Advice for first time house share

ProudDUB

Am thinking of advertizing on Daft for a room mate, to help with the bills. It will be my first time to live in a house share situ, so I am bit unsure of how it all works.

I live in a 3 bed semi, in a very desirable Dublin suburb. It's beside the sea and Dart station, so I don't think I'll have any problems finding candidates. There are similar properties in my area on Daft, so I have a good idea of what rent to charge. Do people include bills in the rent, or split them? Any pitfalls to look out for, or questions to ask in the interview process?

The room for rent is the master bedroom, but I don't want a couple, or even someone who will have a boyfriend stay over. Ideally, I'd like a single, professional female, with a good job and previous rental history references. How hard are they to check up on, if I am not an estate agent? How easy/hard is it to put your foot down about overnight stay overs? I'm not a prude, I just don't want men that I don't even know, knocking about the place over night.

What is the situ with paperwork? Do I have to do up a sub let lease? I am currently renting and my land lady is ok with me doing this. I've been renting from her for 4 years & she trusts me to get someone in who will respect her property, the way that I do. What come back do I have, if things just don't work out with the room mate and I want them to leave?

Sorry for all the questions. Am a total novice at all this.

irishguy1983

Don't do it!!!!

Unless there is real financial windfall I wouldn't bother.

Sharing with people past a certain age tends not to work - look at so many threads around this forum.

If you can find a buddy/someone you like to move in then go for it but I wouldn't be moving in a randomer.

Eric Cartman

I think putting a blanket ban on overnight guests would make the desirability a bit lower, but I don't think it would be a deal breaker for some.

Always just split bills, including them in rent sometimes give people licence to take the piss with electric heaters / the immersion etc…

you are technically subletting , your landlady is ok with it, but Im sure somebody here knows more about if theres any legal issues with it.

I think the sublet would fall under a licencee agreement so the tenant would have no comeback if you just wanted them out with notice.

athtrasna

irishguy1983 wrote: »

Don't do it!!!!

Unless there is real financial windfall I wouldn't bother.

Sharing with people past a certain age tends not to work - look at so many threads around this forum.

If you can find a buddy/someone you like to move in then go for it but I wouldn't be moving in a randomer.

Disagree. My housemate is little or no hassle, both late 30s. Only rules I have, lock doors and use alarm, overnight guests no more than twice a week. Works well for both of us, rules apply to both of us.

ProudDUB

Eric Cartman wrote: »

I think putting a blanket ban on overnight guests would make the desirability a bit lower, but I don't think it would be a deal breaker for some.

Always just split bills, including them in rent sometimes give people licence to take the piss with electric heaters / the immersion etc…

you are technically subletting , your landlady is ok with it, but Im sure somebody here knows more about if theres any legal issues with it.

I think the sublet would fall under a licencee agreement so the tenant would have no comeback if you just wanted them out with notice.

Yeah, thanks for that. Didn't occur to me. Some bills that I'll be paying anyway (to Panda to lift the bins, to UPC for the cable telly etc etc) I'll probably include in the rent, as as an incentive to counteract the overnight stay overs. I'll split the per usage bills.

In house shares, do people expect a landline to be laid on? (I have one, but only use it to call the rellies in the States.) Do they also expect broadband to be laid on....or does it all vary from rental to rental?


Irishguy, feel free to expound on your opinion. Simply saying its a bad idea & read all the threads here, isn't really telling me much. I have read a lot of threads here, but I often think that its only the horror stories that make the pages of forums like this one. The success stories don't make it.

Jentle Grenade

It can work out, especially if you find the right person. There are more than likely people out there who are looking for a similar setting to what you want to offer so don't be too disheartened or worried about that.

I lived as the sub-let tenant with the chief tenant in a house for nearly four years. I had a licencee agreement as I hadn't ever intended on staying for as long as I did. I moved in when I was 23 and the chief tenant was mid-thirties. At the interview she made it pretty clear that there would be certain expectations (no unannounced overnight guests or friends hanging out in the living room etc). We got on great to be honest. I needed a quiet, calm house to come home to and she wanted a similar tenant.I was working full time in the day and studying four nights a week also so my social life was essentially non-existent. We became pretty good friends and still keep in touch. When I moved in we were both single but we eventually gained partners. Overnight stays were announced in advance. We often shared cooking, cleaning etc. The bills were split for TV/internet and the gas bill, things like the bins etc were factored into my rent which I paid by standing order weekly.

As an aside, I was working in a hospital at the time and I actually saw the notice for rent on the notice board there. The chief tenant had asked her friend to place it there to appeal to a certain type of person I guess. If you could advertise it in a more personal way such as that you might be more likely to find someone who is looking for a quiet setup. I think I was interviewed twice. Best of luck!

ProudDUB

Thanks for that Jentle. Stories like that are good to hear. I work for a very small company with only 4 employees. Before that, I was self employed and worked from home. Before that, I was living over seas, so I don't have a massive circle of coworkers and colleagues to tap into. Ideally, I'd like someone I know, or comes personally recommended, but that may be unrealistic. Finding someone suitable isn't the hard part imo. It's what comes after that, with their own personal people baggage. What they expect to be ok, when it comes to their partners, friends, family etc etc coming over & just how many people will be in the house at a given moment in time, is what I'm grappling with.

Mrs OBumble

If you're lucky, you might even get someone who lives elsewhere and just wants a Monday to Thursday night arrangement.

