Is nobody renting rooms?

waxon-waxoff

Im advertising a room to rent in Dublin on the edge of the city centre on southside. Its a two bed apartment so i need one more person to share the place with me. Ive been renting for ten years but never seen it so slow. Only three viewers in two and a half weeks! The only replies im getting are people looking for short term, have very little English or want to share the room. The rent is 525 so its not cheap but average for the location, but i dont think thats the problem. Has anybody else had this problem?

Max Power1

waxon-waxoff wrote: »

Im advertising a room to rent in Dublin on the edge of the city centre on southside. Its a two bed apartment so i need one more person to share the place with me. Ive been renting for ten years but never seen it so slow. Only three viewers in two and a half weeks! The only replies im getting are people looking for short term, have very little English or want to share the room. The rent is 525 so its not cheap but average for the location, but i dont think thats the problem. Has anybody else had this problem?

thats why, way overpriced IMO

Cathmandooo

+1 to it being overpriced.

Tenants have a much bigger choice of places at the moment, they can get their own space for a little bit more rent than you're asking also.

Knock down the rent

safesecure.ie

I dont necessarily agree with the price being too high, at the end of the day you get what you pay for!

In both this house and my previous house I've always believed that you'll get better tenants with better rooms i.e. decorated well - some of the rooms that are advertised on Daft are dire!

I'm based in Navan and had no issue with getting calls regarding renting rooms, the only problem was finding the right people - luckily I have now.

Best of luck with the search

macy9

I was looking for a room in the city/south side and this was my price range. In the end it came down to a room in D2 and a room in D4, both identical. Which would you choose? So yeah, imo it is overpriced. Plus if its owner occupied you're probably less likely to get as many calls.

Max Power1

macy9 wrote: »

I was looking for a room in the city/south side and this was my price range. In the end it came down to a room in D2 and a room in D4, both identical. Which would you choose? So yeah, imo it is overpriced. Plus if its owner occupied you're probably less likely to get as many calls.

anyone thats even semi familiar with the legal/contractual situation wouldnt go anywhere near an owner occupied houseshare

eth0_

For 525 i'd want a huge double room, possibly an eu-suite, with all bills included and it would have to be a really nice area.

As others have said, you can get your own 1 bed flat for not much more. Also the fact it's owner occupied is a disincentive.

jon1981

kinda agree,

im paying 500 for a large double bed in harolds cross (might look into getting the rent down some more)...but yeah the owner occupier is a massive turn off. You never feel like an equal in an owner occupier so maybe in your advert stress that you will not be anal about the fact it is your place and that its as much the persons home as yours.

Max Power1

jon1981 wrote: »

kinda agree,

im paying 500 for a large double bed in harolds cross (might look into getting the rent down some more)...but yeah the owner occupier is a massive turn off. You never feel like an equal in an owner occupier so maybe in your advert stress that you will not be anal about the fact it is your place and that its as much the persons home as yours.

tbh its not that, its the fact that you have pretty much no legal recourse if anything goes wrong

billybigunz

Anybody with a bit of smarts will steer clear of owner occupier setups. How can you go into work everyday knowing that your you could be thrown out that night on a whim


Plus it is overpriced. If it wasn't overpriced you would be getting more calls.

waxon-waxoff

Where did the owner occupier comments come from? Im renting.

I moved in with a mate a few months back, his contract ended and ill have to move out if i cant get someone to replace him in next week or two. Its a twelve month lease but i have to break it. Landlord is to call me tomorrow so hopefully they will reduce the rent or else ill have to start packing.

Penny Dreadful

I'm a little shocked at the owner occupier comments:( I bought my house ten years ago and rented out the spare rooms for a few years to make ends meet. There were a few nutters along the way but in the end with the right people things muddled along ok. After about 3 years or so my boyfriend and I decided to live together and I had to ask the people to move out but I gave them 2 months notice and would never have thought about just kicking them out, that would be such a horrible thing to do to anyone.
Now myself and the aforementioned boyfriend have broken up and he has moved out. Now I'm struggling to pay the bills and while would have been ok(ish) news of an impending pay cut has made me think strongly about renting out the double room again. I live in Clonsilla and its a nice house and I was hoping to get between €350 and €400 for the room. I didn't think me living here with the other person would be such a turn off:eek:

billybigunz

Penny Dreadful wrote: »

I'm a little shocked at the owner occupier comments:( I bought my house ten years ago and rented out the spare rooms for a few years to make ends meet. There were a few nutters along the way but in the end with the right people things muddled along ok. After about 3 years or so my boyfriend and I decided to live together and I had to ask the people to move out but I gave them 2 months notice and would never have thought about just kicking them out, that would be such a horrible thing to do to anyone.
Now myself and the aforementioned boyfriend have broken up and he has moved out. Now I'm struggling to pay the bills and while would have been ok(ish) news of an impending pay cut has made me think strongly about renting out the double room again. I live in Clonsilla and its a nice house and I was hoping to get between €350 and €400 for the room. I didn't think me living here with the other person would be such a turn off:eek:

Just discount over a standard room rental.

