Protect Your Home Security When Taking In Boarders

In these difficult economic times, families across the United States are looking to save pennies in whatever way they can

. This might mean cutting out on entertainment expenses, driving that beat-up car through one more brutal winter, and buying used or second-hand instead of new. But for some Americans especially those who have lost income after being laid-off or furloughed, or seeing contracts dry up cutting costs simply is not enough. You need to find a way to generate extra income, as well.

One way that many Americans are turning towards to increase their earnings is renting out spare rooms in their house. If you have a room above the garage, or if your children have finally moved out for good, this might be a great opportunity to make some money off of the house you are already living in. Depending on your neighborhood, the going rate for rent could be enough to pay off your monthly mortgage bill!

But when you take on a boarder, you are also putting your family's home security at risk. This does not mean you should not do it most people, regardless of financial situation, could use an extra $500 a month, or whatever you might be able to charge but rather that you should take the proper precautions so that it turns out to be a pleasant experience for everyone involved.

The first thing you should do when looking for someone to rent a room is ask them for references from a previous landlord. Once you have that reference, make sure to actually call and find out what kind of tenant that person was. If you hear any red flags, you can stop the person from moving in before they affect your life and home security!

You can also do a background check on a potential renter. You can start with an informal check, like looking on various social media websites to find any relevant information. But you can also pay services to do a formal background check, which includes looking for a criminal record. This might seem excessive, but sometimes it is hard to tell who the bad guys are, and your home security is incredibly important.

Once they have moved in, there are a number of things you can do to bolster your home security with a new guest. If the boarder has a separate entrance, then make sure that his or her door has a different lock on it, so that the renter cannot enter your part of the house. If you will all be entering and exiting through the same common areas, then this is a bit trickier. One important thing to do is to establish specific, explicit rules with the boarder, telling them which rooms they are allowed to enter, if they are allowed to have guests, and if there are specific times that they can or cannot be in common spaces. A final tip would be to keep some of your most valuable items in a safe in your room, like jewelry, cash, and passports.

Protect Your Home Security When Taking In Boarders

By: Oswald Melman

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