People with a partner elsewhere are less likely to see the no overnight guests thing as an issue.

irishguy1983

athtrasna wrote: »

Disagree. My housemate is little or no hassle, both late 30s. Only rules I have, lock doors and use alarm, overnight guests no more than twice a week. Works well for both of us, rules apply to both of us.

Fair enough and that's great it works for you.

I just think sharing past a certain age tends not too work in the majority of cases - of course sometimes it does.

Minera

Hi Op I lived in a couple of house shares and it worked well, all bills were split 50/50 even if one of us was not there for a week or 2, it just made life simpler. With regards having a phone line in, I don't think that would be an issue as most people have mobiles, but broadband would certainly be a must.
The ground rules around having people stay over were simple enough, I had a boyfriend who would come over for an evening but not stay over and once my housemate got to know him she didn't mind if he stayed over, but i didn't abuse the situation he may have stayed over maybe once a fortnight and I always let my housemate know.
Hope this helps!

PS I house shared from ages of 22-28 my housemates have often been older than me, it wasnt always perfect but i usually stayed in houses for a year to a year ad an half, before moving for cheaper rents or better locations

BetsyEllen

I think the main thing is to set out your rules clearly and make it very clear that if they're not complied with, you will be issuing a months notice to leave.

I had a lodger last year, was sub-letting with my LL's full permission as you are planning.

I mentioned when they were moving in that I didn't want any smoking in the house but I obviously wasn't clear enough as they kept doing it.
They thought they were being clever by airing out the house after and spraying Febreeze but as a non smoker myself I could smell it a mile off and it made me feel sick. Especially at 7am when I was getting ready for work, yuck!
We ended up falling out over it and I had to ask them to leave.

Luckily they went without any trouble.

I am thinking of renting out the spare room again now but this time I will make it crystal clear what the rules are - and I will only be allowing non-smokers to move in, I don't even want it out in the garden.

Nomis21

I am over 60 and was part of many flat/house shares in London and recently in Dublin.

I was always the chief tenant or I owned the property.

I made close friends I will know all my life from house shares and there were also nightmare scenarios where I had to evict the housemate and even call the police one time to get someone to leave.

My advice would be to spend as much time talking to people who reply to your house sharing ad. as possible.

Without making demands, be interested in their job, their partner, how they like to spend free time etc and ask questions about all these areas of life. You will soon build up a picture of the kind of person they are and if you can live with them.

the_syco

Have rules, but not a lease.

If they decide not to follow the rules, evict. If you give them a lease, you may be giving them rights, and thus harder to evict. If they don't like the lack of a lease, they can go find somewhere else.

Non-changeable bills, such as UPC, bins, etc, include in the rent.

Gas, electricity, etc, split, to ensure they don't take the piss.

BetsyEllen

Nomis21 wrote: »

I am over 60 and was part of many flat/house shares in London and recently in Dublin.

I was always the chief tenant or I owned the property.

I made close friends I will know all my life from house shares and there were also nightmare scenarios where I had to evict the housemate and even call the police one time to get someone to leave.

My advice would be to spend as much time talking to people who reply to your house sharing ad. as possible.

Without making demands, be interested in their job, their partner, how they like to spend free time etc and ask questions about all these areas of life. You will soon build up a picture of the kind of person they are and if you can live with them.

Nomis21, would you have any advice on how best to attract a decent tenant?
Such as where would you advertise.

MugMugs

irishguy1983 wrote: »

Don't do it!!!!

Unless there is real financial windfall I wouldn't bother.

Sharing with people past a certain age tends not to work - look at so many threads around this forum.

If you can find a buddy/someone you like to move in then go for it but I wouldn't be moving in a randomer.

My current lodger is no trouble at all. Arrives back 5pm Monday gone again 5pm Friday. Never has anybody over. Never sets foot in the sitting room and is all around good craic when he's there.

SarahMollie

I think the suggestion of someone who really lives elsewhere but just wants the room for weeknights would be best for you OP.

The main reason is that a total ban on overnight guests is probably a bit prohibitive. Whist I understand you not wanting someone who brings home a different One Night Stand every weekend, essentially seeking to curtail someones love life is a bit much. Would you reconsider if it was someone with a regular Boyfriend, and then limit the number of stays per week?

Nomis21

BetsyEllen wrote: »

Nomis21, would you have any advice on how best to attract a decent tenant?
Such as where would you advertise.

Hi BetsyEllen,

I don't think it matters too much where you advertise but in Ireland, Daft has a large sharing section, it's well viewed and it's free.

You will find decent and not-so decent tenants on there but it's more a case of finding the sort of tenant that you like. If you like to live in a quite house then tell people that it won't suit party animals, if you want a more intellectual setting then ask for 'professionals'. Say you need references from present landlord and check them before you take any money. Always take a deposit to cover unpaid bills and never accept late payment of the rent. Decide if you want females or males or either, gay friendly or accepting couples. It's your call.

There is a good example of selecting a housemate here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yf6pGBNpkV0

As one or two others have mentioned I think looking for a Monday to Friday only (which really means Mon to Thursday in reality) is the best bet. You have the house free on weekends as they will be gone back home but are still probably getting 3/4 of what you would money wise if the person was renting for the week. They are also unlikely to have guestes etc as they most likely have little life in the area bar working.