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

PROFESSIONAL_LANDLORD

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.

Surely he can't have been that bad to last for all that time.

He doesnt clean, won't find a job and is very lazy and can disappear for up to a few weeks.

Yeah, know what you mean! there's a guy living in my place who behaves in exactly the same way, and hardly pays any rent, GRRRRRRRR, but I luv im






My son! .....................Sorry if you feel betrayed, put it behind you.

wherediditallgo

I was away from my home from last Monday (Christmas Eve) too until yesterday afternoon, because I went away for the Christmas break. As he doesn't seem to get on with the rest of the household, he's hardly likely to have detailed his plans before going. He has a history of going away for weeks at a time then returning, so there's no real reason to now think this guy has actually left the property for good. I can understand your annoyance about having money stolen from you, but I think that for him to have lasted well over 2 years as a lodger, he must have been paying his rent, albeit late & in a lackadaisical fashion, & his other habits were just an occasional irritation more than anything else until recently. I think it's the theft that's got to you more than anything else, but that doesn't mean you can assume he's left & isn't coming back.

I would (a) speak to an organisation such as a housing advice centre to get advice on what action can be taken in terms of his lodger status, (b) pass that advice on to your father, so that he's aware of what to do if there are any more problems with this man, & (c) inform the police of what happened - the least that's going to happen is that they make out an incident report, which will be useful if any further incidents occur. As you're moving out soon anyway, he won't be an issue for you for much longer, so either lock away your valuables or ask a friend or relative if they can be stored safely with them until you are in your new home.