Need advise for first time house share

ProudDUB

Just put up an ad on Daft, looking for a housemate. It will be my first time to have a house mate ever. It was my first time putting an ad up on Daft. So am very, very nervous about the whole thing.

I already have 3 viewings arranged for later in this week....with the prospect of more to come.

I am a single, professional female and the ad says I am looking for the same, no couples, smokers or pets. The ad mentions the monthly rent only, it does not mention utiliites.

Would love some advise on what to ask/tell people during the viewings.


So on my check list is....

- Rent is due on the 1st of the month and 1st month deposit at move in.
- Only my name is on the lease. House mate only has to give one month notice to move out, in order to get deposit back.
- What is important to you in a housemate?
- Where do you work, how long have you worked there, what are your hours & can you provide employer references?
- What is your rental history, why are you moving & can you provide former landlord references?
- Are you single? Do you have a partner who would expect to be able to stay over? (If the answer is Yes, I plan on saying max 2 nights per week. Sound fair?)
- Do you plan on having friends over? If Yes, max 2 evenings a week and they have to be gone by 10pm. (I have to be up at 5.30am for work.)
- What do you like to do in the evenings and on days off?
- What are your hobbies/interests? Confirm you are a non smoker.
- What house rules are important to you?
- Utility bills wil be split 50/50. They are all already in my name. I will keep on paying them and you will reimburse me after the bill is paid.
- We both pitch in a tenner or so per month, for a household kitty to pay for milk, toilet rolls, laundry detergent etc etc
- How do you feel house work should be divided?
- How do you feel about house rules for the Immersion/heat being left on?


Is there any other important stuff I have left out?

Thanks a mill.

bytheglass

Confirm their working hours and what time they get up and go to bed.
I had a housemate who used to wake me in the morning blending her breakfast smoothie - ugh!

eeguy

Sounds reasonable. At the end of the day it's your house that you're sharing with a stranger. So long as there's give and take on both sides.

Best of luck!

ProudDUB

bytheglass wrote: »

Confirm their working hours and what time they get up and go to bed.
I had a housemate who used to wake me in the morning blending her breakfast smoothie - ugh!

Thanks. Great tip. The house does not have a hall. As the front door and the sitting room (with the telly) are right beside the stairs, sound will travel up to the bedrooms very easily. The downstairs rooms all have wood floor too. So I'm gonna be honest about the need for house rules regarding noise in the mornings and evenings. All within reason obviously, but as I'm so new to all this, I'm worred that what may seem normal or prefectly acceptable to me, may seem over the top, or overly controlling to someone else.

Browney7

I'm not sure what real right you have for formal references - it's a house share not a tenancy and if you don't gel you can just ask someone to leave. At the same time people will still realistically provide them in this market.

Might be worth having someone from the country if they'd be gone every few weekends.

Lady is a tramp

ProudDUB wrote: »

Just put up an ad on Daft, looking for a housemate. It will be my first time to have a house mate ever. It was my first time putting an ad up on Daft. So am very, very nervous about the whole thing.

I already have 3 viewings arranged for later in this week....with the prospect of more to come.

I am a single, professional female and the ad says I am looking for the same, no couples, smokers or pets. The ad mentions the monthly rent only, it does not mention utiliites.

Would love some advise on what to ask/tell people during the viewings.


So on my check list is....

- Rent is due on the 1st of the month and 1st month deposit at move in.
- Only my name is on the lease. House mate only has to give one month notice to move out, in order to get deposit back.
- What is important to you in a housemate?
- Where do you work, how long have you worked there, what are your hours & can you provide employer references?
- What is your rental history, why are you moving & can you provide former landlord references?
- Are you single? Do you have a partner who would expect to be able to stay over? (If the answer is Yes, I plan on saying max 2 nights per week. Sound fair?)
- Do you plan on having friends over? If Yes, max 2 evenings a week and they have to be gone by 10pm. (I have to be up at 5.30am for work.)
- What do you like to do in the evenings and on days off?
- What are your hobbies/interests? Confirm you are a non smoker.
- What house rules are important to you?
- Utility bills wil be split 50/50. They are all already in my name. I will keep on paying them and you will reimburse me after the bill is paid.
- We both pitch in a tenner or so per month, for a household kitty to pay for milk, toilet rolls, laundry detergent etc etc
- How do you feel house work should be divided?
- How do you feel about house rules for the Immersion/heat being left on?


