Common areas when Renting a Room

Pauley2

I'm thinking of renting two bedrooms in my (small) house.

What other areas of a house should normally be available to room renters? e.g. obviously the bathroom but what sort of access is expected to my kitchen, living room, TV. etc?

While I hardly expect tenants to come home and lock themselves in their room every night (or do they?), neither could I bear to have to share the TV remote, or worse yet sit together and make small talk all evening...!

Chinafoot

Pauley2 wrote: »

I'm thinking of renting two bedrooms in my (small) house.

What other areas of a house should normally be available to room renters? e.g. obviously the bathroom but what sort of access is expected to my kitchen, living room, TV. etc?

While I hardly expect tenants to come home and lock themselves in their room every night (or do they?), neither could I bear to have to share the TV remote, or worse yet sit together and make small talk all evening...!

I'd imagine that most people would want full access, unless you can offer an alternative kitchen and living area on the premises. If someone rents a room in your house chances are they will want to think of it as their home. I know I would.

While most people won't expect to be best mates when they move in, you can't expect to not have some sort of interaction with the people who live with you.

Tbh, if you're not prepared to share your living space you probably shouldn't be renting out your rooms.

A Primal Nut

Pauley2 wrote: »

I'm thinking of renting two bedrooms in my (small) house.

What other areas of a house should normally be available to room renters? e.g. obviously the bathroom but what sort of access is expected to my kitchen, living room, TV. etc?

While I hardly expect tenants to come home and lock themselves in their room every night (or do they?), neither could I bear to have to share the TV remote, or worse yet sit together and make small talk all evening...!

You certainly will have to share the remote control -they want to be able to cook when they want, watch tv, and if you don't make small talk they will probably consider you odd. Basically, you are housemates!!Unless you get a housemate just like you who doesn't want to make small talk or live with you!

Because you own the house he will probably give you preference over things like the remote control, depends on his manners really?

Did you really think you might ban him from the kitchen?

If you don't see it as an opportunity to meet some people and have a bit craic, rather than just make money, then it might be more trouble than its worth. When you are showing them around you can usually tell upon meeting someone whether you might get on with them or not.

matrim

Chinafoot wrote: »

Tbh, if you're not prepared to share your living space you probably shouldn't be renting out your rooms.

+1, very very few people are going to rent a room where they can't go in after a hard day of work and relax and watch TV / cook dinner etc

jacool

matrim wrote: »

+1, very very few people are going to rent a room where they can't go in after a hard day of work and relax and watch TV / cook dinner etc

+2 I think those things you are describing aren't tenants, they are children from the 1950's.
Next thing they won't be allowed have anyone round to visit/stay over/shag !!
I know a landlady like this in Galway who goes into the sitting room and shuts the door, and the two (quiet) girls never join her. she loves getting their cash but IMO she's a bee-atch.

mikemac

You're obviously not ready to rent rooms for your sake and for the potential tenants sake don't go ahead. It's going to end badly.
It's your house but it's the tenants home while they are there. And few tenant would put up with what you're proposing

And I suppose you'd be asking the tenants to pay for the TV Licence and the maybe UPC for a TV they can't even watch................

Curlypinkie

Pauley2 wrote: »

.....to my kitchen, living room, TV. etc?

While I hardly expect tenants to come home and lock themselves in their room every night (or do they?), neither could I bear to have to share the TV remote, or worse yet sit together and make small talk all evening...!

Eh, it will not be only YOUR kitchen and living room if they'll be paying rent.

TBH I would not like to live with you, I don't think anyone would unless you change your attitude.

bugler

It's all been said above - the sort of 'tenant' you're looking for doesn't exist. Unless there are a few crackpots who'd go for this at a very cheap rate. People need to cook food, wash their clothes and even watch TV or relax in some other way.

What you're seeking wouldn't work for anyone - would you really not want to become acquainted with people living in your house? You need to approach letting the rooms as a positive opportunity from a social point of view. But you obviously do not, so I'd echo the others' thoughts and wouldn't go ahead with this.

BC

As others have said the tenants would expect full use of all common areas. It is essentially their home as much as it yours.

IanCurtis

Is this a joke?

You expect people to pay your mortgage but not let them in your living room?

What century is this? I hope your mortgage cripples you because this amateurish landlord rubbish is really beginning to annoy me.

Thank God for the recession to put an end to this pathetic nonsense.

Pauley2

Thanks all, You've educated me: So basically if someone responds to an ad to "rent a room" they're really expecting the same access as if they were sharing a whole house rental...

Hmmm... Getting acquainted would be OK, Sharing a bathroom - I can live with, Kitchen - no prob, (can't cook anyway...), dining room no prob, but I draw the line at the TV (visions of East Enders & Coronation St. followed by Ballet Chancers and the X factor. Nooooooh!)

