As the credit crunch bites more and more people are tempted to rent out rooms in their homes. But while taking in a lodger may seem an ideal way to help make ever increasing mortgage payments there are important pitfalls to avoid. The wrong lodger could leave you worse off than before you started.

Some of the things that can go wrong if you don't take care in vetting the prospective tenant properly are:

Lodgers running up large phone bills by calling premium rate phone numbers or making long foreign calls from your landline.

Lodgers targetting homes with young resident children with the intention of grooming them or worse.

Lodgers using your address to gain credit and then leaving you with an associated black mark on your credit rating.

Lodgers have even been known to wait until their landlords go on holiday and then take deposits and sign contracts to rent out the house as a furnished letting, and then disappear with the money leaving the landlord to deal with the resulting mess.

Lodgers stealing from their landlords.

Lodgers damaging property or causing trouble with neighbours.

Landlords finding it difficult to remove lodgers if they prove not to be suitable.

According to LetaLife.com the top UK property rental website which sees over 3 million users a year, personal safety needs to be a higher priority for home owners than making a few extra pounds.

Spokeswoman Michele at LetaLife says 'taking sensible precautions before letting out property is never a waste of effort. Reference checking is very important and could make the difference between a happy experience and a nightmare one.'

Some careful research and reading up on landlords responsibilities and rights is also a good thing to do before starting to look for a tenant.

The disaster stories are thankfully not the common experience, but they can be avoided with careful planning and foresight.

Once you have reassured yourself that you have protected yourself by taking adequate steps then LetaLife.com is a good place to advertise your vacancy and start vetting the tenants who contact you.