Common Mistakes To Avoid When You Rent out a Room

Offering a spare room to rent can be a hugely rewarding experience, allowing you to indulge in new cultures and new life experiences. Leaving you with memories to remember for life. But in order for it to be a joyous experience, there are certain factors to be aware of, that many seem to miss. So see this as a guide to your route of good times and stories to share.

Renting out a room: it’s a win win

The opportunity to meet new people and to get to know more about different cultures,adding to one's perspective. Also with the beneficial factor of earning some extra cash for those rainy days, we all have those moments at times right? It can all seem so well and positive, causing certain aspects to be overlooked, which can turn things upside down, and we don’t want that at all!

So knowing this, what’s to stop you from offering a spare room to rent, there’s money to be made, and experiences to be drawn too. Those so called problems can be easily prevented as we just need to be a bit more aware before going through any situation.

Our guide to help you get away from those sticky situations

Making that A list advert:

It's really important to make sure you market your property in the best way possible, you want to actually attract the right tenant for your room for rent. So with that you need to make sure you catch that individuals' attention. Many landlords make the mistake thinking their ad will just get 1,000’s of requests with just a few simple shady pictures, a real brief description and a shoddy profile picture. Come on ask yourself, would you really want to request to live there? Not really right, so make sure your profile and add is looking up to scratch, using clear and concise information, great clear pictures and remember people need reassurance, so let them know all is well!

Let's take this seriously:

Yes being a landlord takes a level of seriousness, but no one says you have to be a general running a platoon! You just need to be aware that being a landlord is like having a day to day job. Many landlords think that it’s just a simple income, but there are many things to be aware of. Be sure to keep your properties in top condition, also being aware of any changes in the rental law, knowing some terms won’t hurt, honestly it won’t! Just remember to keep things in check, and have things in order. Success is in your hands, so don’t let important things slip.

Get handy with a drill, or at least pretend:

We hope you’re not afraid to get your hands dirty, because you are legally responsible to keep your properties in a clean and safe condition. Some landlords don’t tend to remember that, so they never leave any excess cash for those bits that need fixing. So be aware that things will break when offering a spare room to rent and those things need to be rectified/repaired within a short space of time.

Make sure your property is a good state:

It’s mandatory that your property is in good condition before putting up a room to rent. It’s required by law that the environment meets living requirements. Just because you’re comfortable doesn’t always mean they will be too. Tenants are entitled and can complain about certain violations towards the Housing Act 2004, So try to: • Make sure all pipes are in check with no major leaks. • Assess if your heating functions work, in terms of water and heaters • Make sure smoke detectors work and have been tested • Be sure to take care of any pest issues (Anyone got a cat handy?)

Make sure this is all done prior to advertising your spareroom.

You’re the one in charge, always remember that:

Many landlords turn a blind eye to certain things they are not happy with, it makes you think how much can one take?

Your tenant should be following the rules you have set in your agreement. You should not tolerate behaviour beneath your standards, yes it is a source of income, but remember you are the one who owns the property. You don’t need to be harsh but the respect needs to be mutual. If you feel like you are not receiving your fair share, don’t be afraid to address it, most people are not aware of how their behaviour can be perceived by others. So a simple chat over a preferred beverage never hurts. Was that 2 sugars?

You may already be aware of what’s been stated, if that is the case be sure to just use it as a reminder on some key factors. For those who didn’t, you’ve now got some facts under your belt, and there is plenty room for more! Be the best landlord you can be, and watch the process seem so effortless, as making friends isn’t too hard.

Author: Roomlala

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