Finding a Lodger

There are a number of websites who offer to advertise your spare room for a fee if you type 'rent my spare room' into a search engine you'll find a range of companies offering this service. You'll need to create your ad and there'll be the option of uploading a photo, we recommend you uploading a photo of the room when it's empty with only the furniture you intend renting the room with. As there are a large number of these lodger finding sites you'll need to do a bit of homework to decide which site to place your ad on; find out how much they charge, how long your ad will be on the site for, look at the different packages they offer, then look at the sites statistics on their visitors, how many people visit their site each day looking for a room to rent etc. Browse the sites carefully looking at photos and other ads, note which ones you think are appealing and you can use these ideas for your own ad.

You could place an ad in your local paper, your ad will usually appear towards the back of the paper or property supplement. You should be able to find the number for the advertising department who place the ads within the paper, find out how much the ad will cost and if there are any deals for running an ad for 4 weeks. You also need to ask how many words you can have in the ad and if it costs more for a colour ad or an ad with a red ring around it - these ads work best as they stand out more. Then you should take a look at the paper and circle the ads wich stand out the most to you in terms of you being drawn to an add and the readability, what are the most important features of the room you are renting, where is it located etc.

You'll find a number of postcards in your local newsagent window, a generally inexpensive way to market your room which can cost from as little as £1 per week. Again take a look at the ads in the window, note the ones that stand out the most and for maximum effect sick a photo onto the postcard. You may be able to get a deal with the newsagent if you are advertising for more than 3 or 4 weeks.

Word of mouth is a great way to find a lodger, just let all your friends and family know your intention to rent a room and they act as your agent, plus word of mouth is free! We recommend you putting your ad in an email along with some photos of the room and send this out to family and friends who'll in turn send on their friends who may be looking to rent a room.

You may chose one or more of these suggestions to market your room; the internet is good for reach and it's quick and easy to set up and reasonably priced, the local paper is limited in reach as it's only people who have the paper delivered to their door who'll see the ad you may miss out on people moving into the area. The newsagent is also limited in reach but is a cheap option especially if you live in a busy area with a lot of people. Which ever option you choose think carefully about the kind of person you want to share your home with, whether you are offering a full time lodging or if you'd prefer Monday to Friday part time lodger. When thinking about pricing you should check out what other people are charging in accordance with the size of your room, and the services you offer with the room. Good luck!