Renting a room 'problem'

Arbiter of Good Taste

Here's an idea OP, actually pay a market rent, and then you can have your living space for the whole week. Or are you only willing to pay cheap rent and expect free storage of your property at the weekends?

Greenmachine

Greenmachine wrote: »

Landlord is taking the piss. A five day rental is one thing. But renting the rooms over the weekend. wtf. What would happen if you came home last thing on sunday and the weekend renter overstayed, hate a late night friday and woke up with some stranger fecker booting you out of your bed.

Can't imagine it being fun. Moving all your school books and personal belonging every weekend.

Beaner1

Beaner1 wrote: »

She might just be turning off the heating trying to save money. Ask her if anybody is actually staying in your bed.
Still, I'd suggest that you are not in a licencee situation and I'd ask to be registered with the PRTB.

From the information the op has provided there is no reason to believe that it doesn't meet the rent a room scheme. She is renting rooms in her house to three individuals separately. The house has a second kitchen and second living room (not completely out of the ordinary) and the house is very much the same structure with an entrance between both parts of the house. The fact it's looked doesn't matter.

Beaner1

Aubrey Ugly Swordsman wrote: »

From the information the op has provided there is no reason to believe that it doesn't meet the rent a room scheme. She is renting rooms in her house to three individuals separately. The house has a second kitchen and second living room (not completely out of the ordinary) and the house is very much the same structure with an entrance between both parts of the house. The fact it's looked doesn't matter.

See my note from the PRTB which contradicts your view.

the_syco

keith o h wrote: »

the landlady was wondering why my bedroom door was locked, because she wanted to let people sleep in the room that i was renting

Ask her would she take responsibility over any of your belongings going missing, ans also ask her how much would the full 7 days cost.

I'm thinking she's going to rent the rooms via Airbnb, and thus god knows who'll be f**king in your bed. Clean sheets are the least of your worries!

keith o h wrote: »

turned off all of the valves on the radiators for some strange reason. seem a bit odd knowing she does be snooping around the rooms during the day when we are gone

AH here, leaving the rads on full blast when you're not there is taking the piss!

messrs

is she actually renting out your room on weekends, or was it just this one of occasion? maybe she had friends/family memebers staying and needed the room?

imitation

Have you asked her what it would cost to rent the room for the weekend ? Honestly it would probably be more worth her while getting 100 quid a week than 80, the some extra the odd weekend. I also assume the only way it would work is if she housekeeps the room every friday, which easily turns into a pain in the ass if you "forget" to bring stuff home and have various items all over the place. Maybe shes airbnbing it ? Otherwise what will happen is people will come, see some old bedsheets and socks and just leave again, it will get crap reviews and thats the end of that.

Michael D Not Higgins

Beaner1 wrote: »

See my note from the PRTB which contradicts your view.

See this note from revenue that contradicts that

"Self-contained unit
It is not possible to let an entire residence because the room or rooms that are let must form part of the residence and the residence must be occupied by the individual receiving the rent as his/her sole or main residence. The room or rooms can comprise a self-contained unit within the residence such as a basement flat or a converted garage attached to the residence. However, a self-contained unit that is adjacent to the residence but not actually attached to it cannot qualify for the relief."

Mrs OBumble

Lads, you are talking about two different things.

Technically "rent-a-room" only applies to the Revenue side of things: it says that a home owner can let room in their own "home" (as defined by Revenue, this can include attached flats etc) and not pay any tax if they earn less than 10k in total. Note that they can still let the room and receive more than this - in which case it's all taxable.

The PRTB opinion is about what doesn't constitute a tenancy. Their definition of "in the owners house" (and therefore not eligible for usual tenancy rights) doesn't include granny flats and the like - so most likely in the OP's situation tenancy rights would apply. But only for five days a week. Which is kind of interesting. It may be that there's some other legal basis (like they use for student hostels) which is actually a better fit for the OP's situation.




Either way - I still think that the OP is only paying for 5 days per week, so that's all they should be expecting to get. It would be reasonable to negotiate a locked cupboard or similar where you could leave your stuff, but it's totally not reasonable to pay for five days and get seven days storage.

Michael D Not Higgins

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

Lads, you are talking about two different things.

Technically "rent-a-room" only applies to the Revenue side of things: it says that a home owner can let room in their own "home" (as defined by Revenue, this can include attached flats etc) and not pay any tax if they earn less than 10k in total. Note that they can still let the room and receive more than this - in which case it's all taxable.

The PRTB opinion is about what doesn't constitute a tenancy. Their definition of "in the owners house" (and therefore not eligible for usual tenancy rights) doesn't include granny flats and the like - so most likely in the OP's situation tenancy rights would apply. But only for five days a week. Which is kind of interesting. It may be that there's some other legal basis (like they use for student hostels) which is actually a better fit for the OP's situation.




Either way - I still think that the OP is only paying for 5 days per week, so that's all they should be expecting to get. It would be reasonable to negotiate a locked cupboard or similar where you could leave your stuff, but it's totally not reasonable to pay for five days and get seven days storage.

Where does it say that it doesn't count as living with the landlord? I thought if it qualifies for rent-a-room it qualifies as living with the landlord?

madmac187

I would be so careful with this, if in the event the rooms are being rented at the weekend, she could be renting to god knows what druggies that aren't allowed to hostels or sex offenders not allowed to any shelters. This is something very prevalent at the minute. So tell her no and get your own place. Dont even try to negotiate, been there done that in college myself. Bad landlord that is mean and penny pinching is never worth it.

