How much should I charge my lodger to work from home?

FlorayG

silverwhistle said:

ThisIsWeird said:

s his commute cost him, both in time and money? What will he save from this exercise?
Two things ring bells at the mo'; he is seemingly anal about calculating the minutia of the running costs. And, he baulked at what must be a reasonable £50 starting point!

I have to say this thought occurred to me too, and being old and cynical perhaps WFH could be a cover for having lost his job?

This is actually what happened in my case! I noticed my lodger not going out to work, asked him point blank and he admitted he'd lost his job. Within a week he'd found a remote working job and now I had a lodger working from home

Emily_Joy

I am going to speak from the viewpoint of a lodger, as I have been one for many, many years and I am still renting, but only Monday - Friday. If they are a full time lodger, it means they have no other place to go to. The (little) room they have in your house is the only place which is, to some extend theirs. This is where their all possessions are. If they are kind, polite, respectful, never bring strangers, never play loud music, never come home drunk late at night and pay the rent on time, is pretty much what you can expect. I would also suggest outsource some household related jobs to them (like cleaning their bedroom and sweeping up the kitchen floor, one of my landlords insisted that I also have to deep-clean the bathroom and vacuum clean all house from time to time).  Being told that you need to pay more to use the space which you treat is yours is note a nice thing. I would suggest explaining that you need to have the house to yourself for a few hours during the day and ask them whether they can accommodate this by going to a cafe/pub/library/taking an exercise break, like jogging or cycling, during the day.

Chocolatebiccies

ThisIsWeird said:

Chocolatebiccies said:

ThisIsWeird said:

Chocciebiccies, you've given us a good overview of your situation, and your relationship with your lodger.
Don't forget why you have a lodger in the first place - it's presumably to help make ends meet, and not for the company. 
You are lucky to have found someone you like and get on with. He is equally lucky to have what is clearly an ideal lodging for him, with all his cleaning needs met, and also with a nice person he gets along with. So far, so very good.
But he now is asking for a significant change to these conditions, and that needs you to be completely honest about the pros and cons, because there are both.
Pros: additional rent. And, um, er, that's it. 
Cons: slightly increased utility bills (easily taken care of by increased rent).
Loss of privacy. How do you currently spend your time at home? Presumably with Radio 4 on at a reasonable volume for most of the time? Bursting into song during Desert Island Discs? Spending the first hour of some mornings walking around in just your dressing gown? Taking a slow nuddy stroll from the shower to your bedroom? Feet up and some carp daytime tele? Tap dancing? Do you have girlie friends around at times where you have coffee and a loud chat (not trying to stereotype...)
All of that will likely have to change. It will no longer be solely your home during the day.
You need to be 100% clear with yourself - and then him - about how acceptable you will find these changes, and how prepared you are to compromise on them. Some folk would find it completely unacceptable; others will take it pretty much in their stride. Most, I think, would balance the pros with the cons, and find it 'acceptable' if it was made worth their while.
You need to sit down and think this through.
Other Q's - where will he be working in your home? Folk on here seem to presume it'll be in his bedroom. If so, great for your privacy, but not so good in having an extra room to heat - I presume you currently don't keep heating bedrooms during the day? But what if he wants or expects to use the dining table? 
More Q's; what is his work? Any idea what company he works for? And, any rough idea what he earns - very rough?
How does he currently commute? And, therefore, how much does his commute cost him, both in time and money? What will he save from this exercise?
Two things ring bells at the mo'; he is seemingly anal about calculating the minutia of the running costs. And, he baulked at what must be a reasonable £50 starting point!
Could you tell us what he currently pays, C-B?
So, think it through. Consider seriously what impact it could - will - have on your quality of daily life. Work out what you would find 'acceptable' as a result - eg, where he can work from, how loud you can play music. Whether you can hoover your home when you want to. How will you tidy his room if he's in there working? etc etc, and get ready for an honest chat. 
The extra utilities cost will likely be minimal - but not to be ignored - but I fear he doesn't understand the personal impact of what he is asking, and how it will impose on your quality of life. You need to make that clear to him - exaggerated if you need to (about singing and dancing!), so he 'gets it'.
Cuppa time.

Thank you so much for your reply. You’ve given much food for thought!  

Choccie biccies, I presume.

Hahaha yes ) 🍪 

saajan_12

ButterCheese said:

Chocolatebiccies said:

I floated the idea of around that figure and he baulked. I am not a confident enough person to assert myself in these sorts of situations, I wish I was.  But I am a bit of a pushover.  I struggle with difficult conversations and dread them.

My old landlady was like that.  She was not confident or knowledgable about what things cost (no offense!),  e.g one night I was cleaning the gas hob and must have accidentally knocked one of the knobs, so a tiny bit of gas was escaping.  She left me a note the next morning to say "gas left on all night - not happy".  After I apologised, I calculated how much a trickle of gas would have cost, which 20 years ago was about 30p at the very most.  Once she was happy she was not going to get a "massive bill", it was fine.

ButterCheese said:

bobster2 said:

ButterCheese said:

Chocolatebiccies said:

I floated the idea of around that figure and he baulked. I am not a confident enough person to assert myself in these sorts of situations, I wish I was.  But I am a bit of a pushover.  I struggle with difficult conversations and dread them.

My old landlady was like that.  She was not confident or knowledgable about what things cost (no offense!),  e.g one night I was cleaning the gas hob and must have accidentally knocked one of the knobs, so a tiny bit of gas was escaping.  She left me a note the next morning to say "gas left on all night - not happy".  After I apologised, I calculated how much a trickle of gas would have cost, which 20 years ago was about 30p at the very most.  Once she was happy she was not going to get a "massive bill", it was fine.

Wow! You were a lodger and you left gas leaking into the property overnight? I'm surprised the note didn't say "gas left on all night - pack your bags"

In my defense I was drunk when it happened! And I was only cleaning the knobs

You sound like the one not knowledgeable about the impact of things (no offense! if that makes it all okay) Its not just the tiny bit of gas, the smallest flame could mean a serious fire. Deciding to clean a potentially dangerous appliance when drunk enough to make that sort of mistake and not notice all night doesn't make it okay. You'd have been evicted at the earliest opportunity if that was my house. 

Bookworm225

Chocolatebiccies said:

Yes, I am at home all day.

He didn’t cook when he was at work but he bought hot lunches from the shops.

so the only extra cost you will incur is whatever electricity the lodger uses.
That won't be £50 per month