So fed up with live-in landlords

[EternalLodga]

I live in a city where rent is so high many of my friends and I are forced to be lodgers. There are SO MANY live-in landlords who are so unsuited to this gig.

I actually wonder whether there's a generational factor at play here: maybe they have never had to co-live and be on the back foot, as they basically take hefty rent off you and do whatever the hell they like.

My landlord just announced his daughter is going to spend 3 months in the spare room. Okay?

A friend of mine, on the day they moved into the house, the landlady had a party (the move in day was established weeks in advance).

They make a load off your back while also trying to rope you into doing deep cleans of their house while monopolising the communal areas.

In my experience and much to my surprise, the worst ones have been the most vocally left wing. Ive been trying to put my finger on why that is (im left wing myself) and I think its because they actually feel embarrassed about what they're doing, so their boundaries are completely fucked. Whereas the less "bleeding heart" ones see it as a simple transaction where you uphold your end, they uphold theirs.

One landlady actually told me when I could shower "to save on electricity bills". Honey, I pay you 800 quid a month: ill shower when I like??!

Sorry for the rant but im so sick of totally inappropriate people stepping into this role.

Sorry I dont get what you're saying?

At the end of the day you’re a lodger, if your not happy with your situation then move.

That’s what you feel is morally correct, not what the situation actually is as a matter of fact.

Not read the whole thread but get your gist OP as spent a few years as a lodger in different houses myself

Always felt somehow ‘in the way’ no matter how considerate & unobtrusive I tried to be

Got the impression that most homeowners who took in Lodgers had the expectation that that person would never actually be around to use any of the amenities aside from your designated bedroom

Complete refusal to spell out expected boundaries from the beginning didn’t add anything positive to the mix either (i.e accepted use of common areas & times such as kitchen/bathroom) etc which often lead to unspoken resentment & a general ‘walking on eggshells’ feeling

Had much better luck with places that had separate living space such as an annexe/converted garage type arrangement so that may be something to consider/target on SpareRoom & the like for the future?

Op this is the worst place to post this, mumsnet is full of live-in landlords 😂

I personally am never living with another live-in landlord again! One of them had OCD and had 150 rules, she basically wanted the house to look not lived-in and considered that's fair because it's her house. But that's just not how it works, if you want the income from lodgers you have to (reasonably) compromise in return.

The other lodger got fed up one day and told her she is moving out immidately despite not having anywhere else to live, she said she'll figure it out 😂

Op this is the worst place to post this, mumsnet is full of live-in landlords 😂

I really, REALLY doubt that.

Honestly you sound like the bloke I have just had to have removed from 'lodging' in my house and he wasnt actually paying rent himself the government were under the laws of international protection. In the end I feared for my safety but aside from the fact he was outraged by the fact i was paid rent on his behalf for him to live in my home he assumed he had more rights than even I did. Level of entitlement was something I hope never to come across ever again.

Cleaned his own bathroom (not a shared one with me) and his own bedroom. Cleaned up his own cutlery etc but left them out on the side to be put in tyhe dishwasher by me and put away by me. Made comment upon comment about how little he was in the house (he was there a lot) or how little tv he watched (while connected at all times to his laptop/phones/million other devices using MY electricity (that he never paid towards) and using netflix but no no did not watch tv.... said he rarely used the washing machine yet he washed clothes at least twice a week and used the dryer the same and NEVER bought any washing powder as his loads of laundry were smaller. Had a blow heater on in his room almost constantly and also a light but again never even offered to pay towards any bills at all. Would tell me when things had run out (washing liquid that i did not use as i use the dishwasher being one, paper towels i never use but he used a lot of being another) for ME to buy. Not once did he even buy a toilet roll. Apparently everything came under the 'rent' price.

The funniest thing was in the end he actually then decided in his own mind that not only would he not pay towards anything but that he should be GIVEN some of the rent the government paid me the homeowner for housing him as he was just so much fun to be around apparently. You clearly are not half as entitled op but honestly I will never have anyone live under my roof again.

