Tenant Problems

lynsalot

Hey guys

Can someone help me out please. I've charged my tenant pro rata for bills as she moved out mid month. I used the last bills as a guideline to calculate what to charge. She's arguing i can't do this as it was colder in april/may than it is now and i'm overcharging her. I'm new to all this so i'm wondering what happens. Btw the apt is owner occupied and she is the only tenant.


She's also claiming she doesn't owe money for bills as she was away for 3 weeks back in February. Now when i checked the room I noticed damage to the flooring of the wardrobe like a chunk of wood is missing. Can I bring this to her attention?

There's a number of things that bothered me like she registered her boyfriend at my address with the bank without asking me so now I have two pieces of post for them - their joint account bank cards it seems. She left her balcony door wide open til afte midnight one night when she had left. i had to go into her room to close it when i went to bed. I didn't know she was out. She never even apologised.

Now I know this stuff has nothing to do with her rent but i'm just looking for feedback about this stuff. i think some of her claims are ridiculous and unfortunately I don't understand a lot about my rights.

Thanks

LegacyUser

not sure about the legalities but i'd be inclined to agree with her, re the heating/esb bills
the not paying cos she was away in february, is a load of rubbish however

i think some of her claims are ridiculous and unfortunately I don't understand a lot about my rights.

surely you should've looked into all this before you started taking in tentants?!

She left her balcony door wide open til afte midnight one night when she had left. i had to go into her room to close it when i went to bed. I didn't know she was out. She never even apologised.

ehh hold on a minute YOU went into HER private room when she wasn't there...and you expect HER to apologise??! absolutely unacceptable!!! you have no right to go into a tenants room! i remember a few years ago i was renting and came home to find a guy in my room fixing the radiator, the landlord never informed me, i had underwear strewn across the floor, had been in a hurry that morning, and there he was kneeling on my undies, needless to say i moved out 2 weeks later..

lynsalot

Lol @ underwear on the floor.

And yes of course i did... not to fix a radiator but to protect my property since there have been 7 burglaries in my block of apartments in the last 8 months... and i was going to bed and didn't fancy lying awake wondering if my place was going to be robbed. Tend to disagree with you i have to be honest. If we'd been robbed i wouldn't be insured..... very irresponsible thing to do. She rents the room... the contents being her business but if the apartment is put at risk then I really don't think stepping over dirty knickers to shut the door is a big deal.

tenchi-fan

whatthell wrote: »

ehh hold on a minute YOU went into HER private room when she wasn't there...and you expect HER to apologise??! absolutely unacceptable!!! you have no right to go into a tenants room!.

you're wrong there in my opinion. if someone gained entry through that window they could have robbed the place and endangered anyone else in the house.


Op, If you're sharing bills she should pay whether she was there or not. ESB and tv and sometimes bin are standing charges. Use some common sense though. Naturally esb for the time she was away would be a bit lower so don't charge as much.

As for the April / May argument.. if she was a good tenant I might let her off with a few euro. But heating is only one small part of the esb bill - washing machines, cooking, hair driers, hot water for showering, etc.

On one hand, you have to overlook a euro here and there to keep tenants happy. On the other, you can't let them walk all over you either.

If she's more hassle than she's worth get rid of her.

Esoteric_

To add to what the others have said, if she's done damage to anything (which you say she has), get an estimate of how much it'd cost you to repair the damage (get it on paper by somebody qualified to do the job) and deduct that amount from her deposit.

Also, ring threshold and enquire about your rights, they'd probably know more than us.

LegacyUser

This may be of use OP;
http://www.citizensinformation.ie/categories/housing/renting-a-home/sharing-accommodation-with-your-landlord

As your tenant lives with you in your own home, it's a very different situation than a landlord renting a whole house/apartment to tenants, and you're generally in a much stronger position than with other kinds of tenants.

Victor

Not really for Personal Issues. Moved to Accommodation & Property.

Denimgirl

lynsalot wrote: »

Lol @ underwear on the floor.

