Tips for renting a room out - who to choose?

athtrasna

I'll save you the long story but basically I'll need to let out a room in the next few weeks following a breakup. I've done the houseshare thing before, and have rented a room in a landlord occupied house so I remember how things are from the other side..but my big concern is living with a stranger.

Ideally it will be a friend of a friend or something but having had feelers out for a while it's looking more likely that I'll need to advertise. I stuck a test ad up on Daft for two days in December and had plenty of interest, 99% from non-Irish people. I've lived with foreign students in college so that doesn't necessarily bother me, might even be a good thing but I worry that it's harder to be sure that they're who they say they are than it would be with an Irish person.

As a female I'm a little nervous and given the murder in Castleknock last weekend, I'm all the more wary about renting to a stranger. Has anyone got any tips as to how to be safe and pick the right person?

sawdoubters

look for a female

some one in university or a teacher

The_Morrigan

There are no rules for this you really just have to go with your gut.

usersame

My brother is letting out a place in rathmines he was swapped with emails and the same as you it was 80% foreign.

You should let people view the place first so you get to see them. Can't go far wrong with a PhD student, unless you're going to be partying yourself they mightn't like that

I wouldn't worry too much about being murder, ireland is a very safe country, despite the recent news. I'm living in America atm, no shortage of murders over here!

John Mason

oh my brothers gf is moving to Dublin from London and is looking for a house share. the brother is staying in london.

she is lovely, friendly and clean. she has got a job working for an interior design firm in Dublin 2

where is your house?

Grolschevik

I second the PhD student. Depending where you are, maybe give your details to a few graduate students' unions' accommodation offices.

athtrasna

John Mason wrote: »

oh my brothers gf is moving to Dublin from London and is looking for a house share. the brother is staying in london.

she is lovely, friendly and clean. she has got a job working for an interior design firm in Dublin 2

where is your house?

Probably too far out, it's in Blanchardstown, a large 3 bed duplex but only me in it. I work in D2 too and drive in but we're right beside a 38 bus stop which goes to Burlington Road.

makeorbrake

athtrasna wrote: »

I stuck a test ad up on Daft for two days in December and had plenty of interest, 99% from non-Irish people. I've lived with foreign students in college so that doesn't necessarily bother me, might even be a good thing but I worry that it's harder to be sure that they're who they say they are than it would be with an Irish person.

Did the rent-a-room gig from 2006 to 2012. I found the 'foreigners' to be by far the better tenants in terms of respecting the property, cleaning up after themselves, etc.

athtrasna wrote: »

As a female I'm a little nervous and given the murder in Castleknock last weekend, I'm all the more wary about renting to a stranger. Has anyone got any tips as to how to be safe and pick the right person?

I don't blame you. Thinking about that earlier in the week, it made me wonder how difficult it would be to realise exactly what is in front of you when you rent a room out. I always found that it took a little while before I really knew what sort of person had moved in. I wondered would I be equally blind if that particular individual presented himself at the doorstep! By all accounts, he's got psychological problems (no shít :eek:) so I wouldn't let the fact that he is not native skew your thinking in that regard i.e. we have plenty of nut jobs of our own.

dede12

Having had to find a new housemate earlier this year and whose had to find places to live in countries where I knew literally nobody, the best advice I can give you is to 'go with your instincts' - that if something, anything, feels off about the person don't rent it to them, even if its just a feeling and you cant say what exactly it is that makes you uncomfortable, there's a reason your subconscious mind sends up those alarm bells.

On a more practical level however, I would say that you should try to have a friend with you in the apt when showing it, if you have to show it alone & you're uncomfortable suggest meeting them in a nearby public place first (best if its a cafe or someplace where ppl would know or at least recognize you) & going up to it after you've chatted with them & got a chance to check them out a bit. Maybe stick to just other women if you're really worried & the idea about advertising in universities for grad students is a good one as well.

Also be sure to talk to them a bit about their habits, lifestyles, expectations for life in the apt, preferred level of cleanliness/quietness, how bills/rent & shared household expenses are split etc. Be prepared to share your expectations as well. Everything you can foresee possibly causing tension down the road (maybe write down a list of the major things if you think you might forget something). & if they seem put-off that you would want to know something about them then move on, if you can talk freely with them, then you'll be able to get a better idea if you want to live with them. Avoid anyone who seems cagey.This might seem weird or intrusive but it really helps you decide if they are someone you can live with easily. When I first came to Ireland from the States and later showing the apt I was already in, I was surprised at how few questions potential housemates had for me, it seemed to be: "here's the room, the rent is xx/month, are you taking it?" people seem to move into places w/o knowing anything about the ppl there and I think this was the primary cause of most of the housemate tensions I heard about. Back home, its much more like an 'interview' for both sides and I think it goes a long way in making sure the house is mostly stress & drama free.

