Annoying Lodger

johnwest288

odds_on wrote: »

Sent you a Private message, an example of House Rules.

Can you send me that too

johnwest288

I have rented to dozens of people over the years Most are Fab, Your gonna get the small percentage of Eeejits :rolleyes: dont get put off by it.
I could write a book !

HardyEustace

johnwest288 wrote: »

I have rented to dozens of people over the years Most are Fab, Your gonna get the small percentage of Eeejits :rolleyes: dont get put off by it.

Thats a great point. The vast majority of people are very nice and very accomodating. Its just a shame that its happened on your first tenant, not everyone is like that. I've made some great friends through house-sharing.

However, one thing to remember is that something that might seem blindingly obvious and common courtesy to you, may not seem "normal" to another person. Its always a good idea to go through the house rules when interviewing people. You'll get a good idea of what kind of person they are from their reactions to the rules.

While obviously, living on your own is a luxury not everyone can afford, and equally, the rent money goes a very long way towards helping with the mortgage and bills, remember that its your home as well. You shouldn't be in a position where you dread coming home or open the door of your house with trepidation. This goes for both owner-occupiers and their tenants.

I had a difficult tenant whom I gave notice to and it was only after they moved out that I realised just how stressful it was on myself and the other person in the house to have them there. Within reason (bills still have to paid), life is too short to put up with that kind of crap.

Francie Barrett

If someone did that in my house, I would put them out.

oflahero

Next time the boyfriend is around, ask him for his own house keys so you can make copies of them. It's only fair. Let him know you'll be popping round occasionally for a cup of tea, and it's OK if he's not there, you don't mind.

M cebee

i would get rid

stepped over the line giving bf key


and it's a sign of worse to come

BobMc

ilovefridays wrote: »

he wasnt given a key, he had the cheek to go out and get one cut himself.
I'm going to ask him for the key back before he leaves tonight, ill say its for security reasons. If they dont like it, they can both leave.

Get a Mul-T-Lock cylinder installed, the locksmith will supply one you should be able to install handy enough, they cant get a spare key cut then with out the authorised card (supplied with the lock) prevents unwanted key cutting

Emme

I would get rid of her. Do it as nicely as possible. Say one of your relatives is looking for somewhere to stay and when they're gone change the locks pronto.

If they're behaving like this after only two weeks goodness knows what they'll be like later on. I say "they" instead of "she" because it seems clear to me they intended moving in as a couple but she got the room.

You can ask them to leave before 6 months, but after that she might have more rights (Part 4 tenancy) and you won't be able to get rid of her as easily. I don't know if the Part 4 tenancy is the same with lodgers as it is with tenants of a non-owner occupied property, but under a Part 4 tenancy a tenant has considerable rights. Which is fair and the way it should be as most tenants are fine.

Get rid of her now, because the money she's bringing in will only be eaten up in the costs of cleaning up etc. If she's leaving the kitchen in a state after 2 weeks goodness knows what she and her boyfriend will do later on if you allow them to stay.

He overstepped the mark by copying a key to your place. That compromises security and could invalidate your house insurance. You'd want to check this out with your insurance company.

Get rid.

djimi

Emme wrote: »

You can ask them to leave before 6 months, but after that she might have more rights (Part 4 tenancy) and you won't be able to get rid of her as easily. I don't know if the Part 4 tenancy is the same with lodgers as it is with tenants of a non-owner occupied property, but under a Part 4 tenancy a tenant has considerable rights. Which is fair and the way it should be as most tenants are fine.
Get rid.

Shes fine on that regard; part 4 tenancy does not cover lodgers.

Zamboni

Out the door.
End of.

If she is in your house come next week you've only yourself to blame for all future issues that arise.

the_syco

If she has this much respect for your property now, imagine what will happen if you go on holiday, or have to be away for a weekend? I'm thinking she'll invite an army of tards over to party in yours.

