New Lodger putting back moving date

[amy131]

I was due to have a new lodger move in this week. To be honest I felt I made a mistake offering them the room after I said they could have it. My gut feeling just tells me I could have problems with this one. They have come across a little pushy and fussy in emails since and there have been past affordability issues causing them to move, although they have not got into arrears. They shared a room in their last place, the current landlord informed me the other person had to leave and she couldn't afford the large room herself. I guess one worry is if she moves in someone into her room to share after I move out of this house. We have been engaging via email, I have been on spareroom a few times and seen they were active that day on the site, which suggested they may still be looking. I thought they may just contact me to say they found somewhere else. My room has been empty a few weeks as they were not due to move in until this week. Today they emailed asking to put back the move in date to next week as they have been put on nights at work so it works better for them. No thoughts about me losing rent however. I can't see how this stops them moving and I am sure they informed me they didn't work nights. They work in warehouse.
I contacted her current landlord to ask when she had her current room until and mentioned she has asked for a later move in day. He very promptly replied to say he has new tenants moving in on 30th so as far as he is aware she is going before then. She has asked to move into my place now on 2nd Feb. This seems very odd. Perhaps I am being overly cautious after having recently had a problematic lodger.
I would rather find someone else now my concerns have been added to, but if I tell them now I am retracting the offer of a room then I feel I am not giving them enough time to find somewhere else.

[theartfullodger]

Just say no.

[Hudson01]

You are not their carer or parent, if you feel they are wrong for you then call a stop to it, they are moving into your HOME, not some room as part of a HMO which you have no connection, even on a normal AST i am super careful but in my own home !!!!

[Jon66]

Yes, I second the above. "Sorry my circumstances have changed unexpectedly and I can no longer accommodate you" usually works!

[amy131]

I have informed them I am no longer comfortable with going ahead with this and am withdrawing the offer of the room rental. No agreement was signed, I do that on the moving in day.
They have a week to find somewhere else, and there are many rooms available immediately currently. Their current landlord takes their own risk in letting out a room before it has become vacant. My rents are below market rate for a high standard of accommodation. I think I perhaps need to put up the rent a bit to get the right people. Rents have gone up a lot locally over the past year and more recently my rooms have been attracting people looking for cheaper rent for various reasons.

[amy131]

I now have a case of deja vu. This person is pleading with me to change my mind, making me feel bad. This happened to me with a prior lodger, who I ended up giving notice to after a few months due to their behaviours, I told them no after he tried to negotiate rent, which was already low for the area, and he pleaded with me to reconsider him, which I did, and I later regretted that. Lesson learnt.
I definitely need to review rents and how I am marketing rooms now. I have had very good lodgers and tenants for almost 5 years until late last year.

[Berlingogirl]

Don't feel bad - they didn't feel bad about letting you down. Stick with your story that your circumstances have changed. There are other rooms available on spare room.

[Hudson01]

Ditto the above, your rents may need to increase to weed out some of the undesirables.

[DPT57]

I guess one worry is if she moves in someone into her room to share after I move out of this house.

You do understand that if you move out of the house, the person is no longer likely to be a lodger? If she has exclusive possession then she is likely to acquire full tenancy rights, but presumably without you having served all the required documents or protected her deposit.

[amy131]

Hi, DPT57 I am very aware of what you say above. I hence give lodgers all of the documents that I give tenants and I protect deposits with the DPS and give lodgers the prescribed information. The only difference is the type of agreement, although I am aware that when I move the lodgers become tenants regardless of the agreement. The house where I am currently residing had an EICR last year, recent gas safety certificate and EPC, which lodgers get emailed copies of, and I do right to rent checks. When this house was renovated I took into consideration LA standards for licensable HMOs. There has never been any more than 4 people in this property, but it should be licensable if needed in the future.
Its partly due to knowing that the new lodger will become a tenant that I am being cautious.
Berlingogirl I have had the following email from this person I have now declined, its not true they have no friends in the area, as they lived with friends for a bit before moving into the place where they are now, where they have only been a few months. They came with a friend when viewing my place. Also if she now only has a few days left it makes me question why she was asking to move into my place next week and not this week. I just don't feel I can trust them. I was getting the same type of emotional blackmail from the problem lodger who recently left.

'I only have a few days left and I have nowhere to move, I literally stay on the street now, I was so happy to have found a place to live, it is difficult for me to find another house in a few days, I wish I had family here or friends in [ ] but I don’t have and I can't ask anyone for help. I am a calm, respectful, clean person, I pay the rent on time. I wish you could change your mind even for a few months if you want but please I really have no place to stay now'

[amy131]

I think the current landlord wants this one out asap. He informed me she was sharing a room and the other person needed to leave, after just 2 months. He has informed me also he has a new couple moving in on 30th. If she was a good tenant then I would have expected the current landlord to have allowed this girl to get a new roommate. Before the current landlord mentioned a new couple moving in I assumed they were renting out again to just one person since they don't have a HMO licence and there are 3 others besides this new couple. Perhaps the male 'friend' she visited my place with was a boyfriend and may get moved in when I leave if I let to her. I feel like there are things I am not being told.

[MdeB]

This person is pleading with me to change my mind, making me feel bad.

I would suggest reading "When I say no, I feel guilty".

Worked for me.

[Hudson01]

Amy131 - Just walk away from this one, you are looking into it far too much, as i have said above, this is your home and you do not have to justify yourself at all, as ' Grange Hill ' once said in the 80's...... just say no !!!

I shy away from tenants with a story..... please do the same or you are in for another sad and sorry episode.

[amy131]

I have moved on, holding deposit returned, asked them not to send me any more messages, they seem to have stopped. Now advertising again.
Interestingly their landlord just posted a room advert on facebook, but its for one of the smaller rooms in the house available immediately at just £30 pcm more than mine, states 4 others there currently. If the landlord had no problems with this tenant they would have moved to that room surely. I had been given a story but I don't think it was the full one and I don't think either this girl or her current landlord were being honest with me.

[Hudson01]

What strikes me with all this is how absolutely transient her life looks, no security at all, like a modern day refugee.