Lodgers
You can take in a lodger if it’s allowed in your tenancy agreement, but you must first get our written permission.
A lodger is someone who rents a room (or some rooms) in the property but who does not have exclusive possession of any part of it – i.e. they do not have a room key and the tenant retains access to the lodger’s room
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What are your responsibilities?
You’ll still be responsible for making sure that your rent and any service charges are paid. And you’ll be responsible for your lodger’s behaviour.
We won’t:
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Get involved in any disputes between you and your lodger / sub-tenant
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Take them into account if we apply for possession of the property or evict you
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Take them into account if you want to move via a transfer or mutual exchange
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Allow them to take on your home after your death
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Take them into account if we have to move you to carry out major repairs
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Allow them to stay in the property if the tenancy ends.
What other things should I do if I get a lodger.
Before they move in
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You must write to us to apply.
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Before they move in we will complete a Right to Rent check.
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If they are on Housing Benefit or Universal Credit they must check how this will affect their entitlement.
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Check how much rent you can charge by comparing the size and quality of your room with others in your area
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Look at websites such as Spare Room and Room Buddies to see how much income you could possible earn from the current market from a lodger or sub tenant.
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Advertise your room. You can do this for free on www.spareroom.co.uk
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Be careful about letting strangers into your home. Interview them in person and find out as much as you can about them before they move in.
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It is useful to have a written agreement when you rent to a lodger or sub-tenant and we would advise contacting Citizens Advice for more information
When they move in
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Let Her Majesty’s Revenue and Custom office know you’ve taken in a lodger/sub-tenant for tax purposes
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Let the Department for Work and Pensions know as it can affect your benefit entitlement
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Tell your insurance company, as it might affect your home contents insurance
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Register your lodger as part of the household with your local council tax department. They’ll stop any single occupancy rates
What if I want my lodger to move out?
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You should ask them to leave in writing, giving them a reasonable amount of time to find somewhere else to live.
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If they refuse to leave, you should seek legal advice. The Citizens Advice can help you.
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Notify us when they move out so that we can keep our records up to date.
When would LHP refuse a request?
Aside from your tenancy agreement, we’ll deny a request if:
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It would make your home overcrowded
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When action is being taken against you or the prospective lodger for anti-social behaviour
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There is no Right to Rent check completed
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We think that you’re being pressured into taking in a lodger / sub-tenant and don’t really want to
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The lodger / sub-tenant wouldn’t qualify to live in your home because it’s in a specific scheme (such as housing for older people).
You can apply for a lodger through our MyLHP smartphone app and customer portal by registering or logging in below.