Living with along-term guest is not the same as having a visitor to stay for a short period.Although it may not be a permanent living arrangement, you still need toprepare yourself.
It's one thingto cook and clean for a short-stay guest, but to cook and clean for a long-termguest could make you feel more like amaid than a mate. So make it clear from the start that they need to pull theirweight and help around the house. Find out how long they're planning to stayand what the absolute latest leaving date is. A few weeks can easily turn intoa few months. Unless you both know when the agreed leaving date is, you canfeel awkward and guilty about asking them to move on.
It pays to setsome house-rules up front. Sit down together and establish the house dos anddon'ts. This helps avoid any hurt feelings with friends and family.
Cover thefollowing points:
?Noise levels ? if youneed a quiet time, agree on a time say between 11pm and 7am when noise is keptto a minimum.
?Allocation ofcleaning duties
?Visitors and otherpeople staying over
?How you are going tosplit the bills
?How you are going todeal with any breakages
The last twopoints may sound a bit harsh but it's you that will end up out of pocket if youdon't discuss them.
You shouldspeak to your local council if you are claiming a single person's discount onyour council tax. Having a long-term houseguest could affect your discount. Usuallyif your guest has another main residence, it won't.
Make yourguest feel welcome by clearing a shelf in the fridge and giving them somecupboard space to store their food. If you're sharing food costs, work outwhich items you are going to buy together. Also discuss how they'd like to dealwith mealtimes. Your guest may expect to have a cooked dinner with you everynight. However, if this cramps your style, you need to say so upfront.
A long-termguest not only affects your lifestyle, it also affects your home insurance. A long-term guest isan extra risk in the same way as a lodger or tenant is. You need to inform yourinsurer that you have an extra person living in your home. Failure to do socould mean any home insurance claim you make could be rejected.
It's importantto mention that any claims you make for theft will only be accepted if there isevidence of a break-in. So, before you welcome a guest into your home for anylength of time, make sure that you trust them completely. Once you're sure oftheir trustworthiness, show them how to lock-up securely. If you have asecurity system, show them how to use it. Remember to tell your guest that yourhome insurance policy will notcover their possessions. They will have to organise their own contentsinsurance.
Think aboutadding accidental damage to your home insurance policy if it's not alreadyincluded (make sure it covers long-term guests). It's not worth ruining your relationship overa glass of red wine spilt on the carpet or a broken ornament.