IanCurtis, You'll no doubt be glad to hear that there is no mortgage, so little hope of me being "crippled" by it. I suggest you calm down and have a few more beers there in your "liquor parlour" (or maybe you've had a few too many already?)

IanCurtis

Pauley2 wrote: »

Thanks all, You've educated me: So basically if someone responds to an ad to "rent a room" they're really expecting the same access as if they were sharing a whole house rental...

Hmmm... Getting acquainted would be OK, Sharing a bathroom - I can live with, Kitchen - no prob, (can't cook anyway...), dining room no prob, but I draw the line at the TV (visions of East Enders & Coronation St. followed by Ballet Chancers and the X factor. Nooooooh!)

IanCurtis, You'll no doubt be glad to hear that there is no mortgage, so little hope of me being "crippled" by it. I suggest you calm down and have a few more beers there in your "liquor parlour" (or maybe you've had a few too many already?)

Oh so it is a joke then. Thank God for that.

Fletch123

Pauley 2- if you don't want to share the tv then you should get tv's and cable connection for the bedrooms you're renting out. Some people like to have a livingroom to socialise with other housemates in and others like to keep themselves to themselves so if you advertised the rooms with own tv's you might attract the latter.

Or you could get a tv for your own room

Duckjob

Pauley2 wrote: »

Thanks all, You've educated me: So basically if someone responds to an ad to "rent a room" they're really expecting the same access as if they were sharing a whole house rental...

Hmmm... Getting acquainted would be OK, Sharing a bathroom - I can live with, Kitchen - no prob, (can't cook anyway...), dining room no prob, but I draw the line at the TV (visions of East Enders & Coronation St. followed by Ballet Chancers and the X factor. Nooooooh!)

IanCurtis, You'll no doubt be glad to hear that there is no mortgage, so little hope of me being "crippled" by it. I suggest you calm down and have a few more beers there in your "liquor parlour" (or maybe you've had a few too many already?)

I can see the ad now:

"Room share in private house. Use of bathroom, kitchen and dining room. Sitting room and TV out of bounds"

Seriously, I hope if you advertise you do specify the particular arrangements you want, so that you don't waste anybody's time.

I suspect though that any person wanting a "normal" room share arrangement like the other ,000s of room shares on Daft will stay well away.

JuliusCaesar

Fletch123 wrote: »

Or you could get a tv for your own room

+1

cooperguy

im about to start looking for a room. I really hope i dont end up renting in a similar house to yours!!

Chinafoot

Pauley2 wrote: »

Thanks all, You've educated me: So basically if someone responds to an ad to "rent a room" they're really expecting the same access as if they were sharing a whole house rental...

Whats the difference though? People say "rent a room" but they are of course sharing the whole house rental. You would expect them to contribute towards bills I'm sure.

Victor

Pauley2 wrote: »

So basically if someone responds to an ad to "rent a room" they're really expecting the same access as if they were sharing a whole house rental...

Well, its implied that if you are renting out the room that other facilities are available. Will they be allowed use the front hall to come and go or is that extra? Legally you would have to allow them access to bathroom and kitchen facilities. However, its a bit like a car - would you sell a car with no spare wheel and no key (the spare wheel is mandatory, the key is implied)?

You mention that there is a dining room - can you put a TV in that and keep the living room to yourself?

Emerald Lass

you say you have a 'dining room'. if its big enough, what about putting in a smaller table and chairs (or if the kitchen can accommodate put an eating area in the kitche, like a breakfast bar) and then put a couch and a TV in the dining room. That way you can have the lounge to yourself, and the renters can watch what they want in the dining room. It would cost a few quid but you said yourself your mortgage is small, so buy a sofa in Argos for €500 get another tv and off you go.

having said that if the thoughts of interacting with others was so unappealing to me then I wouldn't share - and if you do split the house off to a 'them' the renters and 'me' the owner situation where you don't interact then even if you could get renters who would like this set up personally I think it would make for a very strange and unfriendly astmosphere. Why live with people and act like strangers to each other? just live alone!

On that point of you having a small mortgage, if it is small, and you are not keen on sharing your space with others, then why are you even bothering to rent out rooms? has the greedy money monster got such a hold of you that you would give up your privacy which clearly means a lot to you just for a few quid?

IanCurtis

This guy is a complete joker. Reminds me of a woman on that RTE show "Show me the money". Flat broke, couldn't afford her bills and then had to rent a room..."I would prefer if they went home at the weekend"

Your man was laughing at her. These tossers can't pay their moronic mortgages but want people renting to cover them, without giving them anything in return.

The OP has a ridiculous mortgage, he wouldn't even consider this otherwise considering his pathetic ill-informed attitude to renting out a room.