When I looked for a room before the ones with a premium were usually owner occupiers who didn't have a clue about the going market rents. I'd say half them were not doing it out of choice and would no doubt begrudge your prescence in their house.

tevion

I rented with a few owner occupiers over the years, and I found them grand.
At least the house was kept cleaner than if they werent there.

Penny Dreadful

billybigunz wrote: »

Just discount over a standard room rental.

When I looked for a room before the ones with a premium were usually owner occupiers who didn't have a clue about the going market rents. I'd say half them were not doing it out of choice and would no doubt begrudge your prescence in their house.

I looked on Daft today and the prices quoted for my area are between what I quoted in my post ( €400 - 350). Yes I'd rather not have to rent out but with the right person it could be ok. There would only be the two of us so the house wouldn't be over crowded and they'd have sole use of the main bathroom and a parking space.
Re: begruding the presence in the house........when I did this before what annoyed me was one particular person who didn't give a flying fcuk about the stuff in the house and broke glasses,plates, etc left right and centre and never ever said sorry. There was one other girl who was filthy filthy filthy. I don't care what mess someone keeps their bedroom in but you have to do your fair share re: general cleaning and a once in a blue moon hoovering of the floor wouldn't kill. Still, I've learned from past experiences and would be upfront about what I expected and ask any prospective tenant what their expectations were and if we were on the same page then it should work.

billybigunz

That is fine but if both people can go into a house share like that with an open mind but you really don't know each other. I've had houseshares go a bit wrong but if it was an owner occupier there is nothing stopping them from saying please leave this house today.
That is no way to live.

bugler

Lower the price and the viewings will go up. There are readjustments being made in the rental/property market and a new reality is setting in - prices are too high. We just need rent allowance tackled properly now.

I dont necessarily agree with the price being too high, at the end of the day you get what you pay for!

If the price wasn't too high then the room would be let by now and the OP wouldn't have had to post. Assuming a decent standard of presentation, the only factor you can manipulate and by far the most effective is the price.

The OP however, is in a tricky situation by way of being left behind in a place on his own and having to fill a slot when he doesn't have full control over the asking rent. I would either ask the LL for a release from the lease or a reduction in rent. Hopefully he's sympathetic to your situation.

makeorbrake

Penny Dreadful wrote: »

Re: begruding the presence in the house........when I did this before what annoyed me was one particular person who didn't give a flying fcuk about the stuff in the house and broke glasses,plates, etc left right and centre and never ever said sorry. There was one other girl who was filthy filthy filthy. I don't care what mess someone keeps their bedroom in but you have to do your fair share re: general cleaning and a once in a blue moon hoovering of the floor wouldn't kill.

Yeah - and here is the counter-argument to all those who go on about owner occupier setups having drawbacks. Its a double edged sword. The reality is that people as a general rule don't treat things in the same way as they would their own possessions. And of course as people vary, they may be on various points of the scale in this regard...
One good example - guy I have here at the moment - annoyed that I locked front door at night - too much trouble to turn the key in the lock in the morning so he goes out the back door - leaving it unlocked. Had been doing this for a few weeks until someone else in the house told me.

Penny Dreadful

makeorbrake wrote: »

Yeah - and here is the counter-argument to all those who go on about owner occupier setups having drawbacks. Its a double edged sword. The reality is that people as a general rule don't treat things in the same way as they would their own possessions. And of course as people vary, they may be on various points of the scale in this regard...
One good example - guy I have here at the moment - annoyed that I locked front door at night - too much trouble to turn the key in the lock in the morning so he goes out the back door - leaving it unlocked. Had been doing this for a few weeks until someone else in the house told me.[/QUOTE]

This is what I just don't understand. How can it be too much trouble to turn the key in the lock in the morning? That simple not too time consuming act keeps you and your possessions safe in the house at night.
Knowing I have to go down this road again and try to filter out the nutters from the sane ones is making me want to drink at lunchtime.

robd

Penny Dreadful wrote: »

