Unable to find lodgers, is this a dead period?

[Deleted User]

Slinky said:

I rented a room in a flat where the landlords were a couple. It all seemed quite pleasant at first, but as I was new to the area and looking for a job (which I got within 3 weeks), I was at home in the day a bit. Plus I didn't know anyone in the area, so I wasn't going out in the evenings. They didn't want me sitting in their lounge, so I spent time in my room alone. After about 6 weeks, they decided to move me on. The woman said they preferred the situation with their previous lodger as she had a boyfriend and spent a lot of time out of the flat at his place. Basically, they wanted the money, but not the inconvenience of someone living a quiet life in their space. I never made the mistake of flat sharing in that setup again.

It sounds like the OP wants the same.

The best option would be someone that is working away / contracting and doesn't want a hotel Monday - Friday.  That setup is about as close their going to get unless they take in a nun.

It sounds like the OP wants top dollar in terms of amount but then doesn't want smells, partners staying overnight and so forth that come from daily life.

Yorkie1

"Peaceful enjoyment of the home" is far too vague and open to varied interpretation.

Who judges it?

If a scented laundry detergent is likely to make your life mroe difficult (I intend no criticism), you may wish to think about how your interpretation of that clause is likely to differ from the not-unreasonable expectations of a lodger.

pieroabcd

Yorkie1 said:

"Peaceful enjoyment of the home" is far too vague and open to varied interpretation.

Who judges it?

If a scented laundry detergent is likely to make your life mroe difficult (I intend no criticism), you may wish to think about how your interpretation of that clause is likely to differ from the not-unreasonable expectations of a lodger.

The smell of some detergents may annoy me, but definitely I wouldn't make a fuss about it.
Another story would be having the house smelling all the time of food, that during my endless searches for a place to rent I found sooo many times.

Yorkie1

Understood, but again that may be a varied interpretation of what someone else can cook, and when. Even frying a bacon butty can leave lingering smells.

You run the risk of a lodger finding it almost impossible to foresee what might be hard for you to accept, and living on tenterhooks, or subject to sometimes arbitrary impositions.

ReadySteadyPop

pieroabcd said:

I have nothing against people working or studying from home.
I'm not desperate to find a lodger. I'm just greedy for more money and mindful that I may need it in the future. If I have space why not using it? After all I've bought my house as an investment, too.

The only potential problems that I see, for which I could accept no compromises, are
- smelly food. I'm hyper sensitive to smells, even to laundry detergents!
- people needing babysitting (at large). They need to be independent 
- having guests staying overnight. Absolutely no no no

https://www.property118.com/landlords-face-paying-national-insurance-on-rental-income/

Everybody is looking for more money these days, property income is a relatively easy target?

Jumblebumble

pieroabcd said:

That's the reason why In my contract there are the clauses "the licensee can't have guest staying overnight under any circumstances" and "guests are allowed as long as they frequent the house with moderation".

This is presumably the reason no one wants to be your lodger
Such a statement as "with moderation" is completly meaningless

pieroabcd

Jumblebumble said:

pieroabcd said:

That's the reason why In my contract there are the clauses "the licensee can't have guest staying overnight under any circumstances" and "guests are allowed as long as they frequent the house with moderation".

This is presumably the reason no one wants to be your lodger
Such a statement as "with moderation" is completly meaningless

Guess what? It was in all lodging agreements that I signed as a lodger over 7 years.
It's never been a problem for all the applicants so far, either.

Slinky

So have you converted any of those enquiries into a new lodger yet?

pieroabcd

Slinky said:

So have you converted any of those enquiries into a new lodger yet?

No.
I think that I'm not alone: all the ads in my area are still active. Si.e have been added (some at higher rent tha mine) but non have been closed.

ReadySteadyPop

pieroabcd said:

Slinky said:

So have you converted any of those enquiries into a new lodger yet?

No.
I think that I'm not alone: all the ads in my area are still active. Si.e have been added (some at higher rent tha mine) but non have been closed.

Makes sense, demand for space is down from what I am seeing, there are way less students and workers coming to the UK than there used to be, and I read somewhere recently that job openings for school/Uni leavers are also way down from where they were around five years ago, this means that more and more young people just stay at home with parents rather than looking for flats/lodgings. Most people who can get the money together will get their own flat because getting the wrong live in landlord could be very very trying and I really don`t think many people have been going this route recently by choice.