LODGER AND MULTI-OCCUPANCY HOUSE AGREEMENT
Important legal, jurisdiction and formality warning
This fictional agreement is a worked educational example, not legal advice and not a statutory HMO licence or prescribed tenancy form. It assumes a resident landlord genuinely shares accommodation with the lodger and that the arrangement is a licence to occupy; the courts decide classification from the facts, not the heading. If the landlord does not genuinely reside at the property, or the occupier has exclusive possession, the arrangement may be a tenancy and different statutory protections apply. The landlord must check mandatory or additional HMO licensing, selective licensing, planning, room-size and amenity standards, gas and electrical safety, smoke and carbon-monoxide alarms, fire-risk assessment, deposit rules, equality duties, immigration checks and local authority requirements. Never use this wording to avoid a licence or a statutory notice. It is not legal advice.
1. Parties, house and nature of occupation
This agreement is dated 1 August 2027 between Catherine Elinor Marsh, of 72 Larkspur Crescent, Reading RG2 8ND (the Resident Landlord), and Samuel Idris Khan, currently of 8 Pelham Walk, Reading RG1 4QJ (the Lodger). The house is 72 Larkspur Crescent, Reading RG2 8ND (the House), a two-storey residential house with four bedrooms, one shared kitchen, a sitting room, two bathrooms, a rear garden, a utility room and a bicycle store.
Catherine occupies the House as her only or principal home and will continue to live in bedroom 1 throughout the licence period. Samuel is granted personal permission to occupy bedroom 3, approximately 11.2 square metres, furnished with a bed, desk, chair, wardrobe, curtains, lamp and lockable drawer. He may use the shared kitchen, sitting room, ground-floor bathroom, first-floor bathroom, utility room, garden and bicycle store on the terms below. The permission begins on 1 August 2027 at 2:00 p.m. and continues on a monthly basis unless ended under clause 6. It is not a transfer of an estate or interest in land.
The parties intend this to be a lodger licence because the Resident Landlord lives in the House, retains general control, and provides shared living facilities. Catherine will retain a key to bedroom 3 for genuine emergencies, inspection on reasonable notice, repairs and safeguarding, but will not enter casually or use the room while Samuel is occupying it. If the facts change, either party must ask an adviser to review the legal status rather than relying on this label. No clause permits an unlawful eviction, harassment or interference with quiet enjoyment.
2. Rent, deposit and included services
Samuel will pay £780.00 per calendar month in advance on the first day of each licence month to Catherine’s account ending 2146. The first period from 1 August to 31 August 2027 is £780.00 and must be paid by 29 July 2027. The rent includes reasonable use of electricity, gas, water, sewerage, council tax, broadband, a furnished room, and use of the shared areas. It includes up to £85.00 per month of household electricity and gas measured or reasonably estimated across the House; if the average documented household energy cost attributable to all occupants exceeds that amount for three consecutive months because of exceptional tariffs or use, the parties will meet and agree a fair prospective adjustment, not an arbitrary retrospective charge.
The rent does not include Samuel’s food, personal contents insurance, telephone contract, parking penalties, damage beyond fair wear and tear, or a replacement key lost through his fault. Catherine will provide an itemised written explanation before seeking reimbursement. No administration fee, viewing fee or check-out fee is payable. Rent may be reviewed once in any 12-month period by at least 30 days’ written notice, with the first possible review on 1 August 2028; a review must be reasonable and cannot override a statutory rent rule.
Samuel will pay a £780.00 security deposit before receiving the key. It is not rent. As the parties intend a resident-landlord excluded licence, a statutory tenancy-deposit scheme may not apply, but Catherine will hold the money separately in her personal savings account and will give a written receipt. Within seven days after the licence ends and the room is returned, Catherine will return the undisputed balance. Deductions are limited to evidenced unpaid rent, missing items, cleaning beyond reasonable use, or damage beyond fair wear and tear. The parties will inspect the room together on 1 August 2027 and at the end, with dated photographs if both agree. Samuel may challenge a proposed deduction in writing within 14 days, and the parties will meet before a court claim.
3. Room, facilities and household routine
Samuel may keep ordinary personal possessions in bedroom 3. He must not make alterations, attach fixtures, paint, change a lock, use an unsafe appliance or keep a portable heater without Catherine’s written consent. The supplied inventory lists: one double bed and mattress, one mattress protector, one desk, one desk chair, one wardrobe, one lamp, two curtains, one waste bin, and one key. The inventory value is not a declaration that every item is new. Samuel must report a defect promptly; Catherine will arrange reasonable repairs, subject to urgency and lawful access.
The kitchen contains a refrigerator, freezer, oven, induction hob, microwave, kettle and washing machine. Catherine will allocate one refrigerator shelf, one freezer drawer and one dry-food cupboard to Samuel. He must label food, clean spills immediately, not leave food past a safe date, and follow appliance instructions. The House cleaning rota is: Catherine cleans the sitting room and stair; Samuel cleans the kitchen on Wednesdays; all residents clean their own bathroom after use; and each resident takes one turn every three weeks to vacuum the landing and empty the recycling. The rota is a practical arrangement and does not make Samuel an employee or require unreasonable unpaid labour.
