disappear for up to a few weeks. He has fallen behind on rent payments too.

This is now the final straw. I had 3 days at my Father's for Christmas and the lodger was here for 2 of the 3 days. I came back to find my house trashed and dirty and my own rent money for December was stolen from my own room. It wasnt an obvious place to put the cash, it was well hidden but £40 has gone missing and I believe this is the reason why he hasn't come back when he was due on Saturday.

He has only spent 3 possibly 4 days here at my home in the past month, mainly because he has been hiding due to personal reasons at his Mum's and at his girlfriends who has given birth to a child a lot. It seems when he is here, things just go upside down.

The house is in my Dad's name, so I don't have a final say. I am moving myself in four weeks, but where do I stand regarding the issue of theft and almost desertion?

speedtwin

If he is just a lodger in a house he doesnt have the same rights a a tenant on a AST contract. You should be able to just bag his stuff up and leave it on the doorstep without a legal come back (dont forget to get keys or change locks).
Before you do that I would give him a weeks notice but if you are sure he is a thief dont.

Ems!

report him to the police for theft

BlueNose1984

I am certain he is the thief because, no-one else has been in this house and when I did visit my room Thursday afternoon things were moved, apart from my books and a few DVDs.

Cheers for this

jonewer

Call the police.

/300 posts!

ali-t

you will need to get your dad involved if he is the one the lodger has the contract with. I have a lodger and the T&C of the contract state 1 months notice must be given by either party so bagging up his stuff and dumping it is not an option. I do have a clause stating that if rent isn't paid for 2 months I can do this but not just for late payment of rent.
Contacting the police re: the £40 is a possibility but remember you have to live with this person for the next 4 weeks. I would speak to your dad about the concerns and ask him to inform the lodger (or you could tell him yourself) that you have concerns about security in the house and that money has gone missing and the police will be getting involved.

roses

speedtwin wrote: »

If he is just a lodger in a house he doesnt have the same rights a a tenant on a AST contract. You should be able to just bag his stuff up and leave it on the doorstep without a legal come back (dont forget to get keys or change locks).
Before you do that I would give him a weeks notice but if you are sure he is a thief dont.

This is true. Tell your dad to do this. You don't need to wait & give them notice unless they have a signed lodger agreement.

piggeh

I dont personally see the advantage of contacting the police. Personally I'd just reclaim £40 worth of goods on the day you're moving out The police arent exactly going to send the forensics team around and if he is really such a low life it will not have much affect on his conscience.

And get a safe or a moneybox or something, so it cant be repeated in the future (either at present digs or elsewhere).

mrstinchcombe

Why wont you call the Police? If he has committed this crime it needs to be investigated (and it will be if you call them despite what others on here say!!)

As for the comment "The police arent exactly going to send the forensics team around", this is not true, CSI routinely attend such crime scenes because this is not a theft it is a burglary.

BlueNose1984

I dont want to call the police because £40 isnt really much. I mean if it was £400 or £4 000 yes. I'm not protecting this guy at all.

My room is off limits and what happened was betrayal. I mean I've never stole from him anyway. Personally I do think he has left, because my Dad rang him chasing up the missing rent payments he owes from him and there has been no answer on his phone since last Monday. There isnt really anything of his here bar some tatty clothes that have been piled up high in the washing basket for over a month.

dolce_vita

Throw whatever he has left on the street and change the locks.