Houseshare issue

Stacksofwacks

I am currently renting out 2 rooms in my house to tenants, where i also live myself. Im having an issue with one of the guys who has his girlfriend over quite alot. The other tenant is unhappy about this too. She's not a very considerate person, she's always banging doors, leaving lights on and TV on all day and takes 20 minute electric showers. She actually broke the nozzle in the shower the other day but she never bothered telling me. I dont mind her staying over the odd night here and there but now its got to the stage where she is staying over weeks on end and is practically living here. Now that college is finished it looks like she'll be here for the summer(none of this discussed with me of course). I'm just wondering the best way to approach this as I don't want to lose the guy as a tenant, who's a really good guy. Thanks

beks101

"Here Tom, what's the deal with Susan? She's a lovely girl and as you both know I'm happy for all tenants to have house guests, but she's been here pretty consistently since X date. I know it's probably happened unintentionally but we should have a chat about what your plans are because it will affect bills etc"

I'm afraid there's no other way but to be straight and upfront about it. If he takes offence, well then, not the lovely flat mate you thought he was. House shares are all about respect. They're both taking the piss.

MistyCheese

beks101 wrote: »

"Here Tom, what's the deal with Susan? She's a lovely girl and as you both know I'm happy for all tenants to have house guests, but she's been here pretty consistently since X date. I know it's probably happened unintentionally but we should have a chat about what your plans are because it will affect bills etc"

This is definitely very good but I would maybe re-word having a chat because of bills as this might give him the impression that if she puts some money towards bills it'll be okay for her to stay. Unless of course you'd be okay with that.

beks101

MistyCheese wrote: »

This is definitely very good but I would maybe re-word having a chat because of bills as this might give him the impression that if she puts some money towards bills it'll be okay for her to stay. Unless of course you'd be okay with that.

Actually yes you're dead right. OP you need to decide exactly what you are willing to tolerate and what is crossing a boundary before saying anything. If her throwing a few token euros towards bills and becoming a new flat mate is not an option, make this crystal clear. It's ok to say "I rented this room to a single tenant, not a couple and that's always been the arrangement". That is your right as the landlord.

Let me re-word for that scenario:

"Here Tom, what's the deal with Susan? She's a lovely girl and as you both know I'm happy for all tenants to have house guests, but she's been here pretty consistently since X date. I know it's probably happened unintentionally but we should have a chat about what is reasonable to everyone as it does effect things like bills and the terms of your tenancy/lease"

Stacksofwacks

Thanks for the replies, It's a bit of a tricky one because he's one of the best tenants I've had and don't want to lose him over this. I might even be willing to let her stay and come to an arrangegment with bills etc but her overall behaviour concerns me. She is extremely noisy, break things and dosen't tell me. It shows she dosen't have respect or dosen't know how to live with other people. As far as I know she hasn't lived out of home before. Anyway, I think I'll leave things lie for this week and maybe have a chat with the tenant early next week and see where to go from there.

Stavro Mueller

Be careful here. I don't know if you ever house shared but I can tell you that most people loathe sharing with couples. You may end up losing your other tenant if it turns into a compromise where the girlfriend ends up staying a lot and just paying bills.
Really if it's a choice of losing one tenant, I know which one I'd rather let go. Also, don't let this go on for too long. Your other tenant may be at the end of his tether at this stage and if he thinks you're doing nothing, he might be the one to go.

Magenta

Stacksofwacks wrote: »

I am currently renting out 2 rooms in my house to tenants, where i also live myself. I

beks101 wrote: »

If he takes offence, well then, not the lovely flat mate you thought he was. House shares are all about respect. They're both taking the piss.

beks101 wrote: »

It's ok to say "I rented this room to a single tenant, not a couple and that's always been the arrangement". That is your right as the landlord.

Yep, this is not a house share situation, it is a tenancy and as you are the owner who is also occupying, the tenants can be asked to leave at any time and so should know better than to be messing you around!
I would set a clear boundary with him for example she can only stay over once a week or similar. A lot of people don't want to live with couples, what happens when they start fighting etc.

Defiler Of The Coffin

There was a similar situation in the house I'm living in now. Before I moved in there was a guy who had his girlfriend over five nights a week. She was practically living in the place. The other tenant wasn't happy and told the landlord. The landlord told the guy that it wasn't part of the agreement. She was willing to let the girlfriend stay if they paid an increased rate and a share in the bills. He tried to fob her off saying 'it doesn't cost extra to keep her here' etc but the landlord was having none of it. She ended up giving him his notice and he had to move out.

Let's face it, your tenant is not 'a really good guy' at all. You're being taken advantage of. It wouldn't be so bad if she was in anyway considerate but banging doors, leaving appliances on, even breaking things FFS is taking the piss completely when she's not even a paying tenant.

You need to pull him aside, lay down the rules and if he refuses then be prepared to give him his notice. Don't be too soft with him, you'll be walked all over otherwise.

LynnGrace

I agree with the other posters OP. Call it, at this stage. Otherwise, you will find it harder to bring up, and meantime, the other person may decide to leave, if they see this situation being let continue.

Miaireland

I agree with the other. You need to be straight with him and tell him the issues. At the end of the day I am sure he is not clueless and knows what she is doing. You could lose your other tenant over this and also do you really want this hassle in your own home. Nip it in the bud now is my advise. Situations like this don't normally resolve themselves.

Big Bag of Chips

Moved to Accommodation and Property.

