I’m contemplating taking in a boarder. I live by myself in a two-storey, 3 bedroom, 1½ bath home. Two bedrooms and the full bath are upstairs across a small landing from each other and that is where I mostly live. I have turned one bedroom into a sort of sitting room and tend to treat the whole upstairs as a master suite. The one downstairs bedroom is large and has a ½ bath en suite. I don’t think my son will ever live here again and I’ve been contemplating the idea lately of renting out the downstairs bedroom. We’d share the kitchen and other public spaces. The biggest drawback for me and my roommate would be sharing that full bath.
This is a college town but I have no interest in having a traditional college student as a tenant. I’d be looking for a female, probably 30 years old or older. Best case scenario, we’d get along and be convivial housemates. Worst case scenario, we wouldn’t and I’d have to evict her. Ideally I’d love to dip my toe into the rooming house experience by having someone who needed a place to stay for a few weeks or months while they were looking for or building a house or perhaps teaching one semester at the college.
I’m a pretty private person and I actually like being alone so I’m a bit hesitant. On the other hand, except for coming up to take a shower, it’s quite plausible that we wouldn’t even cross paths all that often if we didn’t want to. I already have a tenant in a small apartment in a little building next door to my house but actually having someone in the house, would be a different kettle of fish entirely. Obviously there is a huge trust issue. Would I need to lock the doors of my two upstairs rooms when I wasn’t home? I wouldn’t want to have to be that careful.
Since I work here, I’m usually home. If my housemate had a regular job, I’d still be home alone most of the time. I don’t get up that early and I tend to stay up fairly late so we probably wouldn’t clash in the bathroom. What about if I had a party? The little bathroom in that bedroom serves as my powder room. Doing away with that would mean my party guests would have to troop upstairs to use the facilities. Privacy and housecleaning issues present themselves. What if she wanted to have a party? What about sleepovers? I’m a pretty deliberate person and I’m trying to figure out all the angles in advance. Maybe that’s not possible. Perhaps I just need to make the decision and have some sort of conditional agreement with the first person. I haven’t been a roommate with anyone since I was sixteen, the summer I lived at the beach before going away to college. I remember things like having your own shelf in the refrigerator and checking to see if the coast was clear before you let your boyfriend use the bathroom. Surely we grownups worry about different things.
I’m contemplating this step both to accelerate the realization of some of my financial goals and, frankly, to have someone in the house. I wouldn’t advertise, instead relying on friends and word-of-mouth. Once I make the decision and get the word out it will probably be some time before I get a tenant. If I made a conditional six month agreement and decided I’d made a mistake, I could always regretfully decline to do it again. On the other hand, a lot can happen in six months. I’m really torn.
Do rooming houses still exist? Anyone have any experience with renting out a room in their house? I would be extremely interested to hear what issues came up and how you dealt with them. Would you consider renting out a room in your house in order to meet your financial need or would you draw the line?
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You remind me of me, the way you analyze every single aspect and the pros and cons. I feel the same way about privacy. Many years ago, we had two Japanese students staying for 6 weeks. I realized that I couldn't stand my privacy being gone, but that was different as I had to cook for them too.
Do you have any single friends who are renting? She could move in? I'm sure you've thought of all that. What about a visiting college Professor, since you say you live in a college town.
@GutsyWriter - unfortunately (or fortunately!) all my friends own their own homes so that's out. I like the college professor idea. There is also a big Border Patrol presence here so agents on detail are also a possibility.
My son has a roommate -- a buddy from high school with whom he's still friends. The pal just finished a master's of international business and so is expected to move on soon. Meantime, the rent payments have helped the kid a lot.
The main problems he's had with his friend have had to do with housecleaning and the kitchen. The roommate's girlfriend put the table linens in with a red throw rug and dyed them all red, which displeased my son intensely (she couldn't see the problem...and had no idea cheap rugs would run. LOL!!!) And the roommate would keep his own quarters tidy but leave a mess in the kitchen. He also failed to wipe down the clear glass shower doors after bathing, which created an unholy hard-water mess that took Mom over an hour of hard scrubbing with lung-singeing chemicals to clean up.
He's now starting to address the same worries you express: who next? how to establish rules? how to maintain some privacy and peace?
Graduate students are often staid: they're generally serious types, and so they can make good roommates. If the nearby college has a graduate program, you might let department heads and the graduate program know you're interested in renting a room, but to a grad student only.
Also, when colleges hire new faculty, the person usually lands in town moments before the semester begins with no place to live and no clue how to start a complicated new job. Many junior faculty will rent for a year before trying to buy. Again, let chairs of departments know you're interested in renting to junior faculty members.
Why don't you put the renter upstairs and take the downstairs quarters for yourself? This would allow you to charge more -- you could bill it as a whole suite -- and it would obviate the problem of parties. If you wanted to entertain and the roommate needed to study or sleep, she could escape upstairs.
As much as the extra money and company sounds good...been there and I realized I like my privacy.
It's hard to put up with a family member visiting for a couple of weeks,(in my case they've stayed a month)to share common areas is hard.
This really depends how much you want the company and/or extra income.
greetings all.. i've been on both sides of this stick.. from having my twin as a roomie, to living solo, and even having male (JGF) roomies. I too love my space and methinks if your "gut " tells you that a particular roomie is a go/no go... honour that.
Having said that just come up with some "ground rules" prior that you can live with... chance for less surprises ... tho that's life anyway :)
happy new year
gp
@Funny - although your suggestion about the upstairs makes perfect financial sense, my upstairs is my sanctuary and I won't be giving it up. The only reason I am even considering renting the downstairs bedroom is that I rarely come downstairs except to cook and think we could peacefully coexist that way. Your suggestion of a graduate student is a good one. Once I stop vacillating, I'll follow up on that!
@Ritz - that's exactly why I'm vacillating. I like to be alone but I would also like to up my income.
@GP - Happy New Year to you too! I think you're right about setting up some basic ground rules. Then I'll just have to go from there.
Thanks for stopping by and thanks, as always, for such good, insightful comments! Now if I can just decide whether or not to go ahead!
When I was a teenager my bedroom was on the lower floor of the house near the powder room. My mother installed into a small closet nearby a shower stall with a glass door. Then she put a door at the end of the hallway to insure total privacy. I loved it. Consider putting in a shower then you'll maintain your privacy.
@Anon - That's a very good suggestion. I've given a great deal of thought as to how I could squeeze a shower into that tiny bathroom. Roommate issues aside, it would definitely help the value of my house. Haven't figured it out yet, but I'm still pondering it! Thanks for commenting.
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