I'm a little shocked at the owner occupier comments:( I bought my house ten years ago and rented out the spare rooms for a few years to make ends meet. There were a few nutters along the way but in the end with the right people things muddled along ok. After about 3 years or so my boyfriend and I decided to live together and I had to ask the people to move out but I gave them 2 months notice and would never have thought about just kicking them out, that would be such a horrible thing to do to anyone.
Now myself and the aforementioned boyfriend have broken up and he has moved out. Now I'm struggling to pay the bills and while would have been ok(ish) news of an impending pay cut has made me think strongly about renting out the double room again. I live in Clonsilla and its a nice house and I was hoping to get between €350 and €400 for the room. I didn't think me living here with the other person would be such a turn off:eek:

That's because you were nice. The point is that if you had decided not to be nice you could, not necessarily would, but could evict a tenant on the spot. Unfortunately, this is the case for any house share but not the case where there is a lease in place with a landlord.

I ended up in a very sticky situation with house share tenants many years ago. They decided to throw an impromptu party for half of the college after the last Christmas exam despite me refusing their earlier request for such party. There was over 200 people in the house and the place ended up totally trashed. Gave them 5 weeks notice as there was 1 week left in month. After 1 week when rent was due they decided to play silly buggers and refuse to pay the rent. I knew them personally so had waived deposits when the moved in. Some of them were in arrears as it was. They where thrown out on the spot. I was young then and in was an expensive lesson for me in not mixing business with pleasure. The point is when it comes down to it and you have to, you can evict a tenant in a house share on the spot. Good for owner, bad for tenant.

makeorbrake

Penny Dreadful wrote: »

This is what I just don't understand. How can it be too much trouble to turn the key in the lock in the morning? That simple not too time consuming act keeps you and your possessions safe in the house at night.

I guess the mentality is a mixture of two things;
1. Ah sure the house will never get robbed (granted its unlikely as i'm in a small regional town but that hasn't stopped a couple of houses being burgled at lunchtime in a couple of other estates in the town recently...so it can happen and if it does with the door unlocked, guess what the insurance co. are going to say!). Of course, I can always ask him to pay for whatever gets stolen (yeah, right!).
2. It boils down to attitude and self interest. He doesn't have anything in the house worth robbing so why should he care (and this transfers into other things too).

As to how this could be too much trouble...the mind boggles...but then house sharing can be an education in psychology! Same guy has trouble closing fridge door too...so maybe its some sort of door thing!

Penny Dreadful

makeorbrake wrote: »

I guess the mentality is a mixture of two things;
1. Ah sure the house will never get robbed (granted its unlikely as i'm in a small regional town but that hasn't stopped a couple of houses being burgled at lunchtime in a couple of other estates in the town recently...so it can happen and if it does with the door unlocked, guess what the insurance co. are going to say!). Of course, I can always ask him to pay for whatever gets stolen (yeah, right!).
2. It boils down to attitude and self interest. He doesn't have anything in the house worth robbing so why should he care (and this transfers into other things too).

As to how this could be too much trouble...the mind boggles...but then house sharing can be an education in psychology! Same guy has trouble closing fridge door too...so maybe its some sort of door thing!

I could stay on here all day swapping horror stories, maybe we should just move in together. I always lock the door at night and when leaving the house, keep fridge and freezer doors closed too, am clean and tidy but not in a nutty way................:)

tHE vAGGABOND

Im an owner occupier in an apartment in town, renting a room.

First, I really don't understand peoples dislike for owner occupiers? If your sensible you will have some form of ground rules for how you live in a house share, if your living with one owner, or 11 Aussies You could have nightmare housemates living with anyone, I have not had any bad experiences with anyone type more than others in 6+ years sharing in Dublin and London.

Anyway, I have only had a problem filling it once [in 2 years odd], when I was over priced [my fault, had celtic tiger prices, after things went down hill]. So that one time I adjusted my prices and I filled room the first evening of viewings. The other 3 or 4 times I have had to rent the room I have filled it very quickly, generally after a night or two [I tend to rent to people passing through Dublin/Ireland for a few months, as it suits me to change who I live with every so often tbh - variety being the spice of life].

Pricing the room is key...

How do I price my room, I look at similar rooms in the area on daft and price mine somewhere around the middle. You may argue you could get a few more quid in rent or that it should be less - but its a system that's worked for me in brief peroids of good times and the slow spiral down

What I currently get is about 150 a month less than what I got 2 years ago, but having someone in there is better than nothing by a long shot

Ammonite

I would not write off owner occupiers completely.

My one experience with an owner occupier was a very positive one. I got a room in a beautiful house for a good price with all bills included. You literally could not have got a better location either. The owner was very nice, easy to get on with and not overly picky about cleanliness, as long as everything was kept reasonably tidy. My landlord was not at all the type that would kick someone out with no notice and I stayed to the end of my lease.

