Living with landlord problem

owen85

Hi everyone.

im sharing a house with the landlord and 3 others. ive lived here for over a year and during that time, the landlord likes to complain about a lot of little things. he and my gf leave their bicycles in the hall. i leave my bike in the giant kitchen...no issue of space.... and one of the girls locks her bike up in the front garden.

the other girl just bought a bike and sometimes leaves it in the kitchen. the landlord has complained to be about the amount of bikes everywhere...i said the girls bike in the kitchen wont be their for long as shes trying to buy a lock for it and will probably leave it out the front of the house.he said he cant complain to all the girls and tell them to move their bike from the kitchen while i can leave mine there. i said i dont want to leave mine in the garage because 1)my bike cost me 600euro, 2)the garage is full of rubbish and lots of logs etc 3) i dont think its too secure. my bike is a racer and the wheels can damage quite easily as too can the paint job. i dont think the landlord really cares too much if things would fall against it in the garage and ive come back a few time to see complete strangers making cabinets etc in the garage. the place fills with saw dust and again, i dont think theyd care too much about the bike if it was there.

i said to the landlord that although its his house, i feel that i should have the right to chose where i leave my bike as i pay rent to live here. he said no i dont have the right, and him giving the garage for use was an extra and hes being nice that way. hes complained that ive got another bike in the garage now.

he also said that although i can probably manage carrying by bike downstairs into teh kitchen, the girl and sometimes the girls cant manage it and scratch the paint on the walls.... i have to agree with this being a problem.

what would you guys do about this?
i dont want to damage the relationship with the landlord

TheChizler

Personally I wouldn't keep my bike in the kitchen, for both hygiene reasons and that it's the most used room in the house so likely to get knocked over/be in the way etc. Could you get a cover for it and lock it to something in the garage?

Meathlass

Keep it in your bedroom?

owen85

the kitchen is huge, i mean huge, its got a study corner and lounge area in it. its def not down to hygiene with the landlord.
theres nothing to lock the bike too in the garage and i think id have to make something to hang the bike from to try to get it away from any possibilities of damage. its a bit of effort but it might come down to this. would still prefer to leave it in the kitchen though.

the bedroom is too small to fit the bike in unfortunately.


the landlord goes through these phases of complaining about everything. wants everything his way but cant take into account what we may want. i said this to him but he said he doesnt, all the girls agree that he does. ugh, the hassle of living with people.

MouseTail

That is madness, having bikes everywhere in the house when there is a garage. I would hate a bicycle in my kitchen.

Sadderday

ALL bikes in the garage/shed for everyone to be happy.

Th3B1tcH

How bout getting a small bike rack/stand with a cover that you all can use ?
Offer to split cost between all or meet LL half way and agree it remains there after you leave

owen85

its not as simple as that. theres a lane was running behind the rear garden. there are large double doors that lead from the lane way into the garage which arent that sturdy. the landlord screwed some wood into the on the inside to "secure" them. reckon 2 lads could kick in the door. the entrance from the lane into the back garden has a sturdy door, but once you open the lock from the lane, go into the garden, lock the door from the inside, the next person entering via the lane cant get in....which results in people having to bring their bikes through the house,,,, scraping the paint more often and then locking them in the pretty unsecure garage.

the way it is at the moment isnt so bad, the girls bikes are 50 euro bikes and i reckon they dont mind leaving them out the front. i def dont want to do this, my bike would be gone in a sec...teh neighborhood isnt the kind of place you leave a nice looking bike out the front.

so back to what i should do about this...do you think its reasonable for a live in landlord to push for something like this, when everyone else living here seems ok with the setup a the moment.

davo10

Bikes in the kitchen? Do you wash it every time you bring it in?

You pay rent to live in the house, not to park your bike in communal areas where food is prepared and eaten. Bring it to your bedroom which is your private area or leave it in the shed. You are a licencee rather than a tenant so he can kick you out if you are being a pain about it.

I think it's completely reasonable for him it insist on this and unreasonable for you to push for it. There's the difference, he owns the house, you just pay him to live there.

Thoie

owen85 wrote: »

so back to what i should do about this...do you think its reasonable for a live in landlord to push for something like this, when everyone else living here seems ok with the setup a the moment.

Yes, I think it's reasonable for him to push on it. I think a bike shed is the best option, or failing that, buy yourself some kind of cover for the bike for the garage.

