How should you behave towards your lodger?
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.
Making friends
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 be reserved and keep them at a distance, at least for a few months, until you know them 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 or flat, 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 earlier, 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 (or better still, have a laundry basket for them to use in their room).
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.
Readers Questions
Q: To what extent am I liable if illegal things take place in my house? For example taking drugs drugs or drug dealing, downloading pirate movies, buying goods they know to be stolen/’fallen off the back of a lorry’, illegally accessing software with hacked licence keys, downloading free music illegally, not paying tax on their business dealings etc
A: You are probably most at risk if you permit illegal drug-taking or dealing. Section 8 of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 creates offences relating to the supply, production and possession of drugs in relation to the occupier and people who are “concerned in the management” of a property. So this could include you as your lodger’s landlord.
There is a case, R v. Viscomi from 2019 where a landlord was notified of his tenant’s continuing sale of illicit tobacco and alcohol after raids were carried out on his property, but continued to accept rent. As a result, he was convicted of knowingly facilitating the acquisition of criminal funds by another person, by virtue of knowing that his property was used for illegal activities. So I suppose this could apply in some cases (although in reality, it is unlikely).
If your lodger is using your broadband account to regularly download pirate movies or software he has not paid for, it is possible that you could be held liable, so I would discourage this (maybe put this in your ‘house rules’).
I can’t see how you could possibly be liable for your lodger’s failure to pay tax though.
Important note
This guide ONLY deals with lodger agreements where you are renting a room to a lodger in your own home.
If you require information about tenancies with resident landlords and Welsh occupation contracts, you need the Landlord Law site.
