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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

neighbour on at me to keep my heating on

166 replies

clovissa · 16/03/2012 22:06

We've just rented a house, been in a couple of weeks. We have the main house and the back half of the basement. The front half of the basement is a one-bed flat. The night we moved in the switch tripped and we found out the switches are in the other flat, but there is a key over the connecting door, so we're to knock, then let ourselves in if there's no reply. He's an oldish guy, seems nice.

Now it turns out we share all utilities with him. This was never mentioned before, they apply a ratio.

He has been up twice now because we haven't got the heating on and he's cold. He wants us to put it on and then turn down all our radiators if we don't need them on. It's a bit of a jig as we have four floors and are in all day.

He also said our tumble drier was going to run the bills up and he's very careful. I've told him not to worry, we will make sure his bills don't go up but arch.

Also, someone I know nothing about has a key to enter our house. Isn't that a bit weird Hmm?

OP posts:
Original poster
clovissa · 17/03/2012 08:22

Yes, Iggly. He knocked on the front door (not the shared door, which is in the basement) and asked me if I would mind putting the heating on and turning our rads off. I had been out all day with DS (we both work from home so it's usually on) and then he said he noticed we used the tumble drier a lot and he was worried about the bills. That is honestly what bothered me most!

OP posts:
Auntiestablishment · 17/03/2012 08:22

Can you buy the house and evict the bloke regularise the arrangements?

Lightofthemoon · 17/03/2012 08:22

You need to insist the LL puts in a separate heating system for the man, this is completely unacceptable and no doubt very illegal as others have said.

Everytime the man moans, just say you are sorry but you need to use the heating and tumble drier as you see fit and he needs to raise his concerns with the LL.

Original poster
clovissa · 17/03/2012 08:24

Well, it's an expensive rental, but it is a really beautiful family home. The rent is hugely out of kilter with the value of the home, i.e. you would expect about a 4% return on the value but we looked at other places almost as nice for around the same money.

OP posts:
PooPooInMyToes · 17/03/2012 08:24

You can't base your decisions on whether to put on your tumble dryer or heating on what this man wants you to do.

If i were you i would demand that the land lord divides it all up. Tough if they don't want to pay the money! The way it is at the moment is unlivable. I am sure the law must be on your side if you didn't agree to this when you moved in.

I would make a big fucking stinking fuss. Cheeky fuckers!

Iggly · 17/03/2012 08:24

I just think that the new house love will wear off and the arrangement will become more annoying.

PooPooInMyToes · 17/03/2012 08:26

I agree with iggy!

ObviouslyOblivious · 17/03/2012 08:27

I hope there's adequate fire separation between both dwellings....

deleting · 17/03/2012 08:27

No, it's not an awful situation if you love the place and the man is reasonable. Just never heard of it before and I suppose the whole thing does rely on you all having a reasonable relationship and not falling out over anything, because then it might not be such a cosy arrangement.

pinkyredrose · 17/03/2012 08:28

You can easily set the timer for the heating yourself it isn't difficult.

Original poster
clovissa · 17/03/2012 08:30

I think the landlord would love to, but his sister is holding out.

I really hope it doesn't get annoying. I'm kind of hoping when it gets warmer it won't make any difference at all.

OP posts:
Original poster
clovissa · 17/03/2012 08:31

I know Pinky, it's just it's the only job I gave DP when we moved in and he hasn't done it.

OP posts:
PooPooInMyToes · 17/03/2012 08:33

What happens if the man is a bit poorly and has a fever in the middle of winter. He'll expect you to turn the heating off. What if one of your kids are ill and you have the heating higher, he will complain. You can't be dictated to like that, it will drive you crazy!

As for the tumble dryer. You have kids. You'll probably need it a lot!

Original poster
clovissa · 17/03/2012 08:35

PooPoo, it's not the actual temperature that we control, just whether the system's on or off. So we could have the heating 'on' but our radiators set to 2 or 3, and he could have his set to 5, iyswim.

I do agree we need a good relationship but he does seem very decent. We want to stay for 3 years, as DS will be in school till then.