Finally, if they are going to be paying rent to you & not the landlord, have a written agreement laid out with the important stuff & have both of you sign it, each getting a dated/signed copy.

Faith

From my experience, have a mini interview during the viewings, but in the form of an informal chat. Chat about likes/dislikes, expectations of housemates, cleanliness, etc. Set it all out there. Your gut will tell you a lot right there.

Duckjob

The_Morrigan wrote: »

There are no rules for this you really just have to go with your gut.

Faith wrote:

Your gut will tell you a lot right there.

+1 and I'd add to this -

don't ignore a bad gut feeling just because it's a friend/acquaintance. I know of at least 2 people who had bad experiences renting with somebody they already knew vaguely. One of them said to me that when she first talked to them, there were little niggly things that didn't sit right with her but she ignored her gut because they were "someone she knew".

coolemon

Make sure you print off a list of house rules and limits. You may find that tenants, in various ways, will act in a way that suits themselves rather than you or the property. This can cause conflict. Dont assume people have 'common sense' and are decently aware of informal limits, because many arnt unfortunately. Something I still cannot grasp.

Things like

- opening windows in bathroom to vent steam and prevent moisture damage. Foreign tenants may not be used to bathroom mould from where they are from(hence why so many rental properties have bathroom mould from not opening bathroom windows).

- Open windows while cooking when windows start to get fogged, again to release moisture and prevent mould and moisture damage. Unless an extractor fan helps with this.

- Agree on how often guests may come/stay over. Some tenants can take the piss if this is not made clear.

- Paying rent on time. Like above, some tenants will take the piss. Explicitly state it in the rules that it is unacceptable to not pay at the agreed time.

- Take a deposit. Carpet damage, window and wall damage can all take place within the tenants room, and unless you take a deposit you will have less comback when they decide to leave and the damage is revealed.

- make it clear that sharing of household items does not take place unless stated otherwise. Shampoo, toilet roles, milk, eggs, toothpaste etc might be used by a tenant and you might find they never buy these things.

makeorbrake

dede12 wrote: »

Finally, if they are going to be paying rent to you & not the landlord, have a written agreement laid out with the important stuff & have both of you sign it, each getting a dated/signed copy.

I'm not so sure about the signed 'contract' of sorts. It doesn't play out well. Rent a room is a bit of a poisoned chalice in a sense. The main motivation is $$ in doing it....yet you have to live with these people. So its business - yet it's personal...if you see what I mean. You will have to be firm - yet you will have to be friendly...you can't win. You will find countless threads/posts on boards referencing conflict in this situation. From the tenants perspective, many of them resent the fact that the home owner has the most 'control'. The other old chestnut is that they get frustrated with the owner occupier being overly protective about the property and cleaning/maintenance of same. From the landlords perspective, most of the issues surround a lack of respect for the property, inability to clean up after themselves, etc. Prepare for some of them to hate you and some of them potentially to end up as life-long friends!
The 'contract' is not necessary as lodgers reside in your home under 'licence'. i.e. normal tenancy rules do not apply. If you have an issue, in some circumstances, you can kick them out immediately. In normal circumstances, you are required to give the same notice as per the manner in which they pay you. i.e. if they pay you weekly, a weeks notice....if they pay you monthly, a months notice.

I would fall short of the contract thing - simply because in some senses it comes across 'wrong' (given that you will be living with those very same people). What I would suggest is that you follow the suggestions that others have made - i.e. things that you feel are important (whether that be cleaning, noise, whatever else) you set down very clearly to them - in a conversation with them - BEFORE they commit to taking the room. That's for both your and their benefit.
Things that you would otherwise consider to be simple may not be so simple. Someone has referred to ventilation. I have a room in my house that - by its geography - is the coldest room in the house. I've had roomies in there without issue. I've then had roomies in there where this massive fungal 'bloom' developed in the corner of the room. The difference was the occupant and occupant behaviour. Some opened the window to ventilate. Some didn't. Of those that didnt, some told me about the problem - in which case, I got in there with bleach - before real damage was done. In the case of one guy, he summoned me into his room to check something out on his laptop one day - and there was this massive clump of mould in the corner. I asked him about it - and he thought nothing of it! Over and above the damage that can do in getting in to the wall, the guy wasn't in the slightest concerned about his own health! Anyways, I have digressed a bit but that stands as an example.