Is there any other important stuff I have left out?

Thanks a mill.

Be careful of having too many questions/rules/regulations. The list you have above ... the questions themselves aren't unreasonable, but I'd feel bombarded if all of that was put to me at a viewing! (I'm someone - like yourself - a single female professional, and I've been in houseshares for over ten years now.)

When I live in houseshares, it's because it's the most financially viable way to live at that time. My hobbies are of no relevance to anyone I live with, so long as they don't interfere with the living arrangements. I don't do "kitties", we are adults living independently, not scared little students out in the world for our first five minutes. A mention of "house rules" and I'm gone, again you can have a chat with me and respect the fact that we're all adults and capable of living in a normal mutually independent environment, or else don't. I don't come across as a party animal or someone who'd ever encroach on anyone's space, that should be enough without living by "rules", what sort of a home environment is that?

I'm someone who gets up, goes to work, comes home, goes to bed. I barely use the sitting room or kitchen or shared facilities, I never have guests, I'm certainly NOT going to be signing up to any rules or contributing to any "kitties" ... in many ways, I'm an ideal housemate, but I'm never going to enter a houseshare looking for new besties!

So just bear in mind, the amount of fussiness you have in your ad may end up with you having a far more fussy and troublesome housemate than if you just keep it very very simple!

Baby01032012

You say your the only name on lease so your the head tenant and you're subletting.

What does your lease say about sub-letting? Has landlord given permission?

Lead

You dont have a kitty with a housemate. Everyone buys their own stuff. You may take turns in buying toilet roll if it's a shared toilet but that's it. Do the cleaning on a weekly basis. One week your turn and the next hers. No set days for cleaning tho as life gets in the way.

Ask in your Daft ad for them to tell you a bit about themselves when replying to the ad. That way you can pick and choose who you let come and view the room.

Feckofff

Make sure they've shared before.
Some people move out and carry on like thier mother is still doing everything.

Have instructions for everything and leave them near the appliance. If they don't know how to do something at least they can look it up.

I say this from experience.

pilly

I think you're going overboard with the questions OP if I'm honest. If someone asked me that amount of questions I'd be a goner.

I rent a 3 bedroom place myself and often thought of renting out one of the extra rooms but to me my privacy and peace and quiet is more important.

It seems you are very fussy and you have to think is it going to suit you living with someone else at all?

Browney7

pilly wrote: »

I think you're going overboard with the questions OP if I'm honest. If someone asked me that amount of questions I'd be a goner.

I rent a 3 bedroom place myself and often thought of renting out one of the extra rooms but to me my privacy and peace and quiet is more important.

It seems you are very fussy and you have to think is it going to suit you living with someone else at all?

Maybe it's better for any licensee to know what op is like too at the same time. I know I wouldn't want to treading on egg shells constantly and wary of making noise after ten o clock etc. The list laid out does make it sound a very "my house, my rules" atmosphere which wouldn't be for me

pilly

Browney7 wrote: »

Maybe it's better for any licensee to know what op is like too at the same time. I know I wouldn't want to treading on egg shells constantly and wary of making noise after ten o clock etc. The list laid out does make it sound a very "my house, my rules" atmosphere which wouldn't be for me

Absolutely, it's like living with the LL.

Fian

pilly wrote: »

I think you're going overboard with the questions OP if I'm honest. If someone asked me that amount of questions I'd be a goner.

I rent a 3 bedroom place myself and often thought of renting out one of the extra rooms but to me my privacy and peace and quiet is more important.

It seems you are very fussy and you have to think is it going to suit you living with someone else at all?

At the moment all the leverage is with the person subletting. It is not a buyers market.

pilly

Fian wrote: »

At the moment all the leverage is with the person subletting. It is not a buyers market.

I get that, I'm just advising OP that maybe it's not going to be easy for her to live with someone else.

And tbf someone can tell you a pack of lies to get the room anyway. You really will never know until someone is moved in.

It's why I won't take the chance. Could easy be up 400 a month but it's not worth my peace of mind.

messy tessy

ProudDUB wrote: »

All within reason obviously, but as I'm so new to all this, I'm worred that what may seem normal or prefectly acceptable to me, may seem over the top, or overly controlling to someone else.

