Making friends
Every lodger / landlord relationship is different, as all people are different. However on the whole, it is best not to be too friendly with your lodger.
Although you may personally like your lodger, the main reason they are in your house is to earn you some money. In the majority of cases therefore (not always but mostly) it is best to keep a bit of reserve, at least for a few months, until you know then better.
Remember that at some stage you may have to take a stand about something – putting up the rent for example or asking them not to do something, or even asking them to leave. If you have been too friendly it may make it difficult for you to do these things.
Even after you have known them for a while, always keep in mind that they are your lodger and you are their landlord, and do not do anything which may make this business relationship more difficult. The best attitude is to be friendly but reserved and to keep your personal life separate.
Privacy issues and entering the lodger’s room
When someone is renting a room from you, they will expect some privacy. However, it is your house, and you need to be sure, for example, that there are no repairs which need to be done, and that your room is being used appropriately. Also, as discussed on day 1, it is important that you retain the right to go into the room from time to time, to prevent the possibility of a tenancy arising.
The best way to do this is by providing some sort of service. If you provide cleaning, going into the room will never be a problem. However, if your lodger does his own cleaning, it is a good idea to provide another service which will allow you to go in from time to time, such as providing clean sheets and towels. You can either actually make their bed, or you can just leave the clean sheets on the bed and have an arrangement where they leave the dirty sheets somewhere, for example in your laundry basket.
Ideally, you should enter the room once a week, or at least once a fortnight. Although you must not pry among your lodger’s personal possessions or indeed touch anything belonging to them, you should check visually that the room is in good condition (for example that the electrical sockets are not being overloaded), and that generally the room is being used in a responsible and proper manner.
You will probably go in from time to time when they are not there, particularly if you are doing the cleaning. You should be quite open about this, and provided you are not prying or being too intrusive, your lodger should accept this. If though, your lodger asks you not to go into the room at all, you should make it clear that this is your home and you will need to check its condition from time to time.
If they insist on complete privacy, particularly if they put a lock on the door and refuse to let you have a key, you should ask them to leave.
Putting up the rent
After your lodger has been with you for a while, you will probably want to put up the rent, for example, because your own bills have gone up.
Having someone else living in the house will inevitably result in some increase in your utility bills – as (assuming your lodger’s room was unoccupied before) there will be extra heating and electricity being used. Hopefully, you should have taken this into account when setting your rent (discussed on day 13).
However, if your utility bills have gone up dramatically, for example, if your lodger has the heat on full all day, then if your rent is an inclusive one, you will need to consider increasing the rent fairly soon. There is not much point in having a lodger if he is costing you money. If your lodger is unhappy about the rent increase, show him the bills before and after he moved in to prove your point.
With a long term lodger, it should be understood that you will increase the rent periodically in line with the cost of living, and most people will accept this.
However, if your lodger refuses to pay the higher rent, then (assuming the increase is a reasonable one) you should consider asking him to leave so you can find someone else. Either someone who is prepared to pay a proper rent, or someone who won’t run up your bills so much.
As regards the procedure for putting up the rent, have a look at your lodger agreement first to see if this says anything about it. If it is silent, then talk to your lodger and agree a new rent with them. Then confirm this in writing, making sure you keep a copy of your letter.
If you do not want to discuss it with your lodger or if he is unwilling to talk about it, just give him a letter, with a copy, explaining about the rent increase, and ask him to sign and date one copy and return it to you, to confirm his agreement.
Alternatively, you can ask your lodger to sign a new lodger agreement, giving the new rent, for a new fixed period.
I recently bought a 2 bedroom flat, i specifically wanted 2 bedrooms as i didn’t fancy the idea of living by myself plus if i rented a room out this would more or less pay my mortgage off. But none of the lodgers i’ve had have worked out they have all been really awkward to live with to varying degrees.
The latest one who seemed really nice when i showed her round has turned into a complete nightmare. On the first day she moved in i gave her a key and i left her to it while i went to work, when i returned the whole flat stunk of weed and when i checked the phone bill on line for that week she had completely rinsed my phone. I did go ballistic at that point, so she never touched the phone again i also said i wasn’t happy about her smoking weed in the flat but that hasn’t changed. On top of that she said before she moved in that she would be on housing benefit INITIALLY which I thought would be okay as long as it wasn’t permanent but she doesn’t even seem to be looking for a job and just lies in bed all day, smoking weed with the central heating on. Everytime i speak to her about it she gives me this annoying teenage response and just shrugs it off and she’s 23! After 6 six weeks of waiting for the housing benefit the council now tell me they are not willing to give me the rent only 244 a month rather than 350, at the point i’d had enough and told that she’d have to leave but i would at least give her one month’s notice but she doesn’t even seem to be looking for another place to live, if it gets to one month and her stuff is still in the room i’m going to pile it up and chuck it out.
What advice can you give me and where do I stand legally?
Hi Joe. You sound like you have been really unlucky. Have a look at Day 19 which talks about the notice you need to give and then if she still won’t go, see Day 20 about eviciton.
If you decide to take in another lodger to replace her, have a look at some of the earlier tips here on finding a lodger – they may help!
Ive also just bought a 2 bed 2 bath flat so that I can take on a lodger. However she is becoming a pain, initially she sais she worked full tinme shifts which fits in with my life, however, she never seems to go to work, the first months rent was a week late, she parks disrespectfully, her cat has fleas and ive been bitten, her bedroom stinks, not just an odour it really makes you physically gag and you can now smell it in the whole flat, the bedroom is piled with boxes and is unsightly. Where do i stand with asking her to leave bearing in mind her contract is until 1st Dec and it says i should give 28 days notice? Its a license to occupy not a tenancy.
Have a look at the other pages on this blog which discuss eviction issues. If you need more help you can always use our paid for advice service: http://lodgerlandlord.co.uk.gridhosted.co.uk/advice/
Tessa, Ive been a lodger with two tennants for nearly 3 years now. At first everything was fine but in january they said the bills had increased by £40 pcm. When i first moved in my understanding was that all bills were to be split equally, apart from food which was seperate. Now they’ve announced another increase of £10. I’ve since found out that the bills are no longer divide equally and that I have to pay more. I refused last months rent, but would have paid if they showed me the bills were divide equally. Now they’ve given me two days notice to move out. My intention was to leave at the end of next month anyway, ironically because of them being the untidy one’s rather than me the lodger, should I refuse until then? And will I have to pay them the rent i owe?
P.S.
To date I have never signed a lodger agreement.
Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.
A lodger situation is contractual and your rights depend on what your agreement is with the landlord. The problem about not having a written agreement is that this is difficult to prove.
Hi Tessa,
My lodger has made a duplicate set of keys for the flat which we share without telling me. I believe she may have done this for her friend who stays with her on occasion/or if she loses her originals.
Please could you advise on the best way of confronting her with this, as not only is this a potential security issue, this I feel could affect the relationship with my landlord and tenancy. Thanks
Hi
Just of curiousity, does a bolt inside the lodger’s room door count as a lock?
@Jason It is more than a bit rude to make a set of keys and give them to someone else without your consent.
I don’t know the people concerned so it is difficult to advise particularly as I have not seen your lodger agreement.
However one course of action would be to say that you are minded to give her notice to leave unless she can explain to your satisfaction what she has done with the extra keys, and satisfy you that you are not at risk of strangers entering your house while you are out.
@doug I don’t think there is a legal definition, but a bold is a bit different from a lock with key, as it only stops you going in when the lodger is there, and does not stop you entering when he is out.