Quiet hours are 10:30 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. on weekdays and 11:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m. on weekends. Samuel may have one visitor until 10:00 p.m. with advance notice, but a visitor may not stay overnight without Catherine’s written agreement. No person may stay overnight for more than three nights in any rolling 30-day period. Samuel must not run a business involving customer visits, use the House as a registered company office without consent, sublet, licence, assign or permit another person to occupy bedroom 3.
No smoking, vaping, candles, incense, illegal drugs, weapons, indoor barbecues or open flames are permitted in the House. Alcohol may be consumed responsibly by adults in accordance with law. Samuel must keep escape routes clear, close fire doors, never wedge open the kitchen door, and follow the displayed fire action notice. He must not disable a smoke alarm or carbon-monoxide alarm and must tell Catherine immediately if it sounds, is damaged or shows a low battery.
4. Safety, licensing and responsibilities
Catherine will provide a valid gas safety record where gas is installed, arrange required electrical checks, test alarms at reasonable intervals, keep escape routes and common parts reasonably safe, and provide the emergency contact details displayed in the kitchen. The most recent fictional records are: gas safety check by Redwood Gas Services, engineer ID RG-44108, on 10 July 2027; electrical installation condition report by Voltbridge Testing Limited on 14 July 2027; and alarm test log dated 25 July 2027. These entries are examples only and must not be relied on without the actual current certificates.
The House currently has four bedrooms, Catherine and three lodgers, and one shared kitchen and two bathrooms. Catherine must determine with the local authority whether the occupation is an HMO and whether a mandatory, additional or selective licence is required. The parties acknowledge that this agreement is not a licence application, does not certify room sizes or fire precautions, and cannot authorise occupation if a licence or planning permission is required but absent. If an authority imposes a lawful occupancy limit or requires a change, the parties will cooperate and Catherine will not accept more occupants than permitted.
Catherine will keep buildings insurance for the House. Samuel is responsible for his own contents, bicycle and liability insurance and for loss caused by his negligence or deliberate act. Neither party excludes liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, fraud or any liability that cannot legally be excluded. Samuel must report a leak, electrical danger, suspected gas leak, fire risk, serious illness or security incident immediately. In an emergency he should call 999 first and then Catherine on 0118 555 6284.
5. Privacy, conduct and personal information
The parties will treat one another respectfully. Harassment, discrimination, violence, threats and persistent unreasonable noise are prohibited. A concern should be raised privately and recorded in an email. Catherine may share Samuel’s name and contact details with a contractor, insurer, local authority, emergency service or adviser only where reasonably necessary and lawful. She will retain this agreement, payment record, inventory and safety communications for six years or the period required for a legal, tax or insurance purpose, then securely delete them where practicable.
Samuel may receive post at the House during the licence and must redirect it when he leaves. Catherine will not open his post except where lawful and necessary. She may use a doorbell camera covering the entrance only, with a clear notice and no camera directed into bedroom 3 or a private area. Any monitoring must comply with data-protection law.
6. Payment problems, repairs and ending
If rent is late, Catherine will send a written reminder and offer a reasonable opportunity to explain a payment problem. She must not seize belongings, cut off services, change locks or force Samuel out. Either party may end the monthly licence by giving at least one complete licence month’s written notice, expiring on the day before a rent day, so that a notice given on 10 September 2027 cannot expire before 31 October 2027. The parties may agree an earlier date in writing.
Catherine may seek earlier termination for serious violence, a serious safety risk, deliberate substantial damage, unauthorised sub-occupation, or a material breach not remedied within seven days after written notice where a remedy is possible. The law may impose different requirements depending on the actual classification, and this clause does not replace any required notice or court process. Samuel may end immediately if the House becomes unsafe through Catherine’s serious breach and she does not take reasonable steps after notice.
At departure Samuel will remove possessions and rubbish, clean his room and allocated facilities, return all keys, give a forwarding address, and attend a check-out inspection. Catherine will provide a written deposit statement within seven days. Any dispute may be referred to Reading Mediation Centre; either party may still use a court or statutory complaint route. The agreement is governed by the law of England and Wales.
The parties sign to confirm that this is a fictional worked example, that actual licensing and classification have not been certified by the wording, and that each has been encouraged to obtain independent advice before relying on it.
Signed by Catherine Elinor Marsh, Resident Landlord Signature: ____________________ Date: 1 August 2027 Email: catherine.marsh@example.test
Signed by Samuel Idris Khan, Lodger Signature: ____________________ Date: 1 August 2027 Email: samuel.khan@example.test
Witness to each signature (not a party): Lydia Anne Ford, 16 Willow Rise, Reading RG1 6PL Signature: ____________________ Date: 1 August 2027