And yes of course i did... not to fix a radiator but to protect my property since there have been 7 burglaries in my block of apartments in the last 8 months... and i was going to bed and didn't fancy lying awake wondering if my place was going to be robbed. Tend to disagree with you i have to be honest. If we'd been robbed i wouldn't be insured..... very irresponsible thing to do. She rents the room... the contents being her business but if the apartment is put at risk then I really don't think stepping over dirty knickers to shut the door is a big deal.

People do forget to do things, you should have called or text her to ask her about going into her room,she is a paying tenent and is entitled to her privacy no matter what!I rented a lot in the past and not being bad but living with the owner of a property is a big no! no!(I have done it more than once) they become over bearing and controlling, like this is my castle!! but are quick enough to take your money!I would never do it again!!

Denimgirl

Denimgirl wrote: »

People do forget to do things, you should have called or text her to ask her about going into her room,she is a paying tenent and is entitled to her privacy no matter what!I rented a lot in the past and not being bad but living with the owner of a property is a big no! no!(I have done it more than once) they become over bearing and controlling, like this is my castle!! but are quick enough to take your money!I would never do it again!!

I understand where you're coming from but in a case like this, I think the security issues override the privacy issues. You can't go out and leave an outside door open. if you do, well, you can expect someone to close it. I've lived in places where other tenants would do it if someone went out and forgot. It's a risk for burglary but also personal safety - any nutter could come into the house.

goat2

lynsalot wrote: »

Hey guys

Can someone help me out please. I've charged my tenant pro rata for bills as she moved out mid month. I used the last bills as a guideline to calculate what to charge. She's arguing i can't do this as it was colder in april/may than it is now and i'm overcharging her. I'm new to all this so i'm wondering what happens. Btw the apt is owner occupied and she is the only tenant.


She's also claiming she doesn't owe money for bills as she was away for 3 weeks back in February. Now when i checked the room I noticed damage to the flooring of the wardrobe like a chunk of wood is missing. Can I bring this to her attention?

There's a number of things that bothered me like she registered her boyfriend at my address with the bank without asking me so now I have two pieces of post for them - their joint account bank cards it seems. She left her balcony door wide open til afte midnight one night when she had left. i had to go into her room to close it when i went to bed. I didn't know she was out. She never even apologised.

Now I know this stuff has nothing to do with her rent but i'm just looking for feedback about this stuff. i think some of her claims are ridiculous and unfortunately I don't understand a lot about my rights.

Thanks

she is right about the bill being taken from the april bill, as the heating and electric would be much bigger that month, the days were shorter, and colder so more light and heat was used, it is illegal to do that, i would take the fall, or wait for proper bill and if she were there for only one of the two months the bill covers, i would then charge a quarter of the bill, no more

as for the flooring and other damage, this is what the deposit is for, you keep what it costs to fix

convert

Heating charges may be lower for June/July, but I've always found that the ESB doesn't really change by much unless, of course, the heating is electric rather than gas. However, the use of other appliances such as TV, microwave, oven, lights, laptops, etc. doesn't really change much. So maybe it would go down a little, but it would only be a few euro, max. of €10 I'd reckon, so I'd say she's just being a moany c*w and that you're better off without her.

As for her not being there for three weeks in February: that depends on the agreement you have with her. If it was stated that she'd only be charged for when she's there, then she probably wouldn't have to pay, but if she agreed to sharing all the bills then she has to fork out for what's owed. If she's taking up a room in the house then she has to pay her share of the bills.

Regarding the damage to the wardrobe, definitely draw it to her attention, get an estimate for the repair and tell her that you'll be taking this (plus the money she owes for the bills if she doesn't pay you now) out of the deposit. Then send her copies of the receipts and bills.

As for registering her boyfriend at your address. That's just way out of line. If she's still living with you and her name is on the envelope, then you'll have to give it to her. If she's moved out out or if it's just her boyfriend's name on the letter then just write 'Not known/No longer at this address. Return to sender'.

