I am a lodger in a terraced house. I have just found bed bugs in my room. I have been in the house as a lodger for about 5 months. I have caught 2 and there is no doubt as to what they are. I think my landlady may try to avoid paying for pest control to deal with the problem as she suggested that as they were in my room I had brought them in! I am covered in bites as is my boyfriend! Could you tell me what you would advise and what my rights are in this situation please?

I would be very grateful for any help! Thank you!

You do need to be careful renting to a friend however, if only because it may be very awkward if things go wrong. Sometimes it works fine, but I have known cases where good friendships have ended. I suppose it all depends on the personalities of the people involved, which is not a legal point that I can help with!

My house is in generally good repair, but the garden and conservatory is not…leaking conservatory, untidy garden, rotting shed floor, garage door has hole and rotting wood at bottom. My new lodger is a friend, who I will probably charge a bit less rent if he helps me out with all this, and will put in the contract that using these areas and doing the work is at his own risk. Is this allowed? And any tips on being a lodger landlady to a friend?

Thanks, Kath

You do have a responsibility to do what you can to keep the property in repair. If your lodger injures himself (or indeed if any one else has an accident) due to the poor condition of your house, you could be liable to pay compensation. Any insurance cover you have may be affected if you do not keep the place in proper repair.

You may be able to get some guidance from the Equality and Human Rights Commission. Or there may be a charity which could help arrange for your lodger to move out for a short period while you get the repair work done.