Roommate Finder
 

I am separated and live by myself in The Villages in a house with one empty room and bathroom for guests. I would like to find a suitable person renting it . Is this the right venue to find one?

Advice. Be very cautious and lock up anything that has any value to it. I'm not paranoid, but there are a lot of bad people out there, a lot of good ones too but it only takes one bad one and they are very hard to get rid of.

Be careful.

The answer
 

The Correct venue is VH4R Home Rentals in The Villages Florida The Villages Rentals. You pay for an ad there.

But always remember…even if you’re not paranoid, it doesn’t mean they’re not out to get you. :)

IMHO, I would not do this, if absolutely necessary, I would add at least one additional lock to you bedroom door to secure your valuables, etc.

Actually, it is not that hard to do. But, plan on taking your time and do not just sign off on the first person waving money at you. Why not prepare a list of questions you wish to ask the person...such as what their sleeping times are...find out if they like to cook...ask them if they are neat (a good test for this is when they are leaving, walk them out to their car and look inside, does it look like they are tidy?)...ask them if they have boyfriends or girlfriends or just friends...how long have they been acquainted with the Villages....so they smoke... Don't make a decision about the person right away. Tell them that you are interviewing several people and might have to speak with them again. Lay out some ground rules..such as all common areas must be picked up and cleaned and that you both share chores around the house. In other words, find out if this is a person you can live with. As far as locking things up. that is probably not a bad idea. But, find out a lot about the person before agreeing to have him as a roomie. Also, get a very substantial security deposit (Florida statutes has rules on this and how you maintain it). get first and last months rent. If they squawk about the money, you do not want them. They need to be financiallys secure. And get references.

Very good advise

In answer to your question, this is not the right venue to find one.

Assuming you are not renting and talking about your house.

Just remember that it is not just the bedroom and bath you are renting. It is the whole house (Perhaps excluding your bedroom and bath). Living Room, Dining room, Kitchen, Lanai, Garage, Laundry room, driveway, mailbox, utilities, etc. Imagine how someone could abuse that area. Friends, mess, cleaning, dishes, clothes, vacuum, dusting, window cleaning, refrigerator. Temperature issues, noise, hours. Took my wife and I 57 years to train each other, and you are thinking of taking a stray off the street.

Good luck. A possibility I would be looking for is downsizing.

AirBnb is where I found my first rental for TV. Not sure if it was legal of them to do, but it was for only 1 1/2 months. I agree with others that VH4R is the way to go.

With the right person, something to consider!

Do not forget a lease. And make it month to month, it will be easier to get them out if there are issues. You need a signed document with rules to live by.

Also the recommendation about first and last months rent is wording that will catch you. Always call any monies collected to cover any future costs, damages, unpaid rent, etc…. “The security deposit”. If these monies are referred to as first and last months rent that is the only place they can be used.

My last line of defense has always been to sign the lease at the tennants current residence, that way you get to see how they live, be nosy ask to use the bathroom before any signing, and keys are not provided until all funds clear.

Just a few things I learned the hard way.

Actually, a better idea is to put a deadbolt on your master bedroom closet--then your entire wardrobe area becomes a safe in a sense!!

I once took a ride from a stranger, I said "how do you know I'm not a serial killer?", He said, "I doubt it, what are the chances of two serial killers being in the same car?"

So be careful.

The better option might be to sell and get a single wide in the Villages mobile home section.