My room is being advertised on Daft - but I'm still in it.

Blush_01

I was just browsing Daft (as I do regularly, usually for sale properties I could never afford to buy in places that would be wildly improbable for me to live) when I spotted my room (as in the room I currently rent) advertised. The advert was entered / renewed earlier this week.

Right now I'm wavering between annoyance and curiosity

The house is owner occupied, there's one other person living there but he's almost never there, so I don't know if he might have moved / be moving out, nothing's been said about it yet.

I don't know if I'm having a typical fly-off-the-handle reaction because it's my room that's being advertised, or if I should be worried. I'm never late with the rent/bills, do my share of the tidying etc., and have never had any issues with the landlord. In addition, I go home every weekend, don't usually have guests (guests of mine have had a cup of tea in the house on about 4 occasions in total since I moved in 9 or 10 months ago, and my mother stayed with me one night, in my room, which didn't cause an issue at the time) and have never had a party there.

I guess my big thing is that I haven't been told anything about it at all, so now I'm on edge.

Should I just let sleeping dogs lie, or should I ask what the story is, and if so how should I approach it? I don't want to cause any friction if there's no need.

Agent Smith

Ask to see the place (via a different email) and ask when it would be available

the_syco

A few people have said it's cheaper to just leave an ad on daft, rather than to register a new one when tenants move out.

Blush_01

Yeah, but this was renewed during the week - it's not an old ad, it has a new move-in date.

Thanks for the advice Agent Smith. I've sent an e-mail and asked her to contact me to arrange a viewing. Let's see what happens!

scudzilla

If you're as good a tenant as you say you are then you're landlord would be nuts to get rid of you at the moment.
If the other guy has moved out, maybe he placed an ad and the only pics he had to hand were of your room, or your room's pics looked better than the others and he used them to entice people to view.

convert

That's really odd. It could be that the other tenant is moving out and they've put up pictures of your room for the reasons that scudzilla has outlined.

If the landlord does get back to you and gives a move-in date, have you a friend who could view the room as a potential tenant? If someone is coming to view your room, the landlord has to tell you that they are showing your room and ask if it's ok. At that point they'd also have to give you 'notice' to move out.

Before you do anything, though, wait for the landlord to reply and see what they say.

billybigunz

I don't know how people can live in an owner occupied house. How could you feel happy knowing that htey could legally throw you out with a days notice.

Dempo1

I thought initially it may have been an old advert but you have confirmed its not. I suspect its the other tenant moving out. Regardless you would be entitled to notice as per your payment schedule, weekly, monthly etc. I have to say, there is an element of doubt and suspicion that has set in here and perhaps if there is a lack of confidence or trust maybe you should move on or at the very least confront your landlord. In the current climate no sensible landlord is going to loose a good tenant?

Merch

Agent Smith wrote: »

Ask to see the place (via a different email) and ask when it would be available

Thats a bit underhand, maybe its the other room that the person intends to let? and its the only picture/made a mistake? why dont you just ask the person?

convert wrote: »

That's really odd. It could be that the other tenant is moving out and they've put up pictures of your room for the reasons that scudzilla has outlined.

If the landlord does get back to you and gives a move-in date, have you a friend who could view the room as a potential tenant? If someone is coming to view your room, the landlord has to tell you that they are showing your room and ask if it's ok. At that point they'd also have to give you 'notice' to move out.

Before you do anything, though, wait for the landlord to reply and see what they say.

Underhand just ask

FTGFOP

Now this may seem radical but I'm going to suggest you just ask the landlord about it.
It's not like you read his rental plans out of his diary. You saw an ad whilst you were browsing daft, a public website.
Unless he's got a track record of being difficult or sneaky I would just be straight about it and not turn finding out into some elaborate scheme.
Is he difficult?

Merch

Blush_01 wrote: »

I was just browsing Daft (as I do regularly, usually for sale properties I could never afford to buy in places that would be wildly improbable for me to live) when I spotted my room (as in the room I currently rent) advertised. The advert was entered / renewed earlier this week.

Right now I'm wavering between annoyance and curiosity

The house is owner occupied, there's one other person living there but he's almost never there, so I don't know if he might have moved / be moving out, nothing's been said about it yet.

I don't know if I'm having a typical fly-off-the-handle reaction because it's my room that's being advertised, or if I should be worried. I'm never late with the rent/bills, do my share of the tidying etc., and have never had any issues with the landlord. In addition, I go home every weekend, don't usually have guests (guests of mine have had a cup of tea in the house on about 4 occasions in total since I moved in 9 or 10 months ago, and my mother stayed with me one night, in my room, which didn't cause an issue at the time) and have never had a party there.

