Things To Consider When Renting Out A Room
82Things To Think About When Sharing Your Home
So if you are here because you are thinking about renting a room out in your home, I have some helpful advice for you on things to consider when sharing your home. I learned alot about being a landlord, room-mate and friend last year when I rented out 2 rooms in my home to friends of my son.
It was an interesting year, to say the least! Since I have been used to having other people in my home for quite sometime, this was no new experience, but renting out rooms to them was. One thing I can say is that during this time I certainly learned alot about the younger generation -their music, likes and dislikes plus a few other things I can't even begin to tell you about!
But to get to the nuts and bolts of this story, there are some things that I would have definitely done differently to avoid any confusion:
First off, I would have drafted a rental agreement with all the standard rental terms like real renters do. With that in mind I will give you some tips on renting out a room or sharing your home (from someone who has been there and done that!)
1) Like I said, make sure you draft up a regular rental agreement, in writing, with all the terms laid out, just like anyone else would. Even if it's your best friend, do it !! You don't want anyone misunderstanding what you expect of them as a renter and what they expect from you as a landlord and room-mate.
2) Have specific rules about storage- do you offer storage or does the renter also need to find a storage facility in addition to renting a room from you?
3) Have rules about the food! I can't stress this enough! If anything, let the renter have a small refrigerator in their room and add a little expense on top for the electric to run the fridge. (believe me this will solve a lot of headaches)
4) Make house rules just like you do in any family- about doing dishes, taking out the trash, so on and so forth. This needs to be spelled out- otherwise YOU may end doing all of the above. ( and if need be, add an additional rental charge and have a maid come in- that solves alot of problems!)
5) Have definite written rules about noise and what's OK and what's not OK. ( I can't begin to tell you how crazy I went listening to my walls being boom- boomed)
6) Have definite written rules about visitors, and overnighters. (It's not fun waking up to find someone in your home on the way to the bathroom at 3am in the morning -and you've never seen them before in your life)
Looking back at last year with my young room-mates, I actually have to say that I learned quite a bit about other people and making compromises. Sometimes I missed my privacy, but I was also often glad for the company, and there were also times that I thought that I had bitten off more than I could chew....
So is renting out a room or sharing your home for everyone? Certainly not- but sometimes it makes sense to do so- maybe you are in a home and you need to save some money, maybe you are lonely and you would like some companionship, maybe you just don't like living by yourself or want to help someone else get back on their feet and also help yourself at the the same time. Renting out a room can solve all of these things, but remember:
Get it on all in writing!!!
Is Renting Out A Room For You?
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Be Careful Who You Rent A Room To
Since I have never rented out a room to someone that I didn't know, I would say be very very careful about whom you allow in your home. Do a background check if necessary, but don't let money problems push you into allowing someone you don't know come to live with you if you don't have a good feeling about it. There are tons and tons of people looking for rooms on Craigslist, and that's a good resource for finding renters, but be CAREFUL! Use wise judgement- this is someone that is going to share your patch of land, your furniture, all of the above. Seek compatible people- and you might be surprised at how much fun you actually end up having!
(And as a little side note here- this gal is finally going to have an empty house here pretty soon- I guess that will be the next thing I write about: The "Empty Nest" Syndrome!!)
Craigslist is a good resource for renters
- craigslist classifieds: jobs, housing, personals, for sale, services, community, events, forums
craigslist provides local classifieds and forums for jobs, housing, for sale, personals, services, local community, and events
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Comments
Thanks Raven. And yes , it can be quite an "enlightening" experience!
Great hub and very helpful! In the past I've considered both renting a room and renting out a room. I'll be much more careful in the future about any such possibilities. Thanks for the list of things to consider before renting!
TetonRose
I just went through a very similar experience. My daughter's friend rented the guest house because we were going to be gone and needed someone to watch the property. It was supposed to be temporary, but when we got back, my daughter convinced me to let him continue renting. What a mistake. And I thought that I knew this young man pretty well. If anyone is thinking about renting, especially a room in your own home, follow the above excellent advice. It will save lots of headaches, especially the part about a written contract. I would also add getting a deposit, no matter how well you think you know the person.
Good point Angela to include a deposit fee- I've heard nightmare stories of damages done to premises- even if we know the person doesn't mean they are going to leave the room/guesthouse clean without damage. I fortunately did not have that problem but have heard of others that have.
Very good tips and thank you for sharing!
I have been thinking about this, but don't know how easy I would be to live with;o) Had not even thought about noise! I love my peace and quiet.
Yes Donna, our own peace and quiet is pretty priceless. Right now I have an empty nest and I have to say that I've written more in the last 2 months than I have in years- and alot of it has to do with that peace and quiet............
thanks for the info. you opened up my eyes.
Hi its very nice and good explanation about things to consider when renting out a room.
