Renting rooms out where you're living... Advice?

[Jon K.]

I'm sure most of you would never rent rooms in your own house that you're living in with a roommate, but... I need to. Nice house... quality finishes, though a bit older. I want to minimize damage, and make utilities not cost me a fortune. I also want respectable roommates who are easy to live with.

What would you "cave" on if renting out rooms in your own house?

- Include all utilities, even if they aren't very cost-conscious?
- Allow the opposite gender?
- Allow someone very much older or younger than you?
- Allow one large dog or multiple small dogs?
- Lower the deposit?
- Allow short term leases?
- Offer some incentive, like doing yard work for small rent discount?

I'm getting inquiries, but people are either smokers (absolutely no way would I rent to smoker). Definitely no cats either.

Or, they're couples (sorry, no... I'm living here too... not living with a couple). Aside from noise and making it crowded, that would eat into profits with added utilities. I'm also kind of shocked when people inquire saying "my spouse and I are wanting a room." Since it's "utilities included," do they not realize more people = more utilities? Do they expect 2 for the price of 1?

Or, one medium-large dog or a few little dogs. I worry about dog damage.

Or, they're noticeably younger and are students with little/no rental history.

Or, they're much (decades) older and are professionals. I wonder if being a housemate of someone decades older would work out well for us both. I wonder why a 50 or 60 year old would want to rent a room in a house of young people, but... tough economy. Maybe they would be cleaner and quieter. And, probably more established in a career & longer rental history.

Cats, smokers, kids, couples, and people with a bad rental history are definitely out. (I'm living here... not comfortable with couples or kids.) That probably makes me sound picky, but... I don't want a nightmare of a roommate or tons of property damage.

Most houses around here include utilities, so I'm stuck including utilities too.

I'm not too near a college-- but within 15-20 minutes. Not ideal for students location-wise. Tons of offices nearby, so good location for professionals.

What "roommate" would you pick to rent a room in my house?

I'm having a hard time finding good matches. Put it on CL, but... not much luck.

Older? Younger? Short-term? Dog owners? Lower deposit?

[Kevin Dickson]

My advice is go for it asap and don't be too picky. I had lots of roommates from age 18 all the way to 42* when I finally got married. Very few problems, I never did background checks back then, but you should these days.

Several times I bought homes with a couple extra bedrooms in the basement. The roommates were paying the entire house payment. The price is 20-30% LESS than a cheap studio apt.

Back then there were roommate services where the principal would actually meet you and be a matchmaker. Worth it. There are online services nowadays, but I don't have a clue if they work or are worth the cost. http://www.roommatefinders.net/rooms-for-rent/

Girls were usually a little more reliable than guys, so I recommend them highly. Never even had problems with shared baths, but girls will generally prefer not to share.

*I was in my late thirties and a girl came over prior to our date. She looked around at all the roommates and the state of the house and sniffed, "God, this is just like college!" I said, "Didn't you like college?"