Tips For Renting Part Of Your Home

Posted on

With the rents going up in many cities, many homeowners are finding it necessary to rent out a portion of their homes. In doing so, you may lose a bit of privacy and autonomy in your home life. However, there are ways to keep your home safe and comfortable for everyone. 

Configure Your Locks

Many landlords don't know that it's possible to fix the locks so that they only work for a portion of the house. Consider a case where you are renting out the downstairs of your house. You still want access with your key, but you don't want the tenant to have access to your portion of the house. You could use a locksmith to reconfigure your locks, so that your master key opens all of the outside doors but the tenant's key only works on the downstairs area. 

If you are sharing the entire house, it gets a bit trickier to protect your space, but it's still possible. You could consider installing a door with a lock to your personal bedroom and bathroom. To avoid having multiple keys, you could still use the same setup, where a master key works on both your outside door and your bedroom suite. 

Contact a business like Key West Locksmiths Ltd if you have specific questions about changing the locks on your home.

Build House Rules into the Lease

Before you welcome a new person into your home, it's a good idea to think about what you value in a living situation. Whether it be peace and quiet, clean common areas, or a happy and pleasant environment, there are ways that you can ensure that your new roommate follows suit. In the case of divvying up chores or maintaining quiet hours, you can explicitly list the rules as part of the lease. In the event that things head south with your new tenant, you can refer to the lease as a reason for asking the person to leave. 

Introvert or Extrovert?

If a new person will be living in your home, a good personality fit is essential. One critical part of a good roommate fit will be whether you prefer to be social or introverted within your home. No matter which you prefer, a roommate who prefers the opposite could be an uncomfortable fit. While a person may seem to be introverted or extroverted on the first meeting, they may generally prefer something else in their home lives; be sure to ask how the person prefers to spend time at home, and set your own boundaries. 

Getting a tenant in your home can be a great opportunity to make living expenses more affordable, and in many cases, you may end up with a great new companion in your life. With these rules to create boundaries, you can maintain a great home life for everyone.


Share