Stavro Mueller

Miaireland wrote: »

Nip it in the bud now is my advice. Situations like this don't normally resolve themselves.

OP, one of my friends used to rent out rooms in her house. She said the one thing she came to realise was that if there are issues, you have to nip them in the bud. You should've dealt with this girlfriend problem months ago. As you're finding out, the situation's escalating and you're still wringing your hands and kicking the can down the road.

For your own sake you need to deal with this as soon as possible and reassert yourself. In different ways both tenants see you as weak. The one who has moved in his girlfriend sees you as a soft touch. The other tenant may think you don't have the cojones to deal with the loved up pair. Believe me, if I was in your other tenant's shoes I'd be considering my options.

CatFromHue

Stacksofwacks wrote: »

Thanks for the replies, It's a bit of a tricky one because he's one of the best tenants I've had

Is he though?

Having someone over so much and treating the place like that isn't the sign of a good housemate to me.

I houseshared for years and this very very very rarely happened that someone would have someone over so much or treat the place like that.

The one time it did I just got out of there, it wasn't worth the hassle.

Kristopherus

Op, you have to put you foot down now. Advise your tenant that (1) she has to pay for the damage she has caused, (2) advise your tenant that she's not welcome in your house. If that does'nt sit with him you'll have to advise him to leave. He is not protected by PRTB rules. He can be shown the door at any time. If you fail to deal with this issue, the love-birds will walk all over you.

Stacksofwacks

Thanks again for the replies..oh for a peaceful life!! I probably already knew what most of what was said here and as one poster said I've been kicking the can down the road on this issue in the hope it would resolve itself. I have a policy of avoiding conflict for the sake of harmony in the house but I guess this is one of the situations where conflict is unavoidable. I'll have a think over the next few days what I'll say to the tenant or what options to put on the table, some good advice on here. BTW I was told by the other tenant that she had the TV on full blast from 9am this morning all day and then baked a load of cakes, heaven knows what the next Electricity bill will be like!

Big Bag of Chips

Don't think about it for too long, your other tenant is reaching the end of their tether. I wouldn't be surprised if they are already on the lookout for somewhere else. It will be an uncomfortable conversation, no doubt, but it's one that needs to be had. Sooner rather than later.

Bob24

Big Bag of Chips wrote: »

Don't think about it for too long, your other tenant is reaching the end of their tether. I wouldn't be surprised if they are already on the lookout for somewhere else. It will be an uncomfortable conversation, no doubt, but it's one that needs to be done. Sooner rather than later.

I'd say so as well.

And I once was in a situation where I was living with a landlord and another guy, who had his girlfriend over most weekends.

For me the issue was not really the bills, but that I was not getting a fair share of the apartment I was paying rent for. They would be in the living room / kitchen (one room) most of the day sitting on the couch watching TV or cooking and having diner. So basically if I didn't want to sit next to a couple doing their things and not interested in talking to me, I had to stay in my bedroom.

Luckily he eventually moved out and the landlord told me he was actually happy to see him go as well (even if he didn't push for it).

Penny Tration

Stacksofwacks wrote: »

Thanks again for the replies..oh for a peaceful life!! I probably already knew what most of what was said here and as one poster said I've been kicking the can down the road on this issue in the hope it would resolve itself. I have a policy of avoiding conflict for the sake of harmony in the house but I guess this is one of the situations where conflict is unavoidable. I'll have a think over the next few days what I'll say to the tenant or what options to put on the table, some good advice on here. BTW I was told by the other tenant that she had the TV on full blast from 9am this morning all day and then baked a load of cakes, heaven knows what the next Electricity bill will be like!

Why do you need to spend days thinking about it?

It's very simple - "Bob, you can have Mary over one night per week, that's it. You're taking the piss. I want what she broke repaired for at her or your cost. If that's not something you're happy with, you have 7 days notice to leave."

By leaving this to continue for a few more days, you're being unfair to the good tenant who is affected by this pair of chancers.

Stavro Mueller

Stacksofwacks wrote: »

BTW I was told by the other tenant that she had the TV on full blast from 9am this morning all day and then baked a load of cakes, heaven knows what the next Electricity bill will be like!

You have been handed on a plate the ideal opportunity to tackle this issue head on. I suggest you stop wringing your hands and do something about it TODAY. Not tomorrow, not next week. Strike while the iron is hot. you have more weight behind your words if you can refer to something that happened yesterday.

What your other tenant is asking you in different ways is to get the finger out and tackle this. He's also the one who's going to have to pay for that ESB bill while you faff around and "think" about it .

Defiler Of The Coffin

Seriously OP, your last post gives the impression that they're like a bunch of naughty children who left their toys strewn across the floor. You don't seem to grasp that you're being completely taken for a ride here.

Don't give him any options except for one: she goes and that's it. If he doesn't like it then he's gone as well. No negotiation.

You should rethink your policy on avoiding conflict. Look where it has got you. You have to be assertive when you are renting out otherwise you end up with the opposite of a peaceful life.

keysersoze0330

Time to grow a pair OP

Arbiter of Good Taste

OP this guy is not a good tenant. He is disrespecting you. And you are disrespecting your other tenant by taking his money and not nipping this in the bud. To be honest I would be saying that even once a week, every week is too much.

So many people are desperate for accommodation. You will be able to find someone good

CatFromHue

Stacksofwacks wrote: »

I was told by the other tenant that she had the TV on full blast from 9am this morning all day and then baked a load of cakes, heaven knows what the next Electricity bill will be like!

Did you get to eat any of the cakes?