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Problem housemate

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  • 03-08-2012 3:31am
    #1
    civis_liberalis
    Registered Users Posts: 3,772 ✭✭✭


    I am renting in a house along with 4 other people. There is no lease. It was originally rented by 2 girls, who for their own reasons, agreed with the landlord that they would look after keeping the rooms occupied and that the landlord would just get the rent for the whole house every four weeks.

    That agreement was made 3 or 4 years ago I think and neither my myself nor anybody currently living in the house had any such agreement with the landlords. I rent a room and pay individually every month.

    There is a tenant who seemed fine at first, opinionated, but generally friendly. He has now turned into a nightmare. He was politely asked if he would mind not playing loud music / loud tv on his laptop right outside the door of the downstairs bedroom (not mine). Instead of going somewhere else, like the sitting room which god knows would have been more comfortable, he seemed to permanently move his late night activities outside this person's room and seemed to make a very obvious point of playing music twice as loud as before and his behaviour is akin to that of an autistic child who has no control over themselves sometimes, screaming and shouting randomly at the top of his voice. When he eventually does go to bed in the early hours, he bangs the kitchen door loudly up to a dozen times.

    Another tenant came home a few evenings ago to find him likely stoned, miles away, on the couch with the kitchen black with smoke and flames coming from the top of the electric hob.

    He works in the food industry but I have seen him do things that worry me, not just because he works in that trade, but because even if I'm lucky enough to find cutlery or dishes that are clean, I have to wash them again anyway and make sure to use my own dish towel, because I don't know what the one in the kitchen has last been used to wipe.

    I could list a lot of other things, but the bottom line is, what do you guys think is the best course of action?

    The landlords try having absolutely nothing to do with the house. When there has been the odd problem with things breaking down, they were fine. Dragged their feet, but in fairness, they did sort it.

    This sort of thing though they are not going to want to touch with a barge pole.

    How should I go about it?

    My money situation isn't great but I hope to be able to leave soon. I would like their to be consequences for this **** though.

    He is the reason I'm awake and posting on boards at this hour on a week night.


Comments

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    #2
    StillWaters
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,799 ✭✭✭StillWaters


    Have you and the other housemates informed the LL of this tenant's behaviour?


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    #3
    civis_liberalis
    Registered Users Posts: 3,772 ✭✭✭civis_liberalis


    They haven't. The LL won't give a monkeys. Doesn't want anything to do with the house apart from stand on the front step for 10 seconds every 4 weeks.


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    #4
    StillWaters
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,799 ✭✭✭StillWaters


    How do you know if you haven't informed him? This tenant is renting directly from the LL, so that's the only recourse open to you. You cannot evict him or force him to change his behaviour, only the LL can do that.

    I'd imagine the LL to be very interested if all his tenants are threatening to leave unless he deals with one problem one.


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    #5
    odds_on
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,869 ✭✭✭odds_on


    StillWaters wrote: »
    How do you know if you haven't informed him? This tenant is renting directly from the LL, so that's the only recourse open to you. You cannot evict him or force him to change his behaviour, only the LL can do that.

    I'd imagine the LL to be very interested if all his tenants are threatening to leave unless he deals with one problem one.

    If the landlord has nothing to do with this unruly person and the letting to him was through the other two "main" tenants, pays his rent to them then he is a lodger/licensee with a live-in landlord - the two "main" tenants. Likewise, OP, if you have rented your room from the two "main" tenants, you are also a lodger/licensee and not a tenant of the owner/landlord of the property.

    The problem then arises if the "main" tenants are happy with the situation, there is not a lot the OP can do. Lodgers/licensees have very little rights so therefore they can be asked to leave at any time and notice can be as short as immediately in cases where there is danger to the occupants or fabric of the building. They are not regulated by the PRTB.


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    #6
    the_syco
    Registered Users Posts: 37,299 ✭✭✭✭the_syco


    odds_on wrote: »
    Likewise, OP, if you have rented your room from the two "main" tenants, you are also a lodger/licensee and not a tenant of the owner/landlord of the property.
    By the sounds of it, the two girls of since moved.
    civis_liberalis wrote: »
    That agreement was made 3 or 4 years ago I think and neither my myself nor anybody currently living in the house had any such agreement with the landlords. I rent a room and pay individually every month.
    OP; have you signed any sort of lease? And was the rent more or less than a months rent?


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    #7
    odds_on
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,869 ✭✭✭odds_on


    the_syco wrote: »
    By the sounds of it, the two girls of since moved.

    OP; have you signed any sort of lease? And was the rent more or less than a months rent?