I guess my big thing is that I haven't been told anything about it at all, so now I'm on edge.

Should I just let sleeping dogs lie, or should I ask what the story is, and if so how should I approach it? I don't want to cause any friction if there's no need.

Dont assume the worst, it is likely that it is for the other room, just ask the person

billybigunz wrote: »

I don't know how people can live in an owner occupied house. How could you feel happy knowing that htey could legally throw you out with a days notice.

Well, because if you get the right mix it can be quite good, better than renting, cleaner, nicer stuff, if you respect their property and keep it clean and they are reasonable and respect your privacy.
You can also leave at the drop of a hat if you wish but I think it is good to agree to say you will give them a months notice and would expect the same in return.
You may not want to rent a whole house/be in that city for only the weekdays and are paying and obligated to a property if ur renting for 104 days that you dont live there (ie every weekend) many reasons

Merch

FTGFOP wrote: »

Now this may seem radical but I'm going to suggest you just ask the landlord about it.
It's not like you read his rental plans out of his diary. You saw an ad whilst you were browsing daft, a public website.
Unless he's got a track record of being difficult or sneaky I would just be straight about it and not turn finding out into some elaborate scheme.
Is he difficult?

my point exactly, if it turns out its for the other room and the person finds out it makes you look devious and underhand

Gillo

billybigunz wrote: »

I don't know how people can live in an owner occupied house. How could you feel happy knowing that htey could legally throw you out with a days notice.

I'm looking at sharing at the moment and TBH I'd prefer ower occupied, there's less chance of it being some dodgy landlord and you know they are gonna take more care of the place.

Blush_01

I did as Agent Smith suggested, and she said week nights don't suit but she wants to arrange a viewing next weekend. I always go home for the weekend. I will not be going as far as organising a friend to view the room as convert suggested - that's a bit much IMO. I can't imagine how she'd find out I was the one making the enquiries unless I was to tell her, considering it's just a text enquiry at this stage. I'm not saying anything to anyone else about this until I know a bit more. As I mentioned in my original post, I don't want to cause any friction, but I think it's very weird that there's a photo up of my room when the photos listed when my room was advertised did not include that photograph - something I found odd at the time.

FTGFOP - she can be very moody. Sometimes she's very sociable, but she can turn around 20 minutes later and ignore me completely as though she never talked to me at all. Hence me not wanting to ask her anything and cause friction - the location is very convenient for work. Also, I'm reluctant to say anything until I've spoken to the other guy who lives here and seen if he makes any comment about moving. I've just paid my rent for this month, so I have about 3 weeks to find somewhere else if necessary, which should be plenty.

To be honest, I hate living in owner occupied accommodation. My last two landlords (sorry, should be landladies) have been owner occupiers. If I could find accommodation that wasn't owner occupied in the areas I've been living in I'd take it, even if it meant an increase in rent, but I can't afford to live on my own on my income. There's a lot to be said about feeling uncomfortable or unwelcome in someone else's house. That, however, is a completely different and unrelated issue to the one I'm having at the moment, and is totally personal preference based.

billybigunz

That's the crux of the issue. She could just take a dislike and out you go. There needs to be parity between housemates.

If you are on your own, get a 2 bed and then sublet once you have moved in.

AARRRGH

I'm going to use my psychic skills here and conclude she is using the photo of your room to advertise the other room. Maybe she doesn't have a photo of the other room and reckons using your one is good enough.

Merch

billybigunz wrote: »

That's the crux of the issue. She could just take a dislike and out you go. There needs to be parity between housemates.

If you are on your own, get a 2 bed and then sublet once you have moved in.

anyone considering that route should bring that up at the outset, you cant decide just to rent a place and then sublet, you need permisiion to sublet

billybigunz

Merch wrote: »

anyone considering that route should bring that up at the outset, you cant decide just to rent a place and then sublet, you need permisiion to sublet

You can do it that way, doing it on the sly is easy enough as well.

Merch

billybigunz wrote: »

You can do it that way, doing it on the sly is easy enough as well.

yes I guess you can but I would not recommend it, essentially its against the law and it could come back to bite you on the ass,
Just as easy to say it up front and ensure they will allow it, I am sure landlords will agree but they may have some conditions like getting the other tenants details.
I can think of a few examples where the tenant might have trouble if this was not approved.

shoegirl

Difficult one. I wuld be tempted to find a friend to arrange to come and look at the place and find out the truth surreptitiously. Even if the room is the other tenants room, its underhand and sly in the extreme.

A lot of people I know who've let from an owner occupier have said the same thing as you by the way - as if the landlord/lady resented having to rent a room in the first place and take it out on you.

