Renting rooms

[Luke]

I have a three bedroom property in the U.K which I will rent out .
I have had an enquiry from a couple and a friend
I do not intend to live at the property
Would it be possible just to rent two rooms to them , on the understanding they have full access to the property ?
As its my only property and income , I just need a bit of security if they didn't pay the rent money
Would I be able to just rent two rooms to them and keep one room for myself ?

[ExpertInAField]

I assume from your question that you would like to have them on a lodgers agreement so you could evict them with a moments notice.

To answer this quickly, from the details you gave above, you would create an AST even if you used the lodger paperwork. By you not living there, you remove the lodger option entirely.

[Luke]

I assume from your question that you would like to have them on a lodgers agreement so you could evict them with a moments notice.

To answer this quickly, from the details you gave above, you would create an AST even if you used the lodger paperwork. By you not living there, you remove the lodger option entirely.

Thanks , what is regarded as living in a property ?
Do I need to spend a set number of days being there ?

[DPT57]

You need to actually be living there. Your proposal also creates an HMO, whether or not you reserve a room for yourself. You'd better check local licensing conditions before you decide.

[jpkeates]

Thanks , what is regarded as living in a property ?
Do I need to spend a set number of days being there ?

Where you live would be determined on the facts of your particular case.
As you wouldn't be living there, it wouldn't pass.

Based on your two recent threads, you're trying to achieve the impossible.
If there was a way of legally letting a property with little or no risk of a tenant not paying the rent, everyone would be doing it.

You need to learn about being a landlord.
A "couple and a friend" are going to find it next to impossible to rent a property in England from any landlord who knows what they're doing.
That you've taken their enquiry and are considering it is a huge red flag in itself.

[AndrewDod]

A "couple and a friend" are going to find it next to impossible to rent a property in England from any landlord who knows what they're doing.

No reason the above should be the case in any sort of sane world - but courtesy of our ignorant and evil masters it is the case.

Anyone with an ounce of compassion could go through this forum and find thousands of types of examples where the legislation designed to (they pretend) help people, actually causes massive harm to many. But they have no compassion.

Couple + One can go jump in the lake.

[DoricPixie]

You can't have your cake and eat it Luke. If you want to receive rental income from a property that is not also your main home you have to accept that the occupants will be tenants. This means that you will have to comply with all your legal obligations as a landlord unless you want it to come back and bite you on the arse...hard. Speaking as an overseas landlord myself I have now made the decision to leave my former home empty when the tenants move out in a few day...far less stressful!

[Hudson01]

I have now made the decision to leave my former home empty when the tenants move out in a few day...far less stressful!

If i were in this position then i would do the same, there is far too much risk thesedays if you wish to move back into it, either accept the risk and rent is as it really is with an AST or leave it empty.

[theartfullodger]

Just be careful with insurance. Empty properties are a "challenge"

[DoricPixie]

Just be careful with insurance. Empty properties are a "challenge"

I've had unoccupied insurance whilst I was overseas before. It was challenging finding an insurer as a non-UK resident but I did find one and the premium wasn't horrific. I did have to have someone go and check on the property every week as a condition of the insurance and luckily I had someone to do it.

[DoricPixie]

If i were in this position then i would do the same, there is far too much risk thesedays if you wish to move back into it, either accept the risk and rent is as it really is with an AST or leave it empty.

It wasn't so much tat as a ground for eviction for PRT is wanting to move into the property (for now). It was more that I'd put my heart and soul into making the property nice and it wasn't being cared for as well as I would have liked. I didn't like being at the mercy of a letting agent either particularly when the letting agent turned out to be a chocolate teapot.

[Luke]

You need to actually be living there. Your proposal also creates an HMO, whether or not you reserve a room for yourself. You'd better check local licensing conditions before you decide.

If I decided to keep one room for myself as my man and only residence and just rented the bedrooms out on a bedroon only basis , would I be able to do that ?
I have checked my boroughs HMO rules and they only apply if there are at least five people from two different families living at the property and I would rent to single people on a casual basis

[ash72]

You would be creating an issue for yourself, you want to be able to evict a T (for whatever reason) which do not have the same rights as a T on an AST, the problem would be that you would have 2 T's who would have evidence etc, that you never lived there while they lived there...... When someone is evicted them become difficult and can make the LL's life difficult, be careful in your actions, what you may be trying to achieve may end up costing you even more.

[Luke]

ash72,

I do intend staying in the property permeantely though , although I may have to stay elsewhere sometimes

[DoricPixie]

I do intend staying in the property permeantely though , although I may have to stay elsewhere sometimes

You’re not though are you? You’re getting these people to rent the property because you’ll be living overseas. The property will cease to be your only if main home.

Maybe you’ll get away with pretending these people are lodgers and these people will move out the property when you return from living overseas. The reality though is that they will be tenants with AST and as you will have failed to carry out your obligations as a landlord and an overseas landlord at that should these tenants decide to start exercising their rights as tenants you will find yourself up the proverbial creek without a paddle. Why risk it?