Hosts' Guide to MondaytoFridaying
to MondaytoFriday: to share someone’s home during the working week
a MondaytoFridayer: a person who lives away from home and closer to work during the working week. Also known as a mondaytofriday lodger.
a MondaytoFriday host: a person who shares their home with a mondaytofridayer during the working week.
Who uses a Monday to Friday let?
All sorts of people MondaytoFriday: People who live near enough to work to commute but find the journey too tiring, inconvenient or unreliable; People who have taken a new job but want to be sure it works out before committing themselves (and their families) to moving house; Freelancers taking on a contract in another part of the country; People who want to make their home in the country, but still need to live in the city – or vice versa. There are many reasons why mondaytofridaying makes sense for them, whether it’s for a few weeks, months or even years.
And the range of people who become mondaytofriday hosts is equally wide. All ages and stages, across the whole UK. Hosts offer to share their home during the working week, but have their homes to themselves at weekends. Their motivations vary: For some, the opportunity to bring in extra income (£7,500 of it tax free via the Government's Rent-a-Room Scheme) is their primary reason; whilst others like the idea of the company that comes from sharing their home for a few evenings per week.
What should I ask a potential lodger?
Before you decide to rent out a room to a MondaytoFridayer it's worth doing a bit of soul searching. What sort of person do you want staying in your home? What sort of behaviours or habits would you find difficult to live with? What use of your home are you prepared to share? There's no use making yourself unhappy - so be honest with yourself about what you do and don't want from a mondaytofridayer.
Here are a few questions to get you started:
- Am I happy to share my kitchen - in the morning? In the evening? Are there particular times I want it to myself?
- Are there any foods I don't want them to cook? (This one is added from personal experience of sharing with someone who lived on Fray Bentos pies! The smell was dreadful!)
- Am I happy to share my living room?
- How do I feel about a mondaytofridayer inviting friends into my home? What about if they want someone to stay the night?
- If we're going to share a bathroom, will we need to have agreed times in the morning?
- Do I mind if someone smokes?
- How would I feel if someone wanted to stay for the occasional weekend?
- Is there somewhere where they could leave a few clothes and belongings over the weekends?
- Who's going to clean the room and how often? Who's providing bedlinen?
What do I charge for rent?
Once you're clear about what you can offer a MondaytoFridayer, and any ground rules you'd want to put in place, think about how much you want to charge. Be realistic - the MondaytoFridayer already has a home and just wants somewhere warm and comfortable to stay during the working week. We recommend charging 4-5/7 (four to five sevenths) of a full-time rental. So, for example, if a room like yours would normally cost £850 per month for full-time, perhaps offer it around £500-550 for Monday to Friday (ie: 4 nights).
Most hosts ask for a deposit and/or payment monthly in advance.
How do I find Monday to Friday lodger?
Now it's time to advertise. And we can't stress enough how important it is to give people as good an impression as you can of your home and their room. You can find out more about how to make it look good in our Guide to Making Your Home Look Good.
When you meet a potential MondaytoFridayer, it's worth checking:
- Where they live and work
- What hours they'll be working and their normal routines for going to/returning from work
- When they'd be arriving/leaving each week
- They're happy with your house rules
- How they'd be paying you
- And, of course, whether you think you will both get on with each other.
If you go ahead, we suggest you ask for some information to confirm the MondaytoFridayer is who s/he says s/he is! For example, you could ask for evidence of their home address and employer/work. You might want to look them up on social media. Some hosts may want to contact a reference/credit agency, but you should ask the MondaytoFridayer's permission to do this.
We think it’s a good idea – for both parties – to have a written agreement. It doesn't need to be hugely formal. Take a look at our thoughts on what should be included in a MondaytoFriday Agreement.