I have been in 3 house shares in the last 7 years so I have a good bit of experience with this. IMO the sheer amount of questions kinda seems over controlling to me, and would come across as very intense, sorry OP.

It's fair enough if you want to live with someone quiet, that isn't going to have friends / partners over constantly, having parties mid week etc, but you reasonably can't ask a person this entire list or even try to enforce it (like friends have to be gone by 10 on the dot, how would this even work?!), you know they are paying for the space too!
You will learn so much from more of a casual chat than putting them through the above interview. I would mention the half five start definitely, some people might not be too keen on hearing you making noise at a time I would consider still the middle of the night :P


Also I wouldn't ask them to chip in for milk and detergent- buy your own!

Mrs OBumble

Lead wrote: »

You dont have a kitty with a housemate. Everyone buys their own stuff. You may take turns in buying toilet roll if it's a shared toilet but that's it.

Yeah and what about light bulbs, vacuum cleaner bags, cleaning materials etc? In my view its easiest to include it all in the rent. But that can encourage wasters to take the piss. So I'd have a kitty.

ProudDUB

Thanks everyone for the feedback.

Regarding the "rules"...there is no way I am going to use that term, when I am talking to people. It's just something for my own head, to get a sense of what people and their life styles will be like.

I know that I will have to be more accepting of other peoples lives and how they live those lives, under my roof. There is no way I am going to be 100% compatible, with everyone, in every way. I think that just by chatting to people in a normal way, I should be able to get a good gist of them and any potential red flags, for both if us, not just me. I have 4 viewing appts set up for later this week and they are all an hour apart. I reckon 45 minutes with each person, should give me a good idea of what they are like and what is important to them in a housemate. I have also been emailing with them all and they have been telling me stuff about themselves and vice versa. So when we meet face to face on Friday, neither party should feel bombarded with loads of intrusive questions out of the blue.

Btw, what is the dealio with first months rent and deposit? The rent is payable upon move in, I get that. Is it normal to ask for the deposit up front to secure the room? I presume people willl need to give at least 30 notice where they currently live, so its highly likely that the ideal candidate will not be able to move in immediately. (The ad says the room is available July 1st.) But getting the deposit up front means they are unlikely to back out, leaving me in the lurch and having to start over, if they change their minds. Or is that not the done thing?

The kitty thing, I'll just play by ear. It's definitley not something worth falling out over, or missing out on the ideal housemate, by being too fussy about.

Thanks again, for all the feedback. It's very helpful.

ProudDUB

Yep. Landlord is ok with subletting.

Marcusm

ProudDUB wrote: »

Yep. Landlord is ok with subletting.

Does the landlord realise that after 6 months he can be obligated to grant them part 4 rights without ever having met them? You might want to clarify without LL who is responsible for any damage the sub tenant might cause over and above the value of their deposit - will that be your responsibility?

Lady is a tramp

I would always pay deposit asap to secure the room, then pay first months rent on the day I move in. You definitely shouldn't promise the room to anyone until you've received a deposit.

the_syco

Regarding smokers, look at their teeth and fingers for the distinct yellowing of smokers. Try not to have too much smell in the house, so you'd smell the smoke they probably had on their way over.

Marcusm wrote: »

Does the landlord realise that after 6 months he can be obligated to grant them part 4 rights without ever having met them?

The tenant has to ask the LL if the LL will give them tenant status, but after 6 months, I'd say the landlord would grant tenant status unless they have an issue with the licensee.
https://www.rtb.ie/media-research/publications/licensees-in-private-rented-accommodation

During the existence of a Part 4 tenancy any lawful licensee of the tenant/s may request the landlord to be allowed to become a tenant of the tenancy. The landlord may not unreasonably refuse such a request and must give his/her acceptance in writing.

OP; this means that after 6 months you and the tenant will be on equal footing, and you no longer have the power to evict them.

ProudDUB wrote: »

- Are you single? Do you have a partner who would expect to be able to stay over? (If the answer is Yes, I plan on saying max 2 nights per week. Sound fair?)
- Do you plan on having friends over? If Yes, max 2 evenings a week and they have to be gone by 10pm. (I have to be up at 5.30am for work.)
- How do you feel house work should be divided?

If the licensee becomes a tenant after six months, you're no longer their landlord, and they can probably ignore the above rules.