HardyEustace

Why not just buy a key and get meter readings for the esb and the gas?

If you have your previous bill (and if not it's no problem to get it re-issued), then it's very easy to figure out how much a bill should be mid month.

If there's damage to the floor then get two quotes for it and charge for it.

With regard to her leaving the balcony door open, yes, you were right to go in and close it but don't let it bother you know.

Your priorities are to ensure that you are compensated for the floor damage, to make sure that she pays her fair share of the bills. Anything else doesn't matter.

m5ex9oqjawdg2i

She cannot pick and chose what she is paying for. The bills are there to be split by occupants, if she wants to take a holiday or whatever, she still has to pay half, however unfair that may seem. I still pay my share when I go on holidays...

ilovesleep

whatthell wrote: »

ehh hold on a minute YOU went into HER private room when she wasn't there...and you expect HER to apologise??! absolutely unacceptable!!! you have no right to go into a tenants room! i remember a few years ago i was renting and came home to find a guy in my room fixing the radiator, the landlord never informed me, i had underwear strewn across the floor, had been in a hurry that morning, and there he was kneeling on my undies, needless to say i moved out 2 weeks later..

at least your knickers were where they belong - on the bedroom floor. I often come home in the evening to find that I have thrown my knickers on the kitchen floor in the morning. I would die if my landlord came in unexpectedly. God knows what he would find.

convert

ilovesleep wrote: »

at least your knickers were where they belong - on the bedroom floor. I often come home in the evening to find that I have thrown my knickers on the kitchen floor in the morning. I would die if my landlord came in unexpectedly. God knows what he would find.

Gross! Thanks for that image. :eek: Knickers in the kitchen?! Disgusting! :mad:


Seriously, if the window/door was open and somebody could have gotten in, then I see no reason why the landlord shouldn't have gone into the room to reduce the risk of the place getting robbed. If the place had been robbed and all the tenant's stuff stolen, I'm pretty sure she wouldn't have accepted an explanation along the lines of: "well, I knew you had left the window/door open, but seeing as I'd have to have gone into your private room when you weren't there in order to close it I decided not to and to leave it open".

lynsalot

Hey guys

Thanks for the replies.

I've taken the previous bills and divided costs per day and multiplied by length of time here since last billing. It seemed the only fair option. We haven't had heating on in months so the gas shouldn't have changed. She doesn't pay for tv because she doesn't watch it. Thats fine. We agreed on that from the start. She actually doesn't ever watch a thing on tv. So I pay the bill and she pays half t he internet. I'm honestly not trying to do her out of money she's owed. She paid for the bills late every time... the last time being a month late and paid me end of may for bills which came in at the beginning of may. So i'm looking for money from her since beginning of may to last weekend. Yes she's moved out now.

She told me last week to take some money from the deposit for household items she'd never contributed for. I deducted 20 quid (dishwasher tablets/ bin bags/ tin foil/ wasing up liquid and cleaning products) Now she had her own cleaning products for her ensuite and room and never used them in the kitchen. She is claiming that she was so tidy that she shouldn't have to pay for this stuff. That because i did more cooking (She made sandwiches in the evening mostly) that i'd have used up more rubbish than her. The entire argument is ridiculous to be honest. It became such a nightmare in my place that even my boyfriend and best friend didn't like to be here. I never said anything because it really only got this uncomfortable 6 weeks before she left and she'd given notice from then so I knew she was leaving.

I'm a smoker and would ONLY smoke on the balcony. Never in the apartment - personally don't like it and don't expect a non smoker to put up with it. If her balcony door was open which was a lot, she'd bang it shut and make faces. I felt so uncomfortable (in my own home)

I'd even shut over her door and kinda smile and say will i shut this door for you and re-open it when i'm finished. But nothing but a scowl from her. thats why I knew she wasn't in last friday. I shut the door over. She wasn't in her room. I didn't want to seem like I was taking liberties by shutting her door... but then the smell of smoke would annoy her... jesus i'm so relieved she's gone its unnatural.

