Lodger cranks up heating to 25

[Mumskisail]

My partner left a few years ago and I had time off work for burnout and now in a less stressful (lower paid) role so on a tight income. I rent 2 rooms to help cover my mortgage and bills (about 40%).

The house is heated to 18-21 degrees depending on the room / personal preference, using Nest thermostats (called TRVs) on each radiator. It is lowered at 11pm until 5.30am, meaning it's warm for about an hour after going to bed and it heats up for a few hours before the lodgers get up.

One lodger is very happy with this and prefers a cooler room so sometimes turns it down.

But the other constantly overrides this and heats his room to 25. When I've tried to speak to him about it he answers his door in a tshirt and is only wearing normal socks. The rest of us have warm clothes, slippers and big fleece hoodies on winter evenings, and use fleece blankets to stay cosy on the sofa.

We seem to be in a battle of wills. He goes along with my suggested times and temperatures in discussion but has done everything including claiming his radiator and the TRV don't work, disconnecting the TRV but trying to make it look as though it's connected, saying it won't connect and pulling the little pin out with a pair of pliers to force the heating on. He leaves it on all night. The thermostat when it's reading says 25-26.

The other issue in this old Victorian house is that the heating pumping out all night causes banging in the pipes and keeps myself and the other lodger awake, or wakes us up in the night. So we prefer lots of layers and a quiet night unless we're in a cold patch.

I've offered him extra duvets and blankets (his looks thin) and a hot water bottle but he refuses. I've asked him to discuss the times he wants the heating on and to talk about the heating.

He says the temperature reading is wrong so I gave him a wireless thermostat which showed the same temperature as the TRV and showed it was correct.

I've explained about the increasing cost of gas and showed him my bills. I've showed him the temperatures in the rest of the house and that we are comfortable.

This is the second winter we are having these issues. Last year his sister died so I just kept my mouth shut and left him to it but I felt really unhappy.

Do I just suck it up, winter will be over soon and I'm not making a loss. Or do I tell him it's not acceptable and ask him to leave? Or is it better the devil you know, this is the only issue.

A friend suggested a locking cover to go over the TRV, I'm so irritated it's tempting but is that really ethical? And anyway would he then just get an electric heater? I don't go into his room and I would never snoop.

He's a 44 year old man having to rent a room and it must be his sanctuary and private space.

Do I just let him win the battle and chill out?

You obviously have an enormous chip on your shoulder.

One can equally support the rights of tenants/lodgers and recognise where someone is not being reasonable with their requirements. A room the temperature of the Caribbean in a UK Winter = not reasonable.

I think you also should notify him (preferably in writing ) that if he circumvents your heating by fiddling with the thermostat or bringing in an additional heater you will ask him to leave

Totally reasonable when that's your agreement with the tenant. Which it was by virtue of the fact it happened last year.

Don't like it, don't rent a room. It's a business not an atm.

A bit like putting a jumper on when you're a bit chilly?

😂

What if he was subjected to a level of trauma that doesn't allow him to do this? I've rented to autistic people who have done similar things. Are you advocating discrimination now, or does that only apply to businesses that operate in this sphere?

Oh wow, that’s is where you are going to go now you’ve exhausted all other avenues on this. Wow.

You're being ridiculous now.

I recognise your name - you're the same poster who got weirdly defensive in a thread last week about a man who got stressed out over buying a pudding.

I can see this is going the same way so I'll tap out 👋🏻

Bradford Girl - you say the noise is only happening because I'm not doing basic maintenance, but this isn't correct.

I've had various heating experts look at the system and they haven't been able to solve the problem. The boiler is serviced once a year. The pipes that are easier to reach have been felted to stop them vibrating and the system flushed several times as it's a hard water area.

I don't have the money at the moment to pull up all of the floors so we can reach and felt all of the pipes, because as I've had to pay my husband out in the divorce and pay the increased mortgage and bills on my own whilst managing on a lower salary (as I mentioned I had burnout)...it's on my radar for the future. In the meantime the house stays at around 16 at night and the rest of us are comfy without the heating on while tucked up in bed.

According to the NHS 15-18 degrees is comfortable at night and 18-21 during waking hours.