CiaranC

People arent taking in specifics about owner occupiers. Its just that with a glut of rental property on the market, why would you move in somewhere where you can be kicked out with no notice when you dont have to? It makes no sense.

makeorbrake

CiaranC wrote: »

People arent taking in specifics about owner occupiers. Its just that with a glut of rental property on the market, why would you move in somewhere where you can be kicked out with no notice when you dont have to? It makes no sense.

Firstly, you can't legally be kicked out without 'reasonable' notice.
Secondly, your forgetting the advantages that an owner occupied house brings;

someone who takes responsibility for paying all the bills.

no bills in your name.

probably a good deal on bills (i don't charge for broadband, tv license or bins for example)

A house that's been cared for

Stuff tends to get fixed faster than they would in a regular rental scenario

probably no need for cleaning (in my case i do it all)

You don't have to sign a lease that locks you in to renting a place for X length of time - so its truly a flexible arrangement.

You don't have to worry about having to advertise for someone else to fill rooms to cover rent

So, its swings and roundabouts. Of course, for those that can't treat the place they live in with a bit of respect, then owner occupied is not for them!

billybigunz

billybigunz wrote: »

Just discount over a standard room rental.

When I looked for a room before the ones with a premium were usually owner occupiers who didn't have a clue about the going market rents. I'd say half them were not doing it out of choice and would no doubt begrudge your prescence in their house.

+1. I haven't even lived with an owner occupier, but with someone who had rented a place empty so all the stuff was hers. It was a nightmare. She made it very clear that she was only renting out the room because she had to and that she considered it 'her' house. There was never a question of asking me if I minded her friends staying, but I felt like she would have had a fit if I'd had someone over. She was ridiculously demanding of me (IMO) - she treated me like a guest in her house, yet she'd give out if she thought I wasn't cleaning as much as she expected. So basically she wanted it both ways. I had to wash my dishes immediately but she'd leave hers for days meaning I had to wash them before I could cook and she thought that was fine. This was in another country where I didn't want to sign a lease, the rental market wasn't great and I was only staying for a shortish time. I regret putting up with it now and wish I'd just moved, I'd never put up with it in Dublin.

Penny Dreadful wrote: »

I looked on Daft today and the prices quoted for my area are between what I quoted in my post ( €400 - 350). Yes I'd rather not have to rent out but with the right person it could be ok. There would only be the two of us so the house wouldn't be over crowded and they'd have sole use of the main bathroom and a parking space.
Re: begruding the presence in the house........when I did this before what annoyed me was one particular person who didn't give a flying fcuk about the stuff in the house and broke glasses,plates, etc left right and centre and never ever said sorry. There was one other girl who was filthy filthy filthy. I don't care what mess someone keeps their bedroom in but you have to do your fair share re: general cleaning and a once in a blue moon hoovering of the floor wouldn't kill. Still, I've learned from past experiences and would be upfront about what I expected and ask any prospective tenant what their expectations were and if we were on the same page then it should work.

I believe you but my experience is that people who own/rent a place to others are often ridiculously picky. I am always careful with peoples' possessions, much moreso than I am with my own, but things break. The nightmare woman I lived with blew up at me for breaking a wine glass - all I did was dry it and it fell apart in my hands because it was cheap and nasty, one of those '10 glasses for 10 quid' things. She responded by moving all the glasses and plates to her room so I had to get my own. I heard her going on to her friend about it, you'd think I was purposely banging stuff around and throwing it on the floor. I understand people being protective of their possessions, but things break, that's life. I don't see why I should grovel and apologise for a glass cracking as if I'd done something wrong.

CiaranC wrote: »

People arent taking in specifics about owner occupiers. Its just that with a glut of rental property on the market, why would you move in somewhere where you can be kicked out with no notice when you dont have to? It makes no sense.

+1. Why would you? There are scores and scores of rooms on Daft, you can even get a studio flat in south Dublin for around the 500 mark. Why on earth would someone pay 525 for a room to live with someone who's been there much longer and probably considers it 'their' place?

billybigunz

You are dreaming if you think the average renter sees it that way.

makeorbrake

billybigunz wrote: »

You are dreaming if you think the average renter sees it that way.

All the points I made stand on their own merit. I know for a fact I've gotten lodgers as a direct result of the third point and last two points I raised above.

makeorbrake

makeorbrake wrote: »

All the points I made stand on their own merit. I know for a fact I've gotten lodgers as a direct result of the third point and last two points I raised above.

They're all good points but for me, none of them make up for feeling like you're an unwelcome guest in someone else's home.

