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Main site > Forums > Essential Money > House Buying, Renting & Selling > Lodger agreement reasonable?
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      jonnygee2
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    • By jonnygee2 9th Jul 18, 8:12 PM
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      What's this?

    jonnygee2
    Lodger agreement reasonable?
    • #1
    • 9th Jul 18, 8:12 PM
    Lodger agreement reasonable? 9th Jul 18 at 8:12 PM
    So, after recently buying a house, a friend of a distant friend has asked to rent our room out.

    We'd been considering this anyway. It's not a huge flat, but it's big enough to support a third person, with a separate kitchen/diner and a separate shower / toilet, and a relatively large second bedroom. And suddenly this opportunity has come along. I've looked into the legals, and it all looks pretty simple.

    Thinking things through, I think it'd work for us but I want to give him the following 'rules'. Are these reasonable? In practice we'd be flexible, but I'm not sure if it's normal to be so prescriptive or not? The thing is that we want to preserve our space to some extent, but I'm not sure if that's a bit greedy given we'd be earning rent (although I've tried to make sure the room rate reflects this to some degree).

    - Bathroom, no more than 20 minutes between 7 - 9am on weekdays.

    - No showers 11pm - 7am Sun - Thurs (bathroom is next to our bedroom and a bit noisy)

    - Kitchen - cook / eat before 7.30 pm. Can use our pans/crockery but must be cleaned and dried before this (we normally cook from about then onwards). Must only use own food (inc sauces, condiments, cooking oil etc)

    - Laundry - daytime only (9 - 6)

    - Living room - use until 9pm daily

    - No noise (music in room etc) after 11pm Sunday - Thurs

    - Guests - no guests allowed in living room or kitchen. No more than two guests at a time. Ask us before letting anyone stay overnight and not more than twice / week.

    - Cleaning - must clean surfaces etc after use. No other cleaning necessary (cleaner comes weekly anyway).

    What do you think? Have I missed anything important? And is this all reasonable or too much?

    Sorry!

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      sheramber
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    • By sheramber 10th Jul 18, 8:28 PM
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      What's this?

    sheramber
    yOu are assuming everybody lives a you do.

    Only allowed one shower a day?

    My student son had a shower when he came home, a shower before going out if he was going out for the evening and a shower before bed.

    He caught the bus at 8am so was in the shower before 7am.

    He did however spend his evenings in his bedroom, working on Uni work or with his friends. Many times there was wall to wall boys in a small single bedroom.

    He had his evening meal about 6pm but that was followed by a supper at 9pm. Not everybody doesn't eat after 7.30pm

    Sorry!

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      jonnygee2
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    • By jonnygee2 10th Jul 18, 8:35 PM
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      What's this?

    jonnygee2
    “
    Only allowed one shower a day?
    ”
    Where did you get that from?

    Sorry!

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      jonnygee2
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    • By jonnygee2 10th Jul 18, 8:50 PM
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      What's this?

    jonnygee2
    Anyway, update, with a few hints from the forum I've spoken to him to see what he thinks.

    The reality is that he's currently living in a shared house with no living room at all, a small kitchen, one bathroom, a smaller bedroom and five occupants (four officially, one almost permanent 'extra'), and also paying a lot more than I'm asking. So he's moving in, soon!

    Also, apparently, he only cooks about once a week anyway, wakes up after 9. So mainly I was worrying about nothing. He does want to have lots of friends round in the day, but I'm out, so makes no difference, and eats really late (like 11?! ). He also wants showers after 11, I said fine, not exactly a breaking point for now, but we'll talk about it if it wakes me up (the pump is being replaced in a few months, so it's a short term problem). All in all, it'll work out fine.

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      Mojisola
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    • By Mojisola 10th Jul 18, 9:18 PM
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      What's this?

    Mojisola
    “
    He does want to have lots of friends round in the day, but I'm out, so makes no difference
    Originally posted by jonnygee2 ”
    And you're happy with lots of strangers being in your house while you're not there?

    If you're not careful, your house will be student central for all his mates!

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      G_M
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    • By G_M 10th Jul 18, 9:31 PM
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      What's this?

    G_M
    “
    And you're happy with lots of strangers being in your house while you're not there?

