Renting rooms out?

[Xadrian]

Well, my husband lost his job on Friday and currently looking for another one. Until then we've decided to rent out a room or two (if two we'll just live in the living room) to help out with bills.

My question is, has anyone rented out a room and has it been a good or bad experience?


I really don't like the idea of having a stranger come in, and possibly cause drama, steal or abuse our cats, but maybe I'm just worried to much.

There is one problem though..well..many with trying to rent the room out...
First off, it's 2 bedrooms at $1,400 a month. We got into this apt because we needed something quick to get out of living in a hotel room and this was the only place that would accept us due to our income (we moved across country and our new job income/time at job sucked naturally, not our previous job income which would have been np getting in places if it counted) the place isn't the ritz carlton but it's four walls, although way overpriced.

Day we moved in the landlady says there are some things that need fixing and the fix it guy will come around in two days to do so (also when we moved in the carpets were not scrubbed vacuumed and there were stains and pee on the carpet..sigh) they guy doesn't show. We effectively have been off and on about getting stuff fixed for 6 months now. We fix what we can but somethings we know nothing about. How do I explain to potential roommates that shit is always broken? No one wants to live in a place like that.

Stuff that is suppose to be repaired:
Spider infested vines on our tiny back porch trimmed and hauled away.
Broken blinds.
Shower tracks that don't slide and are ready to fall off at anytime
(that and the shower tracks I cannot get clean they are disgusting)
Toliet runs
Cold drafts (1/4inch gap all around the apt that I'm in the process of caulking)
Ants live under our apt and come in those gaps (you cannot set anything down for 10mins or ants will swarm, and they crawl all over everyone)
Kitchen sink disposal is broken (and unrelated the sink has been stopped up for 4 months)
toliet seat broken.
Electrical outlets don't work, or stop working, or heat up immensely if used for 2-5 mins sometimes. Also the lights dim when using certain ones.
Disgusting smell under kitchen sink (floor boards rotting away)
We don't know if the heat works (too afraid to even turn it on that it may start a fire)
Vent light over stove old and has broke in the socket (no way to remove it and I'd like to do so with the electricity cut off, but there is no breaker box in the apt)
Oven temps/dials completely worn blank (what temp is what?)
Water always smells like a dead corpse the first 2 mins it's turned on.
(oh and our neighbor says the ceiling has collapsed twice in the downstairs bathroom because of a leak)
Other general stuff is just the look of the place, real shotty looking fixes here and there, really brings down the place.

LOL how do I tell someone nicely to limit their wall socket usage because it may start a fire? And yes, I've gone back and forth about getting stuff fixed, no go, and we don't have money to move out. Oh and I'm looking to charge $400 plus utilities which is around $20 mo. (We don't have telephone, cable/a t.v. or internet-we do wifi so they get no "ammenities".

Any ideas how to write up this ad??....

[annymoll]

If you have a potential room mate, won't they have to be on the lease and be approved by the landlord? That is the first thing I would consider.As an new landlord, I will not allow room mates without my approval, or without having them sign on to the lease(Although it doesn't sound like any of you could damage the place much, with the condition it is in.)

[Pemberleyan]

I'm so sorry about your husband's job and I can't say I've been in your shoes, but I would try many things before renting out a room to someone. I probably come from a different perspective -- I've lived in apartment complexes and subdivisions and I don't ever want to go back to either because I like privacy so much.

You could be opening yourselves up to all sorts of problems. Have you considered any household rules you would want your renter to agree to? If he/she violated them, what would you do to enforce the rules? Have you read up on rental laws in your state? If your renter turned out to be a criminal or just a bad person, how much trouble would you have evicting him, legally speaking? I could never be comfortable leaving my home with a complete stranger there, free to look through everything. Are they going to share your kitchen, your appliances, food, etc? Isn't there anything else you can try?

[Monroe on a Budget]

Do check your lease, because I remember having leases in the past where I had to list all the household members and / or no subleasing.

If you do decide to lease out then go to the court or government office that handles evictions in your area and ask them for some CYA tips should you decide to become a landlord. When I am taking care of other business the courthouse, I can sometimes overhear the customers talking to clerks about how to evict someone. It's not a pretty process.

[Katybird]

It sounds like your apartment is barely habitable. You need to get out of there. I know that you say you can't afford to move but you also can't afford to live in those conditions, if there is rotting floor boards I would bet there is also black mold in the apartment. The ants are another huge issue, that is a health issue, the electrical situations is a safety issue. You have to get the heck out of that apartment. I would take the money that you have for your next months rent and look for another place to live. Try to see if you can get any kind of help from the housing authorities about this also.

[Jeanna]

I agree with the other about checking your lease. Most places will not let anyone that is not on the lease (adults) live there. When you rented was all the repairs promised in writing? If it is anything that is making the house a danger to live in then you could report the landlord to the city.

[Shoshana]

If your apartment is truly this problematic, then I HOPE you have been documenting your attempts to have the repairs made. If you haven't, its not too late to begin. In addition to documenting (copies of letters, records of phone calls), take photos of EVERYTHING.

If the repairs are not made to get your apartment safe and up to code, then you may be able to leave with the "law" on your side. It's called "constructive eviction" -- meaning, the premises are not safe and habitable, and thus, you were effectively evicted from your own apartment. If this is a law in your state, and it is in many, then you may not be responsible for breaking the lease, and the landlord may be responsible for your moving expenses and any increase in rent you would incur throughout the term of your original lease.

I cannot imagine finding a "tenant" (which probably would violate your lease anyway) and expect him/her to pay $$ to live with those problems, and to follow all fo the requirements that you'd have to place on him/her.

Good luck, it sounds like a mess!