Sorry I'm kinda letting off steam here and ranting but its great to be able to.

The reason I didn't look into all this stuff before renting room out, was my ex and I broke up (Got separated) and it was very drawn out and acrimonious and I needed a tenant asap to help with mortgage and bills. I've had a ****e few months but i'll be learning from my mistakes.

Spoke to the new girl, we're splitting household things, sharing coffee/tea etc. She's as easy going as me and hopefully it'll work out. But I'm glad I've already laid the ground rules. Feel a lot more comfortable sitting down and speaking with her than I did with the last girl.

My previous tenant wrote me an email making reference to my ex and the breakdown of my marriage which was what i received before i posted on boards so to say i was upset was an understatement. (the reason she knew about my marriage was I changed my name back to my maiden name and she saw post in my married name and i'm quite open and honest so told her)

tenchi-fan

You're certainly better off without her.

But here's a word of warning. There are an awful lot worse out there!

My advice is to nip problems in the bud. If you see something you don't like mention it, and depending on the tenant's reaction you can decide whether they're worth keeping.

Also never allow a tenant to use up their deposit to pay for rent.

goat2

lynsalot wrote: »

Hey guys

Thanks for the replies.

I've taken the previous bills and divided costs per day and multiplied by length of time here since last billing. It seemed the only fair option. We haven't had heating on in months so the gas shouldn't have changed. She doesn't pay for tv because she doesn't watch it. Thats fine. We agreed on that from the start. She actually doesn't ever watch a thing on tv. So I pay the bill and she pays half t he internet. I'm honestly not trying to do her out of money she's owed. She paid for the bills late every time... the last time being a month late and paid me end of may for bills which came in at the beginning of may. So i'm looking for money from her since beginning of may to last weekend. Yes she's moved out now.

She told me last week to take some money from the deposit for household items she'd never contributed for. I deducted 20 quid (dishwasher tablets/ bin bags/ tin foil/ wasing up liquid and cleaning products) Now she had her own cleaning products for her ensuite and room and never used them in the kitchen. She is claiming that she was so tidy that she shouldn't have to pay for this stuff. That because i did more cooking (She made sandwiches in the evening mostly) that i'd have used up more rubbish than her. The entire argument is ridiculous to be honest. It became such a nightmare in my place that even my boyfriend and best friend didn't like to be here. I never said anything because it really only got this uncomfortable 6 weeks before she left and she'd given notice from then so I knew she was leaving.

I'm a smoker and would ONLY smoke on the balcony. Never in the apartment - personally don't like it and don't expect a non smoker to put up with it. If her balcony door was open which was a lot, she'd bang it shut and make faces. I felt so uncomfortable (in my own home)

I'd even shut over her door and kinda smile and say will i shut this door for you and re-open it when i'm finished. But nothing but a scowl from her. thats why I knew she wasn't in last friday. I shut the door over. She wasn't in her room. I didn't want to seem like I was taking liberties by shutting her door... but then the smell of smoke would annoy her... jesus i'm so relieved she's gone its unnatural.

Sorry I'm kinda letting off steam here and ranting but its great to be able to.

The reason I didn't look into all this stuff before renting room out, was my ex and I broke up (Got separated) and it was very drawn out and acrimonious and I needed a tenant asap to help with mortgage and bills. I've had a ****e few months but i'll be learning from my mistakes.

Spoke to the new girl, we're splitting household things, sharing coffee/tea etc. She's as easy going as me and hopefully it'll work out. But I'm glad I've already laid the ground rules. Feel a lot more comfortable sitting down and speaking with her than I did with the last girl.

My previous tenant wrote me an email making reference to my ex and the breakdown of my marriage which was what i received before i posted on boards so to say i was upset was an understatement. (the reason she knew about my marriage was I changed my name back to my maiden name and she saw post in my married name and i'm quite open and honest so told her)

how long did you put up with her and her bossy way, i would have had her out as soon as i felt uncomfortable in her presence,