OP posts:
perceptionreality · 17/03/2012 08:36

God this sounds like a nightmare. Sharing bills with a neighbour? I've never heard of this in my life... Move out would be my advice!

PooPooInMyToes · 17/03/2012 08:37

Maybe the stingy sister will stop holding out when you take legal action! You need to find out which rules they are actually breaking and present them with that. What about the solicitor you had when you were moving? Could you ask their advice? Or cab? Or the letting agent?

What ever disagreement your land lord has with his sister is not your concern. He may well just be deflecting the blame.

PooPooInMyToes · 17/03/2012 08:39

But you'll be paying for his radiator to be on. Yet he doesn't want to pay for your tumble dryer. See! A problem already and you've only been there a couple of days!

Iggly · 17/03/2012 08:40

When you have a home, you don't want to be disturbed by others.

I live in a maisonette so own front door and my flat is lovely - big, high ceilings, massive garden. When we first moved in, it seemed fine. However now, even though my downstairs neighbours are lovely, I have little niggles all arising from having neighbours who are so close and I now want to move to a house. That's why I think you might think differently in a matter of time.

Every time you turn the tumble drier on, you'll be thinking of this man.

Every time you adjust the heating, you'll be thinking of the man.

Every time you're in your teens room and catch sight of the door....

I'd talk to the LL and strongly encourage them to at least get quotes to sort out the heating.

BonzoDooDah · 17/03/2012 08:40

Nightmare! And you have several issues:

  1. you don't know who has access to your home.
    This is worrying both for insurance cover, privacy and your children (not wolves and paedophiles but just privacy and safety).

  2. You should be able to live in your house as you see fit.

3)If you need to run the tumble drier then do so - it's YOUR home FFS.

4)If you want the heating off then do so - get the landlord to provide the man with another source of heating than yours. LOTS of houses don't have central heating. They use electric heaters of many types. The heating thing is NOT YOUR PROBLEM. Get the man (however nice he is) to speak to the landlord about having an alternative heating supply. (i.e. NOT your problem)
It is totally unreasonable for you to have to switch radiators on and off in a 4 bed family house when you don't even want to.

  1. what if this "nice man" suddenly gets snotty? Decides you ARE using the tumble drier too much? Decides your teenager's music is too loud, that you are doing something else he doesn't like ... and then takes out the fuses to your house? Someone else can control the electricity supply to your house???

AND
6) what if you have an electrical emergency?? You need IMMEDIATE access to your switch box. Seriously - if an appliance fails and causes a fire, you suspect something is broken and electrically "live", ... someone is being electrocuted ... you NEED to get to the switch box and be able to isolate your electricity fast!

A totally bonkers set-up. You need to haul your letting agent and landlord in and explain exactly WHY this is unacceptable.

duckdodgers · 17/03/2012 08:40

We don't have any contents insurance, so that's not a worry.

I think you're looking at this back to front - no contents insurance and someone else can access your house at any time...and you dont have insurance?? Shock

Its completely bizarre and unworkable and is bound to end in disaster.

AyeRobot · 17/03/2012 08:44

Did you get a copy of the the Energy Performance Certificate when you moved in? If so, did it include the man's flat? I'm thinking more along the lines of seeing if the division is legit. Can you look on your council's planning website and search for your address and see if they got approval for the conversion? If it wasn't, then you have some bargaining power with the LL.

WhaleOilBeefHookedIWill · 17/03/2012 08:49

Sounds like a recipe for disaster if ever I heard one- I'm just picturing the usually mild mannered old man in the basement going postal and it ending up like one of those bad straight to tv films on channel 5

perceptionreality · 17/03/2012 08:49

Whose name is on the energy bills?

Flatbread · 17/03/2012 08:50

It doesn't sound lime such a bad arrangement, especially if you love the place. I would suggest that the ll gets the old guy a few dimplex electric radiators, and that way he can have instant heating.

I wonder if it is possible to have sone kind of meter to check electricity usage, which can be used to calculate bills. But, tbh, we are probably talking fairly small sums here, £100 a month for the old man's utility bills?

Try to reduce your rent by £100 and offer to pay full utilities for the place.

Llareggub · 17/03/2012 08:51

How does he know you are using the tumble dryer?

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