    If you're not careful, your house will be student central for all his mates!
    Originally posted by Mojisola ”
    On the plus side the OP will be able to get high just by coming home and breathing deeply........

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      jonnygee2
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    • By jonnygee2 11th Jul 18, 5:54 PM
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      What's this?

    jonnygee2
    “
    On the plus side the OP will be able to get high just by coming home and breathing deeply........
    ”
    Hopefully :-) But unfortunately I don't think he's that type of guy. I think they'll probably just cook dinner and discuss their Maths homework and stuff

    Sorry!

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      JuicyJesus
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    • By JuicyJesus 11th Jul 18, 6:55 PM
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      What's this?

    JuicyJesus
    Good on you for relenting a bit, although I'm trying to think who I'd rather pay money to to live with than someone who wanted - at any point - to set timespans on when I eat, sh*t and have friends over, and for some reason Fred West, Idi Amin and Rudolf Hess spring to mind.
    urs sinserly,
    ~~joosy jeezus~~

    Sorry!

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      lookstraightahead
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    • By lookstraightahead 11th Jul 18, 8:44 PM
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      What's this?

    lookstraightahead
    I think if I had to listen to all those roles as a younger person I would say "yeah whatever" and then live how I wanted to when I moved in. And squat lol x

    Sorry!

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    • By Wyndham 11th Jul 18, 10:12 PM
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      What's this?

    Wyndham
    “
    Anyway, update, with a few hints from the forum I've spoken to him to see what he thinks.

    The reality is that he's currently living in a shared house with no living room at all, a small kitchen, one bathroom, a smaller bedroom and five occupants (four officially, one almost permanent 'extra'), and also paying a lot more than I'm asking. So he's moving in, soon!

    Also, apparently, he only cooks about once a week anyway, wakes up after 9. So mainly I was worrying about nothing. He does want to have lots of friends round in the day, but I'm out, so makes no difference, and eats really late (like 11?! ). He also wants showers after 11, I said fine, not exactly a breaking point for now, but we'll talk about it if it wakes me up (the pump is being replaced in a few months, so it's a short term problem). All in all, it'll work out fine.
    Originally posted by jonnygee2 ”
    Are the friends allowed in the living room/kitchen during the day then? I thought one of your rules was that they couldn't go there at all, and no more than 2 at a time?

    Glad you're relented, but are your really going to be happy? I'm not sure you are, and would hate to see you on here in a few weeks asking how to get rid of your lodger because it isn't working out....

    Sorry!

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      00ec25
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    • By 00ec25 11th Jul 18, 10:40 PM
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      What's this?

    00ec25
    “
    If you're not careful, your house will be student central for all his mates!
    Originally posted by Mojisola ”
    oh boy did that trigger a memory. Came home one evening, settled down to watch some TV only to have a total stranger walk into the lounge and set up my ironing board and use my iron to do his laundry that he'd done with my electricity, detergent and washing machine.

    He was "invited" to leave and directed towards the launderette at the top of the street. Lodger was "invited" to reconsider offering my home as a freebie to his mates. Lodger left at the end of that term.... no more students after that.

    Sorry!

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      anfieldred
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    • By anfieldred 11th Jul 18, 10:53 PM
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      What's this?

    anfieldred
    What if the person was stuck in a traffic jam and got home at 730 from work? they can't eat?

    Sorry!

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      Quizzical Squirrel
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    • By Quizzical Squirrel 11th Jul 18, 11:11 PM
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      What's this?

    Quizzical Squirrel
    I think it's great that you've thought it through and anticipated potential problems but you can't expect someone to live like this.

    Poor guy will be constantly checking his watch, timing himself, and giving himself indigestion from having to cook, eat, and wash up and clean in his allocated 60 minute window. It will be like one of those reality shows. Contestants you now only have 30 minutes remaining!

    Also, I do feel choosing a student with their usual inherent naivety adds another layer to this that makes me uncomfortable.

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    • By kinger101 11th Jul 18, 11:51 PM
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      What's this?

    kinger101
    Good grief. It's the lodger's home too. You're not suited to this. Not a criticism. Just an observation. It's clear you'd resent their presence, and they'd know this.

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      YoungBlueEyes
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    • By YoungBlueEyes 12th Jul 18, 12:09 AM
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      What's this?