Arbiter of Good Taste

Bikes in a kitchen? Just gross

owen85

if i ran over something nasty, yes i would wash it. kind of agree with you davo, but the house is usually pretty chilled out, the landlord leaves his stuff around the kitchen, pc, pottery making stuff etc. the girls dont really. i guess i feel a bit more annoyed about this because the landlord keeps pushing his opinion on how things should be done in the house, even though he doesnt realise what he does makes everyone else feel uncomfortable. the rest of us take great care of the house and clean a lot, while he doesnt. having someone pushing his ways too much gets annoying.

your point about he owns the house and we just pay to live there....this is a good point. to live here, surely that means we have a choice in where we leave things.if more people agree to leaving the bike in the kitchen do you think this ok then? or no, he owns the house so what he says we have to do.

guess well just have to do a house meeting on the subject of bikes etc.

reckon it will end with my bike hanging in the shed.

davo10

To be fair OP, ll is entitled to "push his opinion", it's his house. If you feel uncomfortable, rent a house without a LL living there, you will probably pay a lot more but you will be able to feel comfortable.

Pawwed Rig

davo10 wrote: »

To be fair OP, ll is entitled to "push his opinion", it's his house. If you feel uncomfortable, rent a house without a LL living there, you will probably pay a lot more but you will be able to feel comfortable.

Exactly. His house his rules. If you don't like it legally speaking there is nothing you can do about it. That said it sounds like he is just having a bit of a moan. He might forget it in a few days

owen85

ill go check out the shed while hes here so he sees im making an effort. hopefully hell just say its fine, dont worry about it. if not ill just try to sort the shed out myself. he does like his moans

thanks for the replies everyone, good to here other peoples opinions.
beer and shed time ahoi

Mrs OBumble

Arbiter of Good Taste wrote: »

Bikes in a kitchen? Just gross

Washing machines where people clean their undies in the kitchen - far grosser still, and common in Irish homes!



OP, if the kitchen is huge, can the owner perhaps wall off a small area as the utility / storage room.

Arbiter of Good Taste

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

Washing machines where people clean their undies in the kitchen - far grosser still, and common in Irish homes!



OP, if the kitchen is huge, can the owner perhaps wall off a small area as the utility / storage room.

Really? Do you regularly drag your undies through mud, dogsh1t, grass, stones and various stagnant liquids and then leave them lying around the kitchen floor?

leeroybrown

I keep my bicycle in the dining side of my kitchen. I need to keep it somewhere dry, secure and where I can easily leave the house with it in the mornings. To any one who thinks that's gross - there's far worse things in your kitchen.

As for the house, it's not quite so simple as a case of "it's my house so there". People lodging with an owner occupier don't quite have the same rights as a normal tenant but the owner also doesn't have the rights of a landlord. The owner and lodger have to share the space and this landlord allowed this practice to be normal for a long time before throwing a strop.

leeroybrown

Arbiter of Good Taste wrote: »

Really? Do you regularly drag your undies through mud, dogsh1t, grass, stones and various stagnant liquids and then leave them lying around the kitchen floor?

No. But pretty much everyone does that with their shoes and doesn't think twice about using their kitchen after walking in them.

The Spider

leeroybrown wrote: »

I keep my bicycle in the dining side of my kitchen. I need to keep it somewhere dry, secure and where I can easily leave the house with it in the mornings. To any one who thinks that's gross - there's far worse things in your kitchen.

As for the house, it's not quite so simple as a case of "it's my house so there". People lodging with an owner occupier don't quite have the same rights as a normal tenant but the owner also doesn't have the rights of a landlord. The owner and lodger have to share the space and this landlord allowed this practice to be normal for a long time before throwing a strop.

No he has more rights, seriously this is the most childish stuff I've read in a while. Yeah you have to share the same space, but the Owner can come home from work one Monday and say I want you out by Wednesday, and that's it toddle off and find somewhere else.

The Only thing relevant here is the owner can throw you out whenever they want. They can decide that they'll park their bike on the kitchen table but everyone else must lock theirs up twenty meters from the front door.

Not a commune you have no say, move out or live with the rules.

Tarzana

This is why I will never again live in an owner-occupied place (did once briefly). I like everyone to be on equal footing and in an owner-occupied place, that's simply not going to happen.

Tarzana

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

Washing machines where people clean their undies in the kitchen - far grosser still, and common in Irish homes!

Hardly comparable, the undies get transported, usually in a vessel, and get washed. Minimal amount of time in the kitchen while dirty.

Mrs OBumble

Arbiter of Good Taste wrote: »

Really? Do you regularly drag your undies through mud, dogsh1t, grass, stones and various stagnant liquids and then leave them lying around the kitchen floor?

I leave them next to a human ****-hole for about 18 hours a day. And am then expected to handle them in the same room where food is prepared - no matter how short a period for, it's still handling.

the_syco

owen85 wrote: »

wants everything his way but cant take into account what we may want. i said this to him but he said he doesnt, all the girls agree that he does. ugh, the hassle of living with people.

When you realise that he can kick you out legally with no notice given, that may not be a good idea!

Tarzana

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

I leave them next to a human ****-hole for about 18 hours a day. And am then expected to handle them in the same room where food is prepared - no matter how short a period for, it's still handling.

It doesn't matter if there's handling, you just wash your hands after.