ProudDUB wrote: »

- Do you plan on having friends over? If Yes, max 2 evenings a week and they have to be gone by 10pm. (I have to be up at 5.30am for work.)

Does this include weekends? And how soundproof are your walls? Will they be able to have a shag in peace?

DaraDali

ProudDUB wrote: »

Thanks everyone for the feedback.

Regarding the "rules"...there is no way I am going to use that term, when I am talking to people. It's just something for my own head, to get a sense of what people and their life styles will be like.

I  know that I will have to be more accepting of other peoples lives and how they live those lives, under my roof. There is no way I am going to be 100% compatible, with everyone, in every way. I think that just by chatting to people in a normal way, I should be able to get a good gist of them and any potential red flags, for both if us, not just me.  I have 4 viewing appts set up for later this week and they are all an hour apart. I reckon 45 minutes with each person, should give me a good idea of what they are like and what is important to them in a housemate. I have also been emailing with them all and they have been telling me stuff about themselves and vice versa. So when we meet face to face on Friday, neither party should feel bombarded with loads of intrusive questions out of the blue.

Btw, what is the dealio with first months rent and deposit? The rent is payable upon move in, I get that. Is it normal to ask for the deposit up front to secure the room? I presume people willl need to give at least 30 notice where they currently live, so its highly likely that the ideal candidate will not be able to move in immediately. (The ad says the room is available July 1st.) But getting the deposit up front means they are unlikely to back out, leaving me in the lurch and having to start over, if they change their minds. Or is that not the done thing?

The kitty thing, I'll just play by ear. It's definitley not something worth falling out over, or missing out on the ideal housemate, by being too fussy about.

Thanks again, for all the feedback. It's very helpful.

Bet the OP works in HR or is in Management! This sounds more like a job interview than a chat, I mean is there a dress code that one should wear to this meeting?
The fact that you have to use the word "Rules" in your head, make your seem far too controlling to be in a house share. Houseshare is yes about getting on with each other, but also not controlling the other parties every action.
Anyone else feel like they are reading Sheldon's Roommate Agreement from TBBT.

ProudDUB

DaraDali wrote: »

Bet the OP works in HR or is in Management! This sounds more like a job interview than a chat, I mean is there a dress code that one should wear to this meeting?
The fact that you have to use the word "Rules" in your head, make your seem far too controlling to be in a house share. Houseshare is yes about getting on with each other, but also not controlling the other parties every action.
Anyone else feel like they are reading Sheldon's Roommate Agreement from TBBT.

Thanks a million for your very positive and worthwhile contribution.

Other posters have offered helpful advise, as well as getting the point across that I need to loosen up a bit (I accept that I do) without resorting to bitchiness. You should try it some time.

BabySlam

It is not a sub-let because the OP is remaining in occupation.

If OP is responsible for renting the entire, then it might be rentaroom and OP could take the rent tax-free if under the threshold allowed.

Depends what the OP has agreed with the owner.

maverick2011

I rent room regularly on daft and from now on, i'm going to ask for a deposit of more than 1 month...maybe a month and a half. The reason is I regularly get caught at the end when a tenant chooses to move out. They don't pay the last months rent and tell me that I can use the deposit for this (usually 1 month). However, whatever bills they owe at the end, they rarely pay up and i'm always out of pocket for that and there's usually some minor repairs aswell so if the deposit was 1.5 months, you'd be covered in that event...

ProudDUB

Just popping back to give a quick update.

I did 9 viewings last weekend. I had several offers on the first day, including a willingness to pay the deposit that very day. So I accepted what I though was the best of the bunch and we are all set for a move in date of July 10. We have a lot in common and I think we'll get on well.

I found out a lot about my prospective new housemates (and vice versa) via swapped emails in the days before. They were also fairly chatty on the day itself and often offered up a lot of stuff about themselves, without my even needing to ask. The few times I brought up the "awkward" stuff (such as partners staying over) they didn't seem to mind, to the degree that they retracted their interest in the house. I didn't set down any "house rules", as such. I never planned to. I just mentioned that if one of us did get partnered up, a discussion about the prospect of new partners staying over 7 nights a week, would be had, in the interests of fairness to both of us. No one seemed to mind the topic being brought up.

Anyway, thanks again, for all the great advise.

messy tessy

Good luck! Hope it works out for you!