    YoungBlueEyes
    I don't think anyone else has said this - aren't you planning to talk to/interact with the stoodent? Why can't you sometimes share the kitchen? If you're quite particular about how/when you like to cook/shower etc, would it be an idea to let him know your schedule so he can workaround accordingly? If you like to eat late, and stoodent gets home late, can't he rustle up a bread sandwich while you're eating? If you shower for 20 mins at 7am every day, let him pick when else he'd like to shower?

    It comes across as you wanting a cash cow, but without interference or interruption to your life. He might say this is ok in the beginning, but will it work long term when he gets his foot in the door?

    (I say this as someone who's never had a lodger, nor been a lodger.)

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      cjdavies
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    • By cjdavies 12th Jul 18, 6:02 AM
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      What's this?

    cjdavies
    I leave for work 6:30am and have a morning shower.

    Sometimes I'm not hungry until after 7:30pm.

    It's not for me and neither ifs for you.

    Sorry!

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    • By FBaby 12th Jul 18, 7:22 AM
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      What's this?

    FBaby
    I think it's great that you've set up clear boundaries. It's often because things are not clear in advance that the arrangements goes wrong. In the end, what you listed is no different to what families do to respect each other.

    They key point though is flexibility and discussing matters ahead of time. Personally, these rules would have no phased me as a student if it meant having a nice clean bedroom in a quiet and relaxed home at a very good price.

    Sorry!

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      financegeek
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    • By financegeek 12th Jul 18, 7:02 PM
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      What's this?

    financegeek
    when i first read this, i thought they're remarkably similar to the types of rules I'd need in place to live with someone else, hence i live by myself (too many years in shared houses have ruined communal living for me!)

    if the lodger is happy with it though and you've got a compromise then i can't see the issue. it sounds as though you're at home / wanting to use the communal facilities at different times, so could work out well.

    it also sounds as though he's not your typical student so will hopefully be respectful and communicate if he's finding the restrictions difficult.

    as a side thought, if he's a fan of late showers etc and it sounds as though his room is bigger, could you not swap rooms? that way you're not disturbed by late night showers and also have your own sofa / desk space you can retreat to in your room if necessary?

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      G_M
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    • By G_M 15th Jul 18, 8:07 AM
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      What's this?

    G_M
    I think we should differentiate between our advice about setting up rules/boundaries, and the rules themselves.


    The OP is very wise to discuss and agree house rules with an incoming lodger. It ensures (as far as one is able) that the prospective lodger and landlord are compatible, and reduces (not removes) the risk of clashes in lifestyle/behavior later.


    But in this case I agree the rules are pretty excessive and it would be a rare lodger who would be happy to accept and abide by them.

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      FBaby
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    • By FBaby 15th Jul 18, 9:08 AM
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      What's this?

    FBaby
    I think what is reasonable depends on many factors. These rules would be perfectly fine with me and would have been when I was younger because they fit around my lifestyle.

    I've read that the shower thing in the morning is if the lodger want to spend time in there during these time (ie. when it needs to be shared) but that OP has no issue if he wants to shower after they've gone to work.

    In the end, the lodger can take it or leave it. If he is getting a good deal rent wise and these rules are not much different to what he does now, he would be mad not to take the opportunity.

    Sorry!

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      todayisagreatday
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    • By todayisagreatday 15th Jul 18, 10:32 AM
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      What's this?

    todayisagreatday
    The sceptical side of me says that you are going to have your place full of his mates in the day, doing their laundry and making the most of times when you aren't at home.

    I have never have lived in shared accommodation, though I have friends who do it in London. If it was a nicer place with cheaper rent I'd prefer to stay with someone that has rules and takes pride in their home than a place where there are no rules and it's horrible accommodation but I agree their needs to be a balance. My other half is doing a Msc and classes start at 9am and it's not unusual for her to finish at 5pm, head to the library and not get in until later. One of my friends stayed with an elderly person in a stunningly beautiful home when her mates were in dire student digs. She had some rules to follow and would help out with shopping etc and said she preferred this than the chaos and appalling standards of accommodation some of her fellow students ended up in.

    Good luck op. Hope it works out.

    Sorry!

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