Pauley2

If I had been looking to rent and responded to an ad to "Rent a room" Vs "share a house" I'd have expected less in terms of access to the rest of the house, entertainment systems etc. However, as this thread bears out, that doesn't seem to be the case...

Having never rented here, never been a landlord and finding myself short of cash but with the potential to let out a room or two in my house under the "rent a room" scheme, my intention in posting was to get a measure of just how much privacy I'd have to give up if I were to do so.

According to your responses - basically all of it.

So, Thanks for the info (I'll ignore the smart comments), and as I said before, it's been an education...

mikemac

Pauley2 wrote: »

If I had been looking to rent and responded to an ad to "Rent a room" Vs "share a house" I'd have expected less in terms of access to the rest of the house, entertainment systems etc. However, as this thread bears out, that doesn't seem to be the case...
.

Absolutely it's not the case.
Unless the tenant is paying less ESB and no UPC/SKY or TV License for that TV.
I can't believe the assumptions in this thread and I'd encourage all to read it again

IanCurtis

Pauley2 wrote: »

never been a landlord and finding myself short of cash ...

Q.E.D.

mikemac

Pauley2 wrote: »

...

Having never rented here, never been a landlord

Your amateur attitude and blantant disregard for tenant rights safeguarded by legislation was clear from Post 1.

As I said, you are an amateur property investor and if you won't learn quickly, it could be your bankruptcy!
POTENTIAL TENANTS WON'T MORE THAN MARKET RATE, NOT WHAT YOUR BANK CHARGES + X%.

Don't believe me? Take your tenant to the PRTB and see where you get

Emerald Lass

pauley2 I'm confused.....

in an earlier post you said:

pauley2 wrote:

IanCurtis, You'll no doubt be glad to hear that there is no mortgage, so little hope of me being "crippled" by it.

but now your saying you need to rent out for financial reasons. your financial situation is your own business, so I don't expect you to giv me arason, but I would have thought that unless you are are unemployed and not getting any social benefit and have huge outgoings, then how can someone with zero mortgage need to rent out so badly that they are considering giving up the privacy of their own home - especially when it seems to be very important to you to have said privacy.

If you do need money that badly, then you unfortunately need to suck it up and become more social! Don't get me wrong, I couldn't easily share my house with a stranger, so I understand where you are coming from. but for that reason unless I absolutely had no money I wouldn't share. If I had no mortgage, and was only even getting the dole I would cut back rather than share if I could.

Pauley2

This thread has degenerated into insults, name calling and flaming from what was a simple basic question about sharing space in a private home rental.

MICMCLO - check your facts before posting. The only assumptions being made are by you. Nowhere did I mention that rent would be a factor of any mortgage + percentage (or even mention a price for that matter), neither did I mention anything about splitting bills in any proportions. Check your facts too about the PRTB as they have little to do with what goes on under the rent-a-room scheme.

IanCurtis - all you seem to be capable of is hurling insults.

EmeraldLass, at least your responses were constructive. I've no desperate need to rent, I was just exploring the possibility and trying to garner the information necessary.

Now 'night, 'night everybody and try to be a little more cheery in this season of goodwill

Amalgam

micmclo wrote: »

Don't believe me? Take your tenant to the PRTB and see where you get

Have you ever used the PRTB for anything related to a Rent dispute or innapropriate Property Manager behaviour? I have, they're toothless. Pauley2 wouldn't have to worry much.

Gummy blowjob organisation. Matters can be delayed somewhat (months, a year or two..), but more as a consequence of how they operate rather than intentionally providing some respite from events hanging over you.

The_Conductor

Pauley2 wrote: »

This thread has degenerated into insults, name calling and flaming from what was a simple basic question about sharing space in a private home rental.

MICMCLO - check your facts before posting. The only assumptions being made are by you. Nowhere did I mention that rent would be a factor of any mortgage + percentage (or even mention a price for that matter), neither did I mention anything about splitting bills in any proportions. Check your facts too about the PRTB as they have little to do with what goes on under the rent-a-room scheme.

IanCurtis - all you seem to be capable of is hurling insults.

EmeraldLass, at least your responses were constructive. I've no desperate need to rent, I was just exploring the possibility and trying to garner the information necessary.

Now 'night, 'night everybody and try to be a little more cheery in this season of goodwill

Totally irrespective of the relative merits of the original question- I'm inclined to agree with the OP. One of the core tenets of this forum is that if you disagree with what someone posts- you refute the post, but *do not* attack the poster. There are a lot of very borderline comments in this thread at best. Be a little more considerate and a little less aggressive/insulting in your posting people, or the consequences will be a brief sojourn with loss of rights in this forum.

It only takes a moment to be civil to each other.

Regards,

SMcCarrick.