Good 'heads up' to anyone considering this prospect. Am off to read next article about Craigslist and renting=a=room!
Glad to be of help to those considering renting out a room in their home! In these tough economic times we need to brainstorm creative ways to save money!
I live in a rented house and when the owner told us about his reservation on the visitors, that time I really got frustrated as I always have friends coming up my place. I just can't be without friends. But then keeping myself at his position made me realise his concerns and I respect that. Hence this article comes as a good help for all who are planning to rent house or rooms.
I am renting out a room in my house. I have my grandchildren 2 x a week. I feel guilty because the person renting a room does not like children. Also I added a piece of furniture to the room and he did not like it. He is only there 4 months out of the year. Tell me my options.
Come on man, it is your house and you should be the one who will decide the rules of the house. Just because your tenant do not like children, you will not see them? It does not make sense to me. Sorry for being rude but for me my family stands first. How can someone especially your tenant decide whether or not you should see your family members. It is he/she who should follow your instructions and not the other way round. Had I been at your place then i would have not rented my place to such a person.
But if you think you just cannot let this tenant go away for whatever the reason be, I would suggest you to talk to him directly and solve the issue.
Barbara, I'll give you my 2 cents worth on this- for what it's worth. In my book, my grandchild absolutely comes first, and when I rent rooms to people they know my values, the way I live and if they don't agree then it's not a good match as far as I'm concerned. This is my house and if you don't want to be part of how I live my life then it's not going to work. There is of course some give and take but when it comes to my family ( including my animals) you must be willing to "put up" with that part of my life. I currently rent a room to my sis-in-law and a friend from church, and we all get along for the most part because they know these things, and I also understand them. If I were you I'd think about a different "room-mate".
I agree with both the above - lose the lodger!
I once rented a bedsit in from a woman in Glasgow who never washed her dishes (no dishwasher, of course) and kept all her empty loo roll tubes in a cupboard in the bathroom. Fortunately, I only stayed there a few months, but it was quite uncomfortable, since it was impossible to cook in the kitchen and there was nowhere to put my toothbrush and shampoo.
what on earth did she do with them all? Was she a Blue Peter freak?
I was hesitant to ask. The girl across the hall from me offered to wash the dishes for a consideration on the rent, but was rather angrily rebuffed. It was a beautiful old flat, too, "up a close" as they say, with lovely wide stone steps and stained glass in some of the windows.
Hi Dorsi,
Interesting hub, I actually rent rooms in several properties I own and the one thing I think you should mention is you may not fit under any local Landlord and Tenant laws. This differs from region to region and in the area we are in, if the homeowner resides in the property the tenants fall under what is termed the Innkeepers Act.
The big difference with this is under the Innkeepers Act you can have tenants leave immediately if there are any problems. It's very important to confirm whether the local Landlord and Tenant laws apply to anyone if they rent rooms or if they fit under special acts like in our area!
I'll watch for your empty nest hub later! Also, this is how we advertise our rooms, http://www.housez.ca/weekly_monthly.html
Regards,
Bill
Great idea about an agreement. Plus maybe background check.
I personally have had terrible luck with room renters not paying bills and getting stiffed for a large phone bill (advise: DO NOT SHARE PHONE).
Unfortunately, part of surviving the "economic" crisis meant me having to rent a room after leaving my beloved apartment.
I always said I would never go back to roommates and lo and behold here I am, falling off the wagon.
But I lucked out this time around. My roommate is an older gentleman who doesn't have a criminal record and doesn't feel the need to hover over me.
The agreement thing is definitely a plus and I always provide references when I check out a place.
Update on room rentals 2/10/2010: I have 2 room mates, 1 has been here awhile and we have a great friendship. The other is a former room mate who felt good being able to come back to somewhere familiar. Another good tip for finding good room mates is to put the word out at your church, if you attend one. There are alot of people looking for rooms to rent.
Great advice! But I am having trouble finding out what my rights are as a homeowner who is renting out a room. He is older and has completely destroyed his room. Within 2 months, the new carpet was ruined and he has destroyed the new bed that i bought before he moved in. I need to clean his room because its a health/fire hazard now. But I don't know how to go about it. My mistake was not writing up a rental agreement. I knew him from the dog park and he was looking for a room. He is also a retired actor. Was in some huge movies back in the early 60's so I thought he would be tidy and clean. What a big mistake. Now I am (quietly) freaking out about the mess. I told him there is no smoking in the home, but now I find out that he is smoking in his room. He has taken over the breakfast nook table with MY plates that he wants to use for himself. HELP!!!! Write me at metalgddess@aol.com Thank you for any advice-legal and otherwise!!! :)
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Raven King says:
2 years ago
Good hub. My neighbors rented to their relatives and I think it was quite an experience for them.