Handing Someone a Key to Your Home? Check These Things First

Handing someone a key to your property is a decision built on trust. The right checks depend on what kind of stay it is: a lodger living in your home, a house-sitter while you are away, a short-stay guest, or a friend of a friend who needs somewhere for a few weeks. Use this guide to match the checks to the risk.

The five questions to answer before any stay

1. Is this person who they say they are?
2. Can they meet the agreed terms? — rent, bills, duration.
3. How have they behaved in similar situations?
4. What exactly are we agreeing?
5. What happens if it goes wrong?

Lodger living in your home

• Verify identity in person against the original document
• Confirm income or ability to pay
• Speak to a previous landlord or host — ideally one you contact independently
• Meet more than once before agreeing
• Check your mortgage, lease and insurance allow a lodger
• Agree house rules on shared spaces, guests, noise and cleaning in writing

House-sitter while you are away

• Verify identity and get a reference from a previous house-sit
• Do a handover visit before you leave
• Photograph the property and valuables
• Agree responsibilities: pets, plants, post, security
• Leave emergency contacts and a trusted neighbour's number

Short-stay guest

• Use booking platform verification and check booking history
• Confirm the number of guests and purpose of the stay
• Require agreement to house rules before booking
• Photograph every turnover — see how to screen short-term rental guests

Friend of a friend

These are often the least checked stays and the most awkward when they go wrong. Treat them like any other arrangement:

• Agree a firm end date in writing
• Agree any contribution to rent or bills
• Still verify identity if you have never met
• Be clear about keys, guests and use of the home

Always put it in writing

Even a short email agreement should cover the dates, any payment, deposit, house rules, what happens if something is damaged and how either side can end the arrangement. Legal status matters: in some countries a long informal stay can give the occupier rights that are hard to end, so check local rules before agreeing an open-ended stay.

Decision guide

• Proceed when identity is verified, terms are agreed in writing and there is independent evidence of good past conduct.
• Pause when references cannot be contacted independently or answers about past stays are vague.
• Decline when someone refuses identity verification, pressures you to skip an agreement or wants to pay in unusual ways.

Base your decision on conduct and verifiable facts — never on characteristics such as race, religion or nationality.

Check a record, not just a feeling

With RRSource, someone who wants to stay can share a verified Reputation Record showing how they have behaved as a tenant, guest or lodger — including how any disagreements were resolved. You can also build your own record as a fair host.

Lodger, occupier and short-let rules vary by country and city.