Sunday, October 23, 2011

Suggestions for Living alongside Lodgers

By Pete Ronson


Being a lodger or sharing your house with a lodger can become a pleasure or a headache dependent on how you all get on. Generally there are some simple suggestions you could use to help make certain that living with others is a pleasurable adventure.

A lodger is a person that is renting a room and is sharing space in a landlord's home. Whether you are the lodger or the landlord, sharing your personal space with anyone else or a stranger is usually a overwhelming , however with an open mind, some consideration and a sense of humour, living with other people could be more pleasant and efficient than you think.

University students and professionals alike may prefer to find a Room in a Houseshare or Flat Share with other flatmates, or they may opt to rent a room with a live in landlord. Being a lodger will be a great way to save money on rent and overall a great experience.

How do you get the best out of living with lodgers? Here are some quick guidelines:

* Communication
Sharing accommodation with other folks makes a great experience and keeping an open dialogue can reduce potential problems with your house mates, perhaps becoming long term friends, but undeniably the your ability to communicate well will avoid any misinterpretations and assist you clear up any disagreements quickly and effectively.

* Consideration
Being considerate is a great characteristic to have, and is essential for living with others well. Act as you would expect your flatmates to, being aware of your noise levels, leaving communal places clean and don't invite over all your mates over without discussing it first. Boys keep the toilet lids down, and girls do not leave hair in the plug hole.

* Identify the House Rules
A house doesn't run itself. It needs to be maintained and a unclean and mistreated damaged or room could quite easily increase the risk of loosing your deposit. For a House Share a cleaning rota is often a great idea to split jobs equally and keep the property in good condition. Lodgers may have specific arrangements with their landlord, perhaps they cook and clean for you for an extra cost each month. Nonetheless, ensure that you stick to any cleaning rules set by your landlord. You could also establish other rules including whose food is stored where, the use of appliances, whether you provide your own personal detergent and parking arrangements.

* Money
In any landlord & tenant situation an agreement needs to be written showing what costs the tenant is accountable for. If you simply rent a room perhaps all your utilities etc are included in your entire rental price, however for a House Share each housemate will most likely pay their own rent directly to the landlord, but for utility bills and other costs an arrangement must be made about how they will be paid. Maybe all utility bills are usually split equally and a joint kitty can be kept for the basic household items such as milk, bread, tea and cleaning products.


Maintain a warm and friendly atmosphere when living alongside others, handle any issues quickly and be open-minded - you should find you will enjoy the experience!




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