Armed Forces and having a lodger

Sintara

Hi all, we'd like to have a lodger in our spare room but my husband is in the army and we're concerned about when he gets posted. Until now I've stayed in our family home but we've lived apart a lot and it's the right time (children age wise) for us to move as a family if he gets posted in the next year or two. We don't want to let someone settle down and feel at home to have to make them leave again. Would they be able to stay living there if we were away for two years? Would they by default become a tenant? If it makes any difference I will need to keep access to the house so I can stay to get to my work probably one night a week (which is why we don't want to rent it out properly). Any ideas what would happen in this scenario? Thanks

Bookworm225

how will you return 1 night a week if he is posted overseas or to a far part of the UK? 

in principle as long you are occupying forces accommodation on the posting then your current property (which I assume you own) will remain, on paper, the exempt "main home" for capital gains tax purposes, but not for lodger purposes. They will become a tenant, not remain a lodger

marcia_

 If you leave the lodger in the home and you are not living there they will no longer be a lodger but s tenant and you a landlord 

theartfullodger

marcia_ said:

 If you leave the lodger in the home and you are not living there they will no longer be a lodger but s tenant and you a landlord 

Correct.  And (assuming England) an AST tenant and you'd likely not have many bits of paperwork needed to evict them (either now or after upcoming laws).

Albermarle

We don't want to let someone settle down and feel at home to have to make them leave again. 

You will just have to explain in advance to any lodger, that they may have to vacate the property at relatively short notice. If they are aware of that and still want to move in, then they can not complain when/if they have to move out.

Sintara

Bookworm225 said:

how will you return 1 night a week if he is posted overseas or to a far part of the UK? 

Hes very unlikely to be posted overseas and we know what area is most likely given his specialism. My work is based in London and they're being very flexible but have said I will need to be there at least one day a week. Our home is commuter distance and mid way between the likely area and London so I'll drive there, stay over night and be able to get in early and do a long day in the office. To commute for the day from the new place would be a bit much (3+ hrs each way).

Sintara

Thanks everyone, you've all confirmed what we thought was the case. Think we'll just leave it for now. Thanks all.

FlorayG

Lodgers never expect to stay a long time; lodgings are never 'home'.
You can get a lodger, tell them it may be short term, you only need to give them notice they don't have rights to stay the way a tenant would

marcia_

FlorayG said:

Lodgers never expect to stay a long time; lodgings are never 'home'.
You can get a lodger, tell them it may be short term, you only need to give them notice they don't have rights to stay the way a tenant would

 True but lodgers are not lodgers if not sharing the home with the owner as in this case. They become a tenant