Taking in lodger - what do I need to know?

JuliusCaesar

Although I've lived in shared houses for years, there's something about taking in lodgers has me scared....will I (female) be murdered in my bed? :eek:

so what should I get from potential lodgers?

Passport? Bank A/c? Reference? (bearing in mind, I might be getting them from a friend...I did this too!) Agreement re trial period/notice? Let them know what the house rules are? (Nothing to stringent - rota for cleaning stuff, partners overnight twice a week, keep it down after midnight) Work reference? Some agreement re a notice period on either side? (probably unenforceable given other posts).

Probably just a bit over-freaked at the moment at the prospect...

Fatloss08

personally id just ask for a reference from previous landlord , failing that you can ask them to get something from their employer ( could be hassel to them so beware )

just explain the usual , no smoking , no parties etc , if you set too many boundaries then you could lose a tenant easily , it has to come accross like a fun easy going house etc

also you being a woman id stay with renting to women incase you do get a male asshole , harder to deal with

you should be fine , just get 1 month up front and deposit of a month

i may be wrong but thats how i go about it

IanCurtis

JuliusCaesar wrote: »

Although I've lived in shared houses for years, there's something about taking in lodgers has me scared....will I (female) be murdered in my bed? :eek:

so what should I get from potential lodgers?

Passport? Bank A/c? Reference? (bearing in mind, I might be getting them from a friend...I did this too!) Agreement re trial period/notice? Let them know what the house rules are? (Nothing to stringent - rota for cleaning stuff, partners overnight twice a week, keep it down after midnight) Work reference? Some agreement re a notice period on either side? (probably unenforceable given other posts).

Probably just a bit over-freaked at the moment at the prospect...

Maybe get a loan you can pay back without a stranger's handouts?

Fatloss08

IanCurtis wrote: »

Maybe get a loan you can pay back without a stranger's handouts?

how is it a hand-out ????? ur providing a service , roof over their head ? heating , electricity

would you say the same about hostels or hotels or b&B's

its business pure and simple

your getting screwed by the bank anyway why not screw the system

slag me all you want man , i can easily pay for my house on my own , by why ?

spockety

IanCurtis wrote: »

Maybe get a loan you can pay back without a stranger's handouts?

"How to make friends and influence people - IanCurtis, boards.ie 2008"

:rolleyes:

The_Conductor

Guys behave- be civil to each other, or take it elsewhere.

S.

um7y1h83ge06nx

Fatloss08 wrote: »

how is it a hand-out ????? ur providing a service , roof over their head ? heating , electricity

would you say the same about hostels or hotels or b&B's

its business pure and simple

your getting screwed by the bank anyway why not screw the system

slag me all you want man , i can easily pay for my house on my own , by why ?

Must say I agree with you, you are providing a service.

In my case I could afford to pay the mortgage myself, but would like some company and extra cash so I rent out 2 doubles and a single in my house.

The upshot is that this month for instance, taking into account rate changes to my tracker, mortgage interest relief and the rent I recieve, I have only paid less than €140 out of my own pocket. The way I look at it, it works out handy for me, pays the mortgage and keeping it in its simplest terms, I'm paying €140 a month for a double en-suite. And it's all legal and above board.

I'm not bragging above, I'm just stating the sense in taking in some decent lodgers.

Fatloss08

Monserrat Rancid Vignette wrote: »

Must say I agree with you, you are providing a service.

In my case I could afford to pay the mortgage myself, but would like some company and extra cash so I rent out 2 doubles and a single in my house.

The upshot is that this month for instance, taking into account rate changes to my tracker, mortgage interest relief and the rent I recieve, I have only paid less than €140 out of my own pocket. The way I look at it, it works out handy for me, pays the mortgage and keeping it in its simplest terms, I'm paying €140 a month for a double en-suite. And it's all legal and above board.

I'm not bragging above, I'm just stating the sense in taking in some decent lodgers.

Finally some sense

well said

im in the same boat , better somebody else pays it than you

The_Conductor

Monserrat Rancid Vignette wrote: »

And it's all legal and above board.

Providing you stay below a gross income, inclusive of bill shares etc, of less than EUR830 a month (EUR10k per annum), or make an annual tax return declaring all the income, and pay income tax on it.........

The_Conductor

Fatloss08 wrote: »

Finally some sense

well said

im in the same boat , better somebody else pays it than you

I used to agree with you- but eventually you reach a point where you value your own peace and quiet and privacy- more than you value the extra income. I've reached that stage. You are providing a service however (accommodation), and do deserve to be suitably recompensed for the service you provide.

seamus

JuliusCaesar wrote: »

Passport? Bank A/c?

That's over the top. What use are they to you?

Reference? (bearing in mind, I might be getting them from a friend...I did this too!)

Probably a good idea. Perhaps a work reference too, so you know that you're not going to come home to them sitting on the couch in their underwear eating pizza at 3 in the afternoon.

Agreement re trial period/notice? Some agreement re a notice period on either side? (probably unenforceable given other posts).

Any agreement about notice periods is perfectly enforceable. Perhaps recommend a six-month trial period, where you take a deposit of a month's rent and then give it back after the six months (or earlier if you have to get rid of them).

Probably just a bit over-freaked at the moment at the prospect...

Bear in mind that because you're renting a room in your home, you're entitled to discriminate all you like. So if you only want a twentysomething single working woman (or a young, well-toned single man!), you're perfectly entitled to tell anyone else that they're not getting the room because they're male/female/young/old/white/black/asian/unemployed/smelly/ugly.

I would recommend going around friends and family first before advertising out in the open. They're not likely to recommend a lodger who's going to be a pain in the ass for you.

JuliusCaesar

seamus wrote: »

That's over the top. What use are they to you?

I mentioned this because I got the passport details of a cleaner I had once, who worked while I was out of the house. Turned out she ran up a ginormous phone bill on my landline, ringing for example places like Outer Mongolia. I felt having a photocopy of her passport was a deciding factor in her paying up when I showed her the itemised phone bill!

PS, ianCurtis - I can afford the loan, but lodger/s will make life easier! Plus I'm sociable by nature and used to living with people.

Thanks everyone!

the_syco

IanCurtis wrote: »

Maybe get a loan you can pay back without a stranger's handouts?

I think she already has a mortgage, but it's pointless having a room goto waste, when it could be paying for a new TV.