As for the notice period, what is 'reasonable'? I've heard of people being given a few days or a week's notice to leave.

makeorbrake

[quote=[Deleted User];65323717]As for the notice period, what is 'reasonable'? I've heard of people being given a few days or a week's notice to leave.[/QUOTE] Reasonable is usually deemed to be the equivalent of whatever the arrangement is for payment. ie. if weekly or monthly, then a week or a months notice. By the same token, this is all the notice the lodger needs to give if they want to move out.
[quote=[Deleted User];65323717]They're all good points but for me, none of them make up for feeling like you're an unwelcome guest in someone else's home.[/QUOTE]
Yes, you are a guest under this arrangement. However, as people vary so will your experience. In other words, whether your a welcome or 'unwelcome' guest depends on the individuals involved. In your case, it certainly sounds like you were made to feel like an unwelcome guest. However, just bear in mind that its a two way street

MysticalSoul

[quote=[Deleted User];65323717]They're all good points but for me, none of them make up for feeling like you're an unwelcome guest in someone else's home.

As for the notice period, what is 'reasonable'? I've heard of people being given a few days or a week's notice to leave.[/QUOTE]

An an owner occupier myself, I always draw up a relatively informal lease, but stipulates a notice period of one month, which, from my experience has worked out well.

RasTa

It's your price tbh. We put this up today and already have some people wanting to come around.

www.daft.ie/3574722

makeorbrake

makeorbrake wrote: »

Reasonable is usually deemed to be the equivalent of whatever the arrangement is for payment. ie. if weekly or monthly, then a week or a months notice. By the same token, this is all the notice the lodger needs to give if they want to move out.

Yes, but do people actually do this? Do they have to do it? As far as I can see, if I rent a room from you and you decide to move your partner in three days later and give me my marching orders, there's sweet FA I can do about it.

Yes, you are a guest under this arrangement. However, as people vary so will your experience. In other words, whether your a welcome or 'unwelcome' guest depends on the individuals involved. In your case, it certainly sounds like you were an unwelcome guest. However, just bear in mind that its a two way street

Yeah, sure, imply that I'm a bad housemate. Strange that in all the places I've ever lived, the only place I've ever had a problem was in the leaseholder occupied one. Same with friends in Dublin who have lived in this type of set-up. I just don't see how it can possibly be an equal and comfortable living situation when one person sees everything in the house as 'theirs'. Even the stuff like not having to pay bills would make me uncomfortable. I'm an adult, I want to be in control of my living situation, I want to do my share of the cleaning. The set-up you described would be like living with my parents, only it's actually some stranger. I have a few friends in owner occupied places here in London and they all want to get out. People want a home, not to feel like a guest in someone else's home 365 days a year.

makeorbrake

[quote=[Deleted User];65325195]As far as I can see, if I rent a room from you and you decide to move your partner in three days later and give me my marching orders, there's sweet FA I can do about it.[/QUOTE]Yes, you can. You can go to the small claims court.
[quote=[Deleted User];65325195]Yeah, sure, imply that I'm a bad housemate.[/QUOTE]Steady on, fella. Where did I imply that you were a bad housemate? I took your post at face value and was in agreement that it sounded that you were getting a raw deal. However, what I am implying is that with people (whatever the circumstances) your mileage will always vary. So you could have a tennant/lodger who is an a$$hole. Equally, you could have an owner occupier who is an a$$hole
[quote=[Deleted User];65325195]People want a home, not to feel like a guest in someone else's home 365 days a year.[/QUOTE]In reality, you are a guest but a paying guest. That doesn't mean that you should be treated as if its not your home. It just means that the owner occupier (whether they like it or not) has to be ultimately responsible for the gaff. They setup the arrangement of the house share.
If theres a disagreement between two people in a house share (which im sure you'll agree is something that happens on a regular basis), either of them could end up moving out if things got that bad. In an owner occupier scenario, they have no choice but to stay even if they wanted to leave.

EDIT: Just re-read that earlier post and see how i've made myself misunderstood. That should have read 'you were made to feel like an unwelcome guest'.

tHE vAGGABOND

none of them make up for feeling like you're an unwelcome guest in someone else's home

If you feel like that your either living with a complete eejet or [and pardon me for saying this] the tenant my be a bit on the sensitive side?

If the person is an eejet - then thats just bad luck. But it could happen in any situation. Personally, I have been in that situation, but in a house share with two Brazilians in London [a couple, not owners, but people who's name was on lease] - where they were sorta unplesant to live with for reasons Im not going into.

I voted with my feet and moved out pretty quickly, best thing ever.

If your super sensitive [