Informal Lease Contract?

MeTV

Would anyone here have a template for an informal lease agreement? I don't know the proper, legal term for it so allow me to clarify by way of explanation of my situation:

I'm moving into a friend's house in a few weeks (they own the house and will be living there as well) and I will be paying them €X a month, probably by cheque (if that's relevant). Now, that €X a month will be X less than I'm currently saving and, if & when the time ever comes that I want to apply for a mortgage, I'll need to be able to demonstrate that that €X was going towards rent and I wasn't just drinking it! As it's just an informal arrangement between friends, there's no legal contracts involved but, on talking to another friend who was in the mortgage game, he mentioned that an informal agreement signed by both of us would cover me.

Is he correct or is there something more I need to do? If he is then does anyone have a template (e.g., just fill in their name, my name, the address & the amount) I could use that would cover me come mortgage time?

djimi

I would have thought that you would need to have something like a rent book if you want to prove you have been paying rent? A lease will only prove that you lived in the place; its not a record of how much you have been paying and how often.

Could you not just pay him using bank transfer/direct debit or something and put the reference down as rent? That would leave a trail of your rental payments.

MeTV

Thanks for replying, Djimi.

Obviously, yes, we'll need some record of money actually changing hands. One thing I omitted from my original post is that my mortgage friend mentioned that a lender would want a look at our bank statements as proof that the €X coming out of my account every month was going in to theirs and, so, I should use some sort of traceable payment such as cheque, bank transfer or direct debit. DD isn't an option and I'm looking at the possibility of a bank transfer but it looks like, for the first few months at least, I'll be paying by cheque.

Aye Bosun

You are basically entering into the rent a room scheme. Where by the owner of a house can rent a room(s) and take in up €10,000 per annum without paying tax on it. Read the following link http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/housing/owning_a_home/home_owners/rent_a_room_scheme.html
With this arrangement there is no need for a lease/tenency agreement as you are a lodger and do not have the same rights as a tenant, you are a lisencee and there at the owners invitation. But it is advised that you have some kind of written agreement so that both parties are 'singing off the same hymn sheet'
I have have one with my lodger and if you'd like a copy, PM me your email address and I will send it on.

As for the record of rent payments, just set up a Standing Order. It takes all of 2 minutes and is an electronic paper trail of the transaction. Alternatively ask the owner of the house to issue you with a receipt every month. But IMHO a SO is much better.