    Perhaps the OP could clarify if either of the two original tenants is still in the house and to whom she currently pays the rent; and if the rent is paid to the landlord as a single lump sum for the whole house.


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    #8
    Funnyonion79
    Registered Users Posts: 569 ✭✭✭Funnyonion79


    It sounds like the original lease agreement was with the two girls 3/4 years ago and when they left, they got other people in and the 5 people currently living in the house all pay their rent seperately to the landlord, who collects it in person every 4 weeks.

    If this is the case, then you all need to say it to the landlord, the next time he comes to collect the rent - as another poster said - if 4 people are threatening to move out over 1 person, then the landlord is 100% going to ask the problem person to leave or change his behaviour.

    Talk to the landlord. Your lack of lease etc doesn't matter. You all pay rent directly to him (including the problem tenant) so he's the person you need to speak to.


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    #9
    ebixa82
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 1,289 ✭✭✭ebixa82


    civis_liberalis wrote: »
    I am renting in a house along with 4 other people. There is no lease. It was originally rented by 2 girls, who for their own reasons, agreed with the landlord that they would look after keeping the rooms occupied and that the landlord would just get the rent for the whole house every four weeks.

    That agreement was made 3 or 4 years ago I think and neither my myself nor anybody currently living in the house had any such agreement with the landlords. I rent a room and pay individually every month.

    There is a tenant who seemed fine at first, opinionated, but generally friendly. He has now turned into a nightmare. He was politely asked if he would mind not playing loud music / loud tv on his laptop right outside the door of the downstairs bedroom (not mine). Instead of going somewhere else, like the sitting room which god knows would have been more comfortable, he seemed to permanently move his late night activities outside this person's room and seemed to make a very obvious point of playing music twice as loud as before and his behaviour is akin to that of an autistic child who has no control over themselves sometimes, screaming and shouting randomly at the top of his voice. When he eventually does go to bed in the early hours, he bangs the kitchen door loudly up to a dozen times.

    Another tenant came home a few evenings ago to find him likely stoned, miles away, on the couch with the kitchen black with smoke and flames coming from the top of the electric hob.

    He works in the food industry but I have seen him do things that worry me, not just because he works in that trade, but because even if I'm lucky enough to find cutlery or dishes that are clean, I have to wash them again anyway and make sure to use my own dish towel, because I don't know what the one in the kitchen has last been used to wipe.

    I could list a lot of other things, but the bottom line is, what do you guys think is the best course of action?

    The landlords try having absolutely nothing to do with the house. When there has been the odd problem with things breaking down, they were fine. Dragged their feet, but in fairness, they did sort it.

    This sort of thing though they are not going to want to touch with a barge pole.

    How should I go about it?

    My money situation isn't great but I hope to be able to leave soon. I would like their to be consequences for this **** though.

    He is the reason I'm awake and posting on boards at this hour on a week night.

    Be very grateful no lease has been signed and you are free to walk whenever you want. It's a renter's market. Move out asap and don't look back.


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    #10
    okiss
    Registered Users Posts: 698 ✭✭✭okiss


    If you don't want to move out of this house you need to speak to your landlord about this person.
    A few years ago I lived in a house with a few bedsits. We got a new tenent into the house who was a nightmare. When he had a few drinks in him he would make comments to one women living in the house of sexual nature or ask her a lot of personal questions. Another thing he was fond of doing was coming in drunk, cooking a fry, chatting to his friends at the top of his voice or singing along to the radio when doing this. We told the landlord about this and he chatted to this guy but nothing changed.
    The rest of the house got chatting about what was happening and we rang the landlord to meet us. We all told the landlord that his choice was to keep the tenent from hell or watch 3 of us walk. We could not put up with been woken up at night, the comments and the total lack of consideration and the fact it was only a matter of time before he started a fire.
    If you landlord wants good tenents who pay the rent on time he needs to get rid of this guy and tell him you will move if this does not happen.


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    #11
    odds_on
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,869 ✭✭✭odds_on


    ebixa82 wrote: »
    Be very grateful no lease has been signed and you are free to walk whenever you want. It's a renter's market. Move out asap and don't look back.
    The fact that a tenant has not signed a lease does not void a tenant's obligations. Each tenant will have a Part 4 tenancy and if they wish to leave must give the landlord notice in writing with the correct notice period which depends on the length of time they have been in occupation of the property and they can keep their deposit excepting for damages above normal wear and tear.

    If there was a Fixed Term lease, a tenant cannot just give notice and leave, without losing their deposit.


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