Of course, she won't clean up the place when they leave, going by her past record... :eek:

flowerific

johnwest288 wrote: »

Can you send me that too

Same, I'd like to get a copy please

ilovefridays

johnwest288 wrote: »

I have rented to dozens of people over the years Most are Fab, Your gonna get the small percentage of Eeejits :rolleyes: dont get put off by it.
I could write a book !

let me know when your book is on sale....Ill buy it

ilovefridays

BobMc wrote: »

Get a Mul-T-Lock cylinder installed, the locksmith will supply one you should be able to install handy enough, they cant get a spare key cut then with out the authorised card (supplied with the lock) prevents unwanted key cutting

someone actually advised me of this yesterday, but isnt it quite expensive to get done?

ilovefridays

Emme wrote: »

I would get rid of her. Do it as nicely as possible. Say one of your relatives is looking for somewhere to stay and when they're gone change the locks pronto.

If they're behaving like this after only two weeks goodness knows what they'll be like later on. I say "they" instead of "she" because it seems clear to me they intended moving in as a couple but she got the room.

You can ask them to leave before 6 months, but after that she might have more rights (Part 4 tenancy) and you won't be able to get rid of her as easily. I don't know if the Part 4 tenancy is the same with lodgers as it is with tenants of a non-owner occupied property, but under a Part 4 tenancy a tenant has considerable rights. Which is fair and the way it should be as most tenants are fine.

Get rid of her now, because the money she's bringing in will only be eaten up in the costs of cleaning up etc. If she's leaving the kitchen in a state after 2 weeks goodness knows what she and her boyfriend will do later on if you allow them to stay.

He overstepped the mark by copying a key to your place. That compromises security and could invalidate your house insurance. You'd want to check this out with your insurance company.

Get rid.

your totally right, i did ring my insurance company and they told me that if the house was broken into, i actually wouldnt be covered the fact that someone that doesnt live here has a key.
regarding her rights, she doesnt have any rights, she isnt a tenant, she is only a licencee because I own the apartment and am living here, if i wasnt living here and was renting it out then she would be classed as a tenant and would have tenant rights.

ilovefridays

the_syco wrote: »

If she has this much respect for your property now, imagine what will happen if you go on holiday, or have to be away for a weekend? I'm thinking she'll invite an army of tards over to party in yours.

Of course, she won't clean up the place when they leave, going by her past record... :eek:

funny you saying that, cos im actually due to go abroad in june for a weekend, and i was thinking to myself 'i better not tell her im going away, cos she will have a party or something planned'

ilovefridays

Latest update,
after me taking the keys off the boyfriend the other nite, the next day she came home and told me she lost her keys. I told her i dont have a spare copy, she mentioned the 'copy i took off her BF the night before', i said 'i dont know where i put them'. she came in tonight with her key. i said 'Oh i see you found your keys then:rolleyes:
she left the place in a state this morning, food stains all over kitchen and muck all over sittingroom floor.
So I told her tonight that things arent working out and im sorry but she has to leave. she didnt even try defend herself or ask why, she just said 'OKAY, can i stay one more week, to find somewhere else'.
its not worth the money (even though the money helps with my mortgage and bills) I'd rather struggle than put up with all that sh*te. A bit of respect goes a long way.
I've learned a big lesson for next time......
thanks for all your replies and advise, i really appreciate it.;)

radioactiveman

Hi OP
Next time when you get someone in, apart from giving rules, try to talk to them when they come to view the room.
Have a good chat with them and see what type of people they are.

You won't catch everything after a few minutes talking to them but it will give you a fairly good indication. The better you are at detecting gob****es at this stage, the more daft behaviour you will avoid.

Especially try to outline some of the rules in passing. If they have a major problem with any of them (assuming they're reasonable) you will see it there and then before anything is agreed.

It might be ok to have an eejit in a non owner-occupied house but when you're living there it's a different matter. There are really a lot of renters who ignore the fact that you have rights as well even though you're the landlord.

Kaner2004

BobMc wrote: »

Get a Mul-T-Lock cylinder installed, the locksmith will supply one you should be able to install handy enough, they cant get a spare key cut then with out the authorised card (supplied with the lock) prevents unwanted key cutting

dont bother. i had these and people still got spare keys without me getting them. so i went around about 10 shops to see if i could persuade them to duplicate the key without showing any authorization.

80% duplicated the key no problem. another 15% did it for a tenner bribe.
5 % refused. rough %s but you get the idea.

the_syco

Does anyone know if the OP can use part of the deposit to change the locks, as the OP cannot know if yer wans boyfriend has another copy made or not...

