Extra Guest in Rental Room not on lease.

[Danny Le]

Hello everyone, here in Anaheim, CA. We just completed our house hacking in our home and have one room that was rented out. She has been here for 5 days now and last night started bringing a guest. The parking is a situation here so that is why I had to ask if the boyfriend will be staying here often. I did some research online on what I should do but it seems that those are for Apartments and I am uncertain if that applies to rental rooms. 

I dont mind someone added here but will require them to be added to the lease agreement and background check. Can I charge more per person? What are my rights as a landlord for rooms rentals?

Thanks!!!

[Ethan Jacobsen]

Usually we don't charge more rent for more people, but that also can depend on how you have the utilities set up. If you have any type of fee for utilities, that could potentially be increased based on number of tenants. Any individual who is staying there long term should also be on the lease, you're right on that. Standard leases should have a clause stating guests can only stay up to 7-14 calendar days per year and anything beyond that has to either be approved by the landlord or they have to be added to the lease. Start the conversation with the current tenant and let them know what the options are. In this situation it sounds like rent would stay the same, but if it's going to be consistent, a utility charge might need to be increased and the boyfriend should be on the lease or at least approved by you. In the end, what the lease says can either really help or really hinder. Good luck!