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Original poster

DD and locked room in rented house share

132 replies

gameofscrabble · 01/09/2019 00:24

DD and four friends moving into second year uni house. When they went to view the house the landlord mentioned that he also offered the house to rent as a five bedroom if they were interested, as there is one box room with a single bed that he accepts much less rent on. DD and co said no because there was only four of them so accepted the house as a four bed arrangement. They didn’t see inside the room at the viewing as LL said they didn’t need to if they weren’t a group of 5.

Fast forward to moving in and the spare room door is still locked. LL reiterated what he’d said previously - that the girls had no need to see in there as they were a group of 4. I can completely understand this is probably because he doesn’t want them letting mates stay in the room all the time. But DD and friends have said they feel weird having no idea what’s in the room and they’d like to at least see inside.

Is the LL allowed to keep the door locked? 100% ready to be told that he is well within his rights to do so, we’re clueless when it comes to renting rules etc

OP posts:
Original poster
gameofscrabble · 01/09/2019 08:17

Witchinaditch Don’t worry, my 20 year old daughter doesn’t actually believe the room is haunted Grin All a bit of fun!

OP posts:
Original poster
gameofscrabble · 01/09/2019 08:22

You could charge say £1000 for the whole property with 4 people or £1100 for 5 people

Yes this is how their contract is Lockheart. It’s not listed as single rooms, just a total number.

Perhaps a friend will have to come round to see the room Wink I don’t think they’re too bothered - sorry if my previous posts made it seem like she was having a breakdown! Didn’t hear any more of it after about 10pm when she was going out so I’m guessing she had a good first night back!

OP posts:
bellainthemiddle · 01/09/2019 08:24

I'm so with your DD on this one... curiosity would be killing me! Just think of all the dramatic and unlikely and hugely scary and exciting explanations there could be!

However, I suspect the mundane explanation is the correct one and the LL is using it for storage. They could always say to him they don't mind and ask him if that's the case, if they're actually worried. They could come up with some random item they'd really like to put in there as an excuse. A box of old books or something!

ilovecherries · 01/09/2019 08:24

As a student, I rented a house with a locked room. When the landlord showed me the property, he simply said that one room wasn’t included in the rental. I do admit sometimes I felt a bit weirded out by it at nights sometimes, but I think that was down to an overactive imagination! As he was upfront about it, I had agreed to it when I signed on, I always assumed it was just a condition of the lease. I later lived in a rental house where the attic space was locked as the landlord didn’t want people using it because it wasn’t floored so he worried about people stepping between the joists. That time when a squirrel got in the loft we all convinced ourselves there was a Mr Rochester situation going on. Fast forward many years and my DH and I have moved out of our family home as he’s working away on a project for a couple of years. This time, we don’t have access to the garage as the landlord stores his caravan there, and takes it out regularly during the summer. Again though, it was a lease condition, which we agreed to as his was one of the few landlords willing to let us have our dog with us. So I don’t think it’s weird, really, although from my own experience I understand how you can talk yourself into feeling spooked by it.

Fallofrain · 01/09/2019 08:30

We lived as a 4 at uni, and had what would have been a 5th bedroom but they turned it into a bathroom as having 5 rooms and one bathroom wasnt allowed.

user1497997754 · 01/09/2019 08:35

If it's rented as a 5 bed HMO property then the landlord has to have fire doors installed as well as other stuff

NewModelArmyMayhem18 · 01/09/2019 08:37

When I was a teenager, we lived in a very naice rental property (short-term while parents were house-hunting). One bedroom was locked (presumably used for storage) and we didn't think anything of it (and I had a very active imagination). I think it's quite common. Same often experienced in holiday lets.

LaTroienne · 01/09/2019 08:45

Tell LL the young people are concerned. If LL has nothing to hide job done

Please don't do this. I am a LL of student properties, and it drives me bonkers when I get emails from fussy parents. If the students are concerned about something, they need to tell the LL themselves. Any decent LL will seek to reassure them. And if it's not a decent LL, inverventions by Mummy and Daddy won't be able to change that.

I have a locked room in one of my student houses. It contains all the stuff I can't accommodate in my own house. The rent is reduced because they can't use this room as a second sitting room. They were fully in the picture when they took the house - though I did show them the room, for clarity's sake. In the case of the OP, I think I'd have shown the girls the box room but would have explained why I was keeping it locked (which I would do in the OP's case due to 5-bed HMO regulations outlined by PP). That may just be me, though - I would't have been showing them because I had to, IYSWIM.

Dangerfloof · 01/09/2019 08:47

Have been in a Airbnb which was massive, I think 8 bedrooms, but the front (living/parlour) room was locked. I assumed with the owners stuff. And a friend rented a whole house except the garage was locked. It was to keep the absent landlords possessions safe while he was abroad.
So I dont think it's rare.