ProudDUB

Yes and no. Technically, the only valid reasons for with holding a deposit is for unpaid rent, or to take care of cleaning and or repair costs that are over and above what is considered to be normal wear and tear to return the property back to its former condition.

That being said, the tenants actions compromised the security of the OP's home, and rendered it less secure than it formerly was. Who knows how many people the tenant gave spare keys to, or how many spare keys the boyfriend cut from his? If the tenant broke a window, and the OP deducted the cost of repair from the deposit, no one at the PRTB would quibble about her doing so. If the OP deducts the cost of a lock change from the deposit, I think that she'd be ok. She is only doing what she needs to do to return the property to its former level of security, where only the tenant and the land lord have keys to it.

odds_on

ProudDUB wrote: »

Yes and no. Technically, the only valid reasons for with holding a deposit is for unpaid rent, or to take care of cleaning and or repair costs that are over and above what is considered to be normal wear and tear to return the property back to its former condition.

That being said, the tenants actions compromised the security of the OP's home, and rendered it less secure than it formerly was. Who knows how many people the tenant gave spare keys to, or how many spare keys the boyfriend cut from his? If the tenant broke a window, and the OP deducted the cost of repair from the deposit, no one at the PRTB would quibble about her doing so. If the OP deducts the cost of a lock change from the deposit, I think that she'd be ok. She is only doing what she needs to do to return the property to its former level of security, where only the tenant and the land lord have keys to it.

As this is a licensee in a house with a live-in or resident landlord, the PRTB does not come into it, a licence agreement is not registrable with the PRTB as it is outside their remit.
The landlord can with-hold any reasonable costs such as replacement locks, especially as copies of keys have been made and therefore a change of locks is required so as not to compromise the security of the property.

Just for the record, a tenancy where a tenant has an tenancy agreement for a specific room in a property, where the landlord is not resident, and shares facilities with other people is also not registrable with the PRTB.

ilovefridays

the_syco wrote: »

Does anyone know if the OP can use part of the deposit to change the locks, as the OP cannot know if yer wans boyfriend has another copy made or not...

i was thinking that too, who's to say they dont have another copy. and they know im out working all day.

Milk & Honey

Kaner2004 wrote: »

dont bother. i had these and people still got spare keys without me getting them. so i went around about 10 shops to see if i could persuade them to duplicate the key without showing any authorization.

80% duplicated the key no problem. another 15% did it for a tenner bribe.
5 % refused. rough %s but you get the idea.

I have a key system in Euro profile with a ball bearing on each key. Even the locksmith who supplied it cannot copy keys. They have to order copies from the original company.

quietsailor

Milk & Honey wrote: »

I have a key system in Euro profile with a ball bearing on each key. Even the locksmith who supplied it cannot copy keys. They have to order copies from the original company.

Can you give a link to this type of key please, people making unauthorised copies of my front door keys has always worried me

The Big Red Button

the_syco wrote: »

Does anyone know if the OP can use part of the deposit to change the locks, as the OP cannot know if yer wans boyfriend has another copy made or not...

Ah I'd say that would be a bit much!

I do agree that it was completely wrong for the boyfriend to have made a copy of the key.

But, I would imagine that it's only prudent for any landlord to replace locks after any tenant moves out. In my opinion, it's just another cost associated with being a landlord.

Bear in mind that most people who rent a room anywhere will get a spare copy of the keys cut, to give to a friend or family member, just in case they lose their keys and the landlord/flatmates aren't around. I know several people who do that. So, no matter how trustworthy your tenant is, you can't really be sure who else has a copy of the keys.

Obviously it's a pity that things didn't work out, and hopefully the next lodger will last a bit longer. But, if I were the landlord and if the girl moves out quietly without leaving any permanent damage, I'd cut my losses and refund the deposit in full. I don't think it would be worth the potential trouble of the girl and/or her boyfriend hassling you for it.

Emme

Well done OP. I'm sure you're glad she's going. When she's gone change the locks pronto. Even if you get both keys back there's no guarantee she won't copy the one she has on the sly and hang on to it.