Hi anyone let a room here?

Do you have a formal contract? I’m looking to let a room. Weekly rent payment and was wondering if it was worth doing a formal contract?

Did you do a credit check with your tenant?

When people provide references, in what form are they? A phoen number to ring?

Any other things I should look out for. Been reading the .gov website but would like to know a bit more bout the practicalities.

I rent a room and it’s a very informal arrangement. I paid a couple of weeks rent up front, and hand landlord cash every Friday.

It works for both of us and there was no need for messing about with credit checks or trying to get reference but I guess a wrong’un in my position could exploit it.

There are guides on Spare Room which may be of use to you.

That is how a imagine things in my head. Informal, friendly. I think it has to be when it is someone you live with rather than a distance house you never see the tenant. I’m jsut a little paranoid maybe!

have a look at spare room

it will probably impact your house insurance – so check – possibly will not have cover for theft by lodger
if a full time lodger then it may impact your council tax

remember the two way cut – yes it is your house BUT they are paying to live there so make sure if you have any rules/regs etc that they are discussed and understood upfront

get their email and phone no and do a ‘net’ check – google/facebook etc etc etc etc, I’d also take a photocopy of their passport/driving licence etc.

I used to and got a contract from a solicitor for free (he’d just done my conveyancing and threw in the the template for free). IIRC it was a requirement of the mortgage, but this was 17 years ago….

towzer. I was thinking of having an interview / get to know each other thing so we could judge if there was anything obvious about each other that we would hate.

Tell your insurance, tell your mortgage company, put it on your tax return.

put it on your tax return.

£4k a year is tax free under ‘Rent a room’ scheme, so no need to declare it.