I see, so instead of backing up and realising that it's a business dealing with a human being and that this can be seen as discriminatory, particularly as it could have been addressed months ago, you're going to try and reframe this as me losing an argument.

Not going to work I'm afraid, years of experience mean I know what I'm talking about.

Bye bye then, don't forget to laugh at all those weird people in the supermarket.

He's living there too and paying OPs mortgage . Not everyone wants to be under layers and layers of fleecy blankets.

@Mumskisail Sorry I am obviously wrong about the causes of the noise.
If you are having to sit under a fleecy blanket on the sofa the house is not warm enough.

He's living there too and paying OPs mortgage . Not everyone wants to be under layers and layers of fleecy blankets.

Why would he stay if its not compatible to his way of living? He can go somewhere else, OP isn't keeping him hostage

I'd probably make the rent you charge exclusive of any variable bills, ie utility bills (eg gas, electric, water). Then it's in everyone's interest to be mindful of costs. 25 degrees is ridiculous.

It is unreasonable. It's not your preference (or mine) but it may be his. People are different and that should be respected.

If you didn't put a limit in the rental agreement then that is your mistake.

You need to inform him that you are about to impose a limit on what is included in the rent, and he will need to pay £X amount extra for heating his room above 21 degrees (you'll need to work out how much this costs). Give him 2 weeks' notice on this and then increase his rent.

YABU to be annoyed at him because you didn't do a proper rental agreement.

I think if you rent out an inclusive of heating room for money, then you need to ensure that the tenant is warm enough in regular clothing, without having to resort to multiple layers, fleece hoodies and fleece blankets . It is up to the landlady to set the rent at an appropriate level for the costs incurred (or not do it on an all inclusive basis, and instead split bills).

Would you really be happy if you'd paid for a hotel room, had no control over the heating, and were expected to wear multiple layers, a fleece hoody and snuggle under a blanket to keep warm?

TBH it seems like the OP and this tenant are not a good fit, so best to serve him notice. But he is not unreasonable to expect, when paying his money for a room inclusive of heating, to be able to have the room at a comfortable temperature for him without having to resort to layering up, fleece hoodies and fleece blankets. OP needs to recognise that, when selling fully heated rooms, she can't scrimp on the heating. And she has a responsibility to do appropriate maintenance and get those banging pipes fixed.

Really? I have always had one. That way I can flip it over my legs if they get cold and don't have to waste energy and money making me a bit warmer whilst DH is fine.

We also wear the dreaded lounge wear/thick tracksuit that many on MN find incomprehensible. Again because they are comfortable and warm, saving money and energy.

Anyone choosing to wear just t-shirt and knickers should also ensure that they are the primary bill payer. Otherwise get bloody dressed. Nobody owes you 25degs of heating.

What if he was subjected to a level of trauma that doesn't allow him to do this?

people can't put a jumper on as they've been subjected to a level of trauma - really there are people out there that can't wear jumper due to being subjected to trauma

The thermostats are individually controlled but you should still have overall control of the whole heating system separately - if you turn off the heating system it doesn't matter whether he turns the TRV up - the boiler won't fire up as the heating system is set to off. Put your night set back at something reasonable like 10-12 degrees, but turn the rest of the sytem off.

He isn't being asked to wear additional clothes. Just to actually be dressed

@Calphurnia88 - Do you know the name of the thread about the man and the pudding ?

I was thinking this.

I thought most people were turning the heating down a little and wearing jumpers instead of t-shirts in winter.

25 is too hot. I'd be stripping off to my underwear if my house was that hot.

I think the point is that you can't impose your own ideas/ thoughts about what is reasonable on someone else who you don't even know. There could be any number of reasons why he wants the room the temperature he wants it.

People have different needs and preferences for whatever reason.

If it's not written in a tenancy agreement then you can't expect people to just agree on things like a hive mind.

I would see if there's a way to make it look like it's at 25, when it's actually at 21. I know in offices, fake thermostat controls have been introduced when people can't agree on the temperature...

It's a completely subjective opinion. People are not all the same. Just because you think something is normal or reasonable doesn't mean everyone else does.