Omg doing two laundry loads a week, I'm surprised you have a machine left.

Oh and to add if i had a friend over he needed one to two hours notice, showered at length as and when he wanted (again not paying gas/electric/waste/internet etc), used my attic to store things, my shed to store all his sports stuff, my powerwasher to clean his really expensive bike/car. you get the gist. He strutted around like HE was the homeowner and I was the one walking on eggshells in the end. As i said he is now gone and thank fuck it was only a lodger agreement.

Two loads of washing a week, that is truly shocking!

And he didn't pay for electricity, gasp! As if the electricity doesn't come out from the rent price

I dont know. I don't ususally see so much seething around such bland a topic. It seems OP's post has caused quite a few people to go ballistic and yelling "YOU ARE NOT A TENANT! YOU HAVE NO RIGHTS"

Honestly.

and two of drying while not buying washing powder, not paying towards any bills and using every single thing he could in the house. Used my coffee, olive oil when he cooked etc etc. I could go on but no time honestly he thought he owned the house. Police removed him anyway as he got nasty. It was like HE was trying to throw me out of my own home in the end.

If you're not happy with the situation then why haven't you found yourself a house share, if that's the arrangement you'd like to have? Genuine question, not trying to be goady.

😂

He wasnt paying rent the government were on his behalf. I paid for EVERYTHING else. Not only bills he ate my food too. And I dont mean the odd bit of jam.

While having an issue with the word landlord, tells me everything I need to know

To be fair, he does sound like a nightmare.

Im not saying nightmare lodgers dont exist: I definitely believe they do.

One landlady (who was lovely and we got on very well) rented her room out to a guy who seemed perfectly normal, but when he moved in he turned out to be pretty aggressive, she also had another lodger who again seemed totally normal, but when the lodger moved on, she found LOADS of disgusting bin bags full of rubbish in her room.

I mean two loads of laundry a week is not a big deal though and im guessing you built bills into your rent money? As for storage, I dont see that as a big crime - but normally when ive gone to see rooms, the landlords ask how much stuff I plan on bringing

@EternalLodga oh i am still waiting on more to happen as he threatened me before he left. I mean he threatened to report me for things, to say I had hurt him a whole pile of stuff. He did not put his hand in his pocket one time in over a year living here but yeah actually thought that the government rent not only covered everything but last month then decided HE should also get half. He wanted me to pay him to live here!

No he told me he did two a week, he did about that a day. Sorry i may have worded it wrong. He was into fitness so his bike LIVED in my kitchen as it was so expensive. He would go for a bike ride and run the entire outfit through the machine he only did two full loads a week but he used the machines all the time. I am dreading the bills to be honest but he is gone and I am safe which I wasnt while he was here.

Of course she should be involved in cleaning the communal areas! The landlord hasn't signed up to be the house maid!

I've read the thread and the only one going ballistic and yelling is you wth your shouty capital letters.

This has been a fascinating read. I've shared houses as a student and had lodgers. Luckily, it's always gone well. We like to cook and there's always an evening meal,but no obligation to eat. I am aware that some people take on lodgers but want everything their own way. Yes legally they're entitled to set the rules, but it sounds miserable .
We're thinking of having lodgers again after some health issues are sorted. One of our last lodgers was Hong Kong Chinese. Wow, she could cook and we ended up good friends despite big age and cultural differences. I think if you don't like other people, don't be a landlord or a lodger. Another lodger was a friend's ex partner, which was maybe a bit too close for comfort .
These posts have been very informative.
Ps I'm a socialist.

You are wrong. The correct, legal terms are "landlord" and "lodger". And when the landlord is a resident landlord (as OP's describing), the lodger's legal housing status is that of an "excluded occupier", as defined in the Housing Act 1988 S.31. Some links to aid your understanding that OP is correct in using the term "landlord":
https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/housing/lodging-and-subletting/lodging-subletting/
and
https://england.shelter.org.uk/professional_resources/legal/renting/occupiers_with_limited_security/excluded_occupiers