That said, I think there is a section for looking for a co share on Daft. It is generally easier to move in with one or two others on equal terms, my own experience of renting with one other however, is that if people move you, you can often end up having to find somebody at short notice and its painful.

Its a difficult situation, and renting from an owner occupier is far less protected due to their sacred status in Ireland (owner occupiers in Ireland occupy a social position something like Parish priests did a few decades ago). I would be inclined to look around anyway for somewhere new. She sounds like a right oul cow to be arranging a viewing while you are away to evade having to speak to you, even if it is the other fellows room.

Agent Smith

billybigunz wrote: »

I don't know how people can live in an owner occupied house. How could you feel happy knowing that htey could legally throw you out with a days notice.

I live in an owner Occupied Place, and Get on really well with my landlord. The only Rule is no smoking in the house, so he gave me a Jam Jar as an ashtray to use Out the back.

Honnestly, I'm 100 times happier here then in my old place

Merch

shoegirl wrote: »

Difficult one. I wuld be tempted to find a friend to arrange to come and look at the place and find out the truth surreptitiously. Even if the room is the other tenants room, its underhand and sly in the extreme.

A lot of people I know who've let from an owner occupier have said the same thing as you by the way - as if the landlord/lady resented having to rent a room in the first place and take it out on you.

That said, I think there is a section for looking for a co share on Daft. It is generally easier to move in with one or two others on equal terms, my own experience of renting with one other however, is that if people move you, you can often end up having to find somebody at short notice and its painful.

Its a difficult situation, and renting from an owner occupier is far less protected due to their sacred status in Ireland (owner occupiers in Ireland occupy a social position something like Parish priests did a few decades ago). I would be inclined to look around anyway for somewhere new. She sounds like a right oul cow to be arranging a viewing while you are away to evade having to speak to you, even if it is the other fellows room.

Just because you have not had a good experience and haven't heard of anyone that has, doesn't mean that all owner occupier lets are like that, a lot depends on the owner no doubt, but also on the lodger.

Victor

billybigunz wrote: »

I don't know how people can live in an owner occupied house. How could you feel happy knowing that htey could legally throw you out with a days notice.

Not quite. They have to give (and expect) reasonable notice. One day's notice would be unreasonable in most circumstances, unless you trashed the place.

Bob Z

You are probably a person who doesn't like confration but why don't you just ask? Don't email or get your friends to look at the place just ask her outright. It's better than wondering what she's up to

Merch

Victor wrote: »

Not quite. They have to give (and expect) reasonable notice. One day's notice would be unreasonable in most circumstances, unless you trashed the place.

Actually I can see where people are concerned, its because the owner doesn't have to give more than 1 days notice legally as that is the persons home, but as I said before earlier in the post, both parties should agree to give each other a months notice.

Blush_01

I was speaking to her this evening and I said a few things that would have left it wide open for her to mention letting one of the rooms, but she hasn't said anything, and I would prefer if it was something that I was told, rather than having to bring it up. To be honest, I think I'm just being paranoid. At the same time, I'm sick of living somewhere that I feel unwelcome, so I'm going to casually look for somewhere else anyway.

Thanks all!

Merch

It sounds like you beat around the bush, why dont you just ask her upfront

astrofool

Blush_01 wrote: »

I was speaking to her this evening and I said a few things that would have left it wide open for her to mention letting one of the rooms, but she hasn't said anything, and I would prefer if it was something that I was told, rather than having to bring it up. To be honest, I think I'm just being paranoid. At the same time, I'm sick of living somewhere that I feel unwelcome, so I'm going to casually look for somewhere else anyway.

Thanks all!

"My friend was looking for a place for rent on Daft, and saw pictures of my room. Are you advertising the other room, or should I start looking for another place to live?"

shoegirl

Actually I kind of get why the OP is afraid to confront the LL directly. There is something terribly wrong if she is not being open and unfront with him. If there is nothing to worry about, why the fear of saying it?

The fact is, if she wishes him to leave her house, the onus is on her to give him notice. If she is not advertising that room, then its deceitful anyway to post photos of a different room online. There is something wrong about the whole thing that doesn't quite fit the picture of an honest, upfront LL.

If he does confront her, she's quite likely to just fling him out, or make his life very unpleasant. There is rather a big power gap there, and trust is already broken down due to the online advert. To me, it just feels like something is very wrong indeed.

missmatty

I have to say I would be very uncomfortable in that position, best to just ask directly what the fup is going on.

As an aside, I've been living in an owner-occupier house almost two years now and I absolutely love it. Got a rent reduction too before Christmas. Actually I love it so much that if she decided to sell in the morning I would buy it (if i got the mortgage)

FTGFOP

So how did things turn out? Was the landlord trying to rent your room?