To want to run own fridge and freezer in house share?

[thinkingaboutfostering]

So I have recently moved into a friends house (moved 200 miles from old home). I am paying her at least the market rent if not more! Her house is a tip (think like hoarder bad) everywhere is filthy. I knew it was bad having stayed numerous times before but didn't really have much choice about moving in here because I have poor credit. We had agreed I'd rent two room from her, a lounge area and a bedroom. I also have my own bathroom. I know she is struggling financially and has asked me to be economical with electric ie not leaving lights on which is fine by me. But her fridge is filthy. The kitchen is along way from my end of the house (think longhouse) and I have been ill and have mobility issues. She has today said after discovering I have put a mini fridge on in my space, that she doesn't want me to run it but to just share her fridge to keep the electricity bills down. She also doesn't want me to run my freezer and again share theirs (which is full). Am I being unreasonable to say no I am paying you rent and keep running both my fridge and freezer?

Then leave....

1. Pay for the extra electricity usage.

2. Clean the fridge.

3. Continue using your fridge, refuse to pay anything extra, and hope she doesn't kick you out.

She’s tight and dirty and you’re paying too much. This isn’t going to work. Look up rooms to rent on internet and move to another room. You don’t need good credit, they won’t credit check you.
Or pay an extra fiver to save the agro?
Or tell her it’s me and the fridge or nothing - then revert to option 1

Just seen you’ve got a dog. Try putting an add asking how much extra people would charge you for a room + dog. I’m sure you will find the above market value figure right there. If that’s all you can get for your circumstances then I’d say it’s market value or even below. I wouldn’t argue with her in that situation. Clean the fridge or give her a fiver.

OP - you need to select an option from @Akanamali's list
You have a dog - which attracts higher charge.
A shared kitchen implies a shared fridge. If you've bought an extra fridge for your personal use, you need to pay for it. YABU.

You say a fridge cost £25 to run for a year what about a freezer? Work that out and pay her it in a limo sum and be fine with it. You have the convince and reassurance about hygiene she doesn't have to worry about the electric. Although seeing as you still have to go to the kitchen to prep food I'm not sure how convenient it really is!

It is far more convenient to have my mil and my medication at easy reach. I have tea/coffee making facilities in my space!

Milk even!

So you now have a fridge a freezer and a kettle extra in the room anything else?

Just googled it and a full sized fridge ( no freezer) costs around £38 for electricity each year. I'd therefore offer her £3.50 extra per month for running costs.

What are your longer term plans? Will staying with her build up your credit? Can you go on a council waiting list?

I would stand your ground as presumably the rent you are paying is new income to her? Point out that your health cannot take the state of her fridge and there is no space in her freezer.

Urm - she provided a kettle!!! 🙄 did you all miss the part where I have mobility issues?! Or that I've been seriously ill?! I also have bent over backwards helping her out of a really sticky situation for past few years! I'm not sponging off her! She's hundreds of pounds better off with me living here than if I moved out! She not doing me a favour! I moved here at her suggestion and request! I was perfectly happy where I was before but having given it up I can't get it back or get somewhere else. More fool me for thinking we could help each other out!!!

So knowing her place was filthy and that wouldn’t be good for your health - you moved 200 miles to live with her as a favour. You’d put your health in jeopardy for this friend

Well leave then...

/thread

Your options:
1)Clean her fridge and share it
2)Run your own nice clean handy fridge, and pay for the electricity
3)Use her manky fridge, and risk your health
4)Run your fridge without paying, and risk your roof

Personally I'd pick 2, or 1 if I couldn't afford 2.
This isn't about fair. You're in a corner. Don't cut off your nose to spite your face.

But you moved in knowing state of her house and knowing about her poor housekeeping when you decided to live there you should have been clear and say that you would only do that with your own fridge ect. It is not standard practice when sharing a kitchen to have your own fridge and freezer running therefore she isn't unreasonable to ask you to pay. I have t missed about you health either which is why I would be even more keen to pay and have my own hygiene standards meet.

Wether she is helping you or you are helping her is irrelevant she is your landlord now. Although you have moved 200 miles away And you had no choice in where to live so it isn't just her benefiting.

I'm not saying it is ideal it's not obviously and you want to move but in the short term your options are
Share her fridge and freezer
Run your own and pay
Carry on but accept she may ask you to leave.

You chose to move there. She isn’t holding you hostage.

If what she is providing doesn’t meet your needs then leave.

Ivy. I have had my end of the house deep cleaned - by professionals at my cost. I offered to do the same with the communal spaces but she declined. I prep most of my food on my dining table in my lounge area not in the kitchen.
We both would benefit from me moving in, her from the money I'd give her in rent and myself for being able to get back to work and be in an area I love. I am also now much nearer to other close friends. I have suffered with depression recently and wanted a fresh start after being ill.

Firstly, prepare yourself for this house share to go wrong. It sounds like she is very short of money and is unlikely to have declared your move to the council. If/when she looses her 25% single person discount she may ask you to cover this cost. If you're not sure, you may want to ask her now and ensure she understands it's her responsibility and the rent you have agreed needs to cover that increase.

Running the fridge and freezer. She doesn't really have a right to ask/tell you what appliances you use in your own part of the house. I would do some calculations to show her the cost of running the fridge and freezer. Compare it with boiling a kettle, using an iron, having a tv and sky box on, running a fish tank and any other reasonable uses of electricity. Put it in to perspective. If a fridge and freezer work out at more than £10 per month then you should cover the increase.

Okay I think you just need to frame it in a different way.

Say something like

‘I really appreciate that we share some spaces but I much prefer to do my food prep in my own space and so it is easier for me to have a fridge, freezer and some cooking utensils in that space.

I appreciate you are concerned about electric but as I rent two rooms for a reasonable price and don’t use too much electric in other areas, I think the £38 a year to run my fridge is fine.

Thanks, Thinking

and just leave it at that

Or just show her this. (I should have googled it) it's £5 per month.

She didn't have any rental income before you moved in I assume. So she should be able to afford the increase in electric/gas due to having a 2nd person in the house.

So you paid to have your rooms deep cleaned, offered to have communally shared areas deep cleaned - but the fridge can’t be cleaned by you or your cleaner

Odd

Having a second person in the house will add 25% to the council tax

They would have done the fridge ivy but weren't allowed in communal rooms. The cleaning was done before I moved in. It won't add to her council tax because she has a partner also living here.