FineWordsForAPorcupine · 01/09/2019 08:47

Jesus, really? I understand that, (in the words of dumbledore) "curiosity is not a sin" but your DD and friends are "feeling weird" about a locked room in the house - WHEN THEY HAVE ALREADY BEEN TOLD WHAT IT IS.

It is a small box room, which the landlord was perfectly willing to let them look at, had they wanted to rent a five bed, not a four bed. Since they didn't, he has locked it (for good and understandable reasons - I'm assuming he's rented to students before).

But for some reason, your DD and friends are now CONSUMED with curiosity as to what could possibly be in there. Sorry, what are you imaging - that since telling the girls they could look at the room if they wanted , he has now moved all manner of sex furniture, stolen artwork and medical curiosities in there???

Bluntness100 · 01/09/2019 08:48

This was the same as my daughters house share last year, exactly the same, and the fifth box room was kept locked. I saw inside it, it was just a locked empty room with a bed etc. It's fine. More than fine, it's understandable, they have not paid for the use of that room.

mamaraah · 01/09/2019 08:49

A few years ago we rented a house that had a snooker table in a locked room. It was fine. Nobody here cares for snooker. The landlord is entitled to keep the room locked. Maybe he is concerned about subletting or has some personal items stored there.

Original poster
gameofscrabble · 01/09/2019 08:51

LaTroienne Don’t worry I won’t be sending any emails off I think she’d die of embarrassment... Very good to hear your experience as a landlord so this seems normal. I don’t think they have reduced rent as a result but hey ho, it’s quite cheap anyway.

FineWordsForAPorcupine Don’t worry she’s not ‘CONSUMED with curiosity’ Grin Just a bit curious as to whether this is allowed or not! As I said, we were ready to be told that it is 100% allowed - we are new to this sort of thing

OP posts:
Serin · 01/09/2019 08:52

My only concern would be that the LL doesn't move someone else in at a later date.

Original poster
gameofscrabble · 01/09/2019 08:54

I will pass on to DD that this is standard practice and perfectly allowed! Thanks all Smile

OP posts:
Broken11Girl · 01/09/2019 08:55

Meh, they and you are being over dramatic. It's probably just full of crap...that treadmill 1996, various computers that no longer work, bin bags of clothes his family meant to sell on EBay or donate to charity but didn't get round to, old Christmas decs they haven't bothered with in 5 years...iyswim. He just locked it without even thinking about it and cba to let them see...they don't need to. Also yes how does he know they won't sublet it to a friend. I had this i.e. 4 girls in 5 bed house and the room was unlocked and full of said crap, I do understand the curiosity but they have no right to see so tell her to chill and forget about it tbh.

FamilyOfAliens · 01/09/2019 09:03

It's still the landlord's house. They don't need to get into this room. They need to mind their own business.

Why is it that certain posters never add anything to the thread but rudeness?

FineWordsForAPorcupine · 01/09/2019 09:05

Don’t worry she’s not ‘CONSUMED with curiosity’ grin Just a bit curious as to whether this is allowed

Well, no, that's not what you said - you said the "not being allowed to see inside" was the problem, not the legality of it:

But DD and friends have said they feel weird having no idea what’s in the room and they’d like to at least see inside

But yeah, definitely waste the landlords time showing a "friend who might want to rent the room" around, just so they can all peer over her should at a box room with a single bed in it....

Original poster
gameofscrabble · 01/09/2019 09:07

FineWordsForAPorcupine Sorry if I didn’t explain the problem well enough, at least I’ve got the answer now Smile

OP posts:
Petsr4life · 01/09/2019 09:09

Reminds me of the Bluebeard story

CuriousaboutSamphire · 01/09/2019 09:09

As further reassurance I am an inventory clerk and am off today to check in a group of students, 4 of them in a 5-bed house.

They will get a room and front door key each and the 5th room will remain locked. They won't even see the inside of it as it will be locked when they arrive - I locked it when I had finished the inventory!

The room will be clean, safe, have a working smoke alarm just as all the other bedrooms do. It won't cause any safety issues.

This happens a lot with student houses, especially if they leave it late to look and the landlords have fewer of the smaller houses left.

DobbinsVeil · 01/09/2019 09:19

Hmm so there's your DD and 3 friends. Are they quite meddling? Do they also have a dog? Own a camper van? If so, I'm sure the reason for the locked door will reveal itself soon enough.

bellainthemiddle · 01/09/2019 09:23

Haha, I also thought that it sounded quite Blyton-esque! The Mystery of the Locked Room...

bellainthemiddle · 01/09/2019 09:24

There's probably a ring of international jewel thieves in there.

strawberrisc · 01/09/2019 09:25

Jesus. Life really is going to come as a great shock to them.