Mrs OBumble

Michael D Not Higgins wrote: »

Where does it say that it doesn't count as living with the landlord? I thought if it qualifies for rent-a-room it qualifies as living with the landlord?

Yes - from a revenue perspective.

But the PRTB advice is different, because it's from a tenancy perspective.

runawaybishop

madmac187 wrote: »

I would be so careful with this, if in the event the rooms are being rented at the weekend, she could be renting to god knows what druggies that aren't allowed to hostels or sex offenders not allowed to any shelters. This is something very prevalent at the minute. So tell her no and get your own place. Dont even try to negotiate, been there done that in college myself. Bad landlord that is mean and penny pinching is never worth it.

Where does it say the rooms are being rented at the weekend? The LL might just have had guests over and wanted to let them stay.

Michael D Not Higgins

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

Yes - from a revenue perspective.

But the PRTB advice is different, because it's from a tenancy perspective.

From the PRTB
"A licensee is...persons sharing a house/apartment with its owner e.g. under the ‘rent a room’ scheme or ‘in digs’"

That seems clear that the rent a room scheme means you're sharing with the landlord. Where do the PRTB stipulate the difference?

pc7

Not up on the rental market in Cork but if the 3 of you are paying €240 for 5 days each a week, that's about 1040 a month, can you not find something together for that? Quick search on daft shows 32 properties in Cork City center for under 1k per month. Then you might be saving on travel costs (that might cover bills?), anything sounds better than the current situation you find yourself in. http://www.daft.ie/cork-city/houses-to-rent/?s[area_type]=on&s[mxp]=1000&s[mnb]=3&s[mxb]=3&s[advanced]=1

the_syco

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

Either way - I still think that the OP is only paying for 5 days per week, so that's all they should be expecting to get. It would be reasonable to negotiate a locked cupboard or similar where you could leave your stuff, but it's totally not reasonable to pay for five days and get seven days storage.

5 days is so the people are not there at the weekend. If renting the room to someone at the weekend, and I have no doubt the OP and friends will quickly find another place, as someone renting out a room for the weekend will usually be renting out the place to shag.

keith o h

theres so muc going on here im nealry sorry that i even posted this at all.. does seem a bit funny when theres bottles found in the other rooms on monday that does not belong to them. i was talking to her just a few minutes ago and paid my rent and when i asked for my receipt she was a little bit gob smacked and suddenly brough up the topic about tax and will the receipt have anything to do with tax. so she has to be dodging the bullet on this one. i aslo brought up about people in the rooms and i asked her why she was curious as to why my room was lock and told me that ''it was just because she was hoovering around the place'' after she had told the other guy here that ''why was the door locked, i couldnt put anyone into the room for the weekend.'' if the ''anyone'' was a family member or even friend i would imagine that she would have said that. the ''anyone'' comes across to me as the place is being rented over the weekend.. seems to me that she is really dodging the bullet with the revenue.

The_Morrigan

Beaner1 wrote: »

Have a look on airbnb. If you find an ad then you have her by the ovaries. A little mention of revenue should get you your 7 day room.

Could you please stop being so crass in your posting style, there are far more eloquent ways to get a point across.

Emme

keith o h wrote: »

theres so muc going on here im nealry sorry that i even posted this at all.. does seem a bit funny when theres bottles found in the other rooms on monday that does not belong to them. i was talking to her just a few minutes ago and paid my rent and when i asked for my receipt she was a little bit gob smacked and suddenly brough up the topic about tax and will the receipt have anything to do with tax. so she has to be dodging the bullet on this one. i aslo brought up about people in the rooms and i asked her why she was curious as to why my room was lock and told me that ''it was just because she was hoovering around the place'' after she had told the other guy here that ''why was the door locked, i couldnt put anyone into the room for the weekend.'' if the ''anyone'' was a family member or even friend i would imagine that she would have said that. the ''anyone'' comes across to me as the place is being rented over the weekend.. seems to me that she is really dodging the bullet with the revenue.

Bottles as in drink bottles? I wouldn't mind that if she told you some of her family were staying and the sheets were changed. If the sheets aren't changed before or after the weekend then this woman is scraping the barrel in every way. It's one thing renting out rooms 5 days a week and having the place to yourself over the weekend but renting out rooms 5 days a week and over the weekend for people who may use the beds for sex beggars belief especially if the sheets aren't changed.

Find another place and in the meantime take the sheets off the bed on Friday evenings when you leave. Make the beds again when you come back. If all three lodgers do that is would be better still.

the_syco

keith o h wrote: »

does seem a bit funny when theres bottles found in the other rooms on monday that does not belong to them.

If these are "drink bottles" as Emme said, I'd be taking the sheets and everything else off the bed on the Friday, as well as anything of monetary or sentimental value!

cruizer101

I'm surprised at some responses, when I hear rent for 5 days to my mind, unless it is specifically a guest house type place, it means a Mon-Fri rental so the person has house to themselves over weekend not that they can put other people in the room. I mean unless the specifically raised the issue it seems very strange to me, but I suppose it does depend how it was worded when you initially talked to landlady.

Re the tax, this is a non issue and I've no idea why so many are bringing it up. From the sounds of it OP is student and so only renting from September, and even if not how does anyone know how long she has been renting the place or if she is paying tax or not.
Now fair enough when OP raised the issue of receipt tax was mentioned, but it still doesn't mean OP can use this as any sort of bargaining. To the best of my knowledge she only has to declare that income at the end of year, or even next year some time, so she hasn't not paid tax it just isn't due yet, who is to say what she will or won't do.