In other news, since the 1st Jan 2014, you are now liable to pay prsi on any earnings via the rent a room scheme that exceed....i can't remember exactly...I think its approx. €1200:-(

sassyj

makeorbrake wrote: »

I'm not so sure about the signed 'contract' of sorts. It doesn't play out well. Rent a room is a bit of a poisoned chalice in a sense. The main motivation is $$ in doing it....yet you have to live with these people. So its business - yet it's personal...if you see what I mean. You will have to be firm - yet you will have to be friendly...you can't win. You will find countless threads/posts on boards referencing conflict in this situation. From the tenants perspective, many of them resent the fact that the home owner has the most 'control'. The other old chestnut is that they get frustrated with the owner occupier being overly protective about the property and cleaning/maintenance of same. From the landlords perspective, most of the issues surround a lack of respect for the property, inability to clean up after themselves, etc. Prepare for some of them to hate you and some of them potentially to end up as life-long friends!
The 'contract' is not necessary as lodgers reside in your home under 'licence'. i.e. normal tenancy rules do not apply. If you have an issue, in some circumstances, you can kick them out immediately. In normal circumstances, you are required to give the same notice as per the manner in which they pay you. i.e. if they pay you weekly, a weeks notice....if they pay you monthly, a months notice.

I would fall short of the contract thing - simply because in some senses it comes across 'wrong' (given that you will be living with those very same people). What I would suggest is that you follow the suggestions that others have made - i.e. things that you feel are important (whether that be cleaning, noise, whatever else) you set down very clearly to them - in a conversation with them - BEFORE they commit to taking the room. That's for both your and their benefit.
Things that you would otherwise consider to be simple may not be so simple. Someone has referred to ventilation. I have a room in my house that - by its geography - is the coldest room in the house. I've had roomies in there without issue. I've then had roomies in there where this massive fungal 'bloom' developed in the corner of the room. The difference was the occupant and occupant behaviour. Some opened the window to ventilate. Some didn't. Of those that didnt, some told me about the problem - in which case, I got in there with bleach - before real damage was done. In the case of one guy, he summoned me into his room to check something out on his laptop one day - and there was this massive clump of mould in the corner. I asked him about it - and he thought nothing of it! Over and above the damage that can do in getting in to the wall, the guy wasn't in the slightest concerned about his own health! Anyways, I have digressed a bit but that stands as an example.

In other news, since the 1st Jan 2014, you are now liable to pay prsi on any earnings via the rent a room scheme that exceed....i can't remember exactly...I think its approx. €1200:-(

Do you have a link to this?

makeorbrake

sassyj wrote: »

Do you have a link to this?

LINK

sassyj

makeorbrake wrote: »

LINK

All very vague, the link in that thread links to an article about PRSI on savings accounts, and it doesn;t seem to mention the rent a room scheme.
No mention of it here

http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/housing/owning_a_home/home_owners/rent_a_room_scheme.html

or here

http://www.revenue.ie/en/tax/it/leaflets/it70.html#section11

colossus-x

athtrasna wrote: »

I'll save you the long story but basically I'll need to let out a room in the next few weeks following a breakup. I've done the houseshare thing before, and have rented a room in a landlord occupied house so I remember how things are from the other side..but my big concern is living with a stranger.

Ideally it will be a friend of a friend or something but having had feelers out for a while it's looking more likely that I'll need to advertise. I stuck a test ad up on Daft for two days in December and had plenty of interest, 99% from non-Irish people. I've lived with foreign students in college so that doesn't necessarily bother me, might even be a good thing but I worry that it's harder to be sure that they're who they say they are than it would be with an Irish person.

As a female I'm a little nervous and given the murder in Castleknock last weekend, I'm all the more wary about renting to a stranger. Has anyone got any tips as to how to be safe and pick the right person?

Just my 2 cents but when I house shared as a mature student at UCD I did all the hiring ( and firing ) in a 4 bed house and In the case of letting to strangers I found that letting to educated foreigners was far the better option. I found the Irish were too familiar, nosey , not to mention fairly careless about cleanliness. In other words the foreigners were much better behaved : )

makeorbrake

sassyj wrote: »

All very vague

True for you - it is. I'd suggest its worthy of getting a full clarification. I'm not doing the rent a room gig these days so not as keenly interested. Notwithstanding that, I was a bit surprised in one sense to see that posted on AAM - and in another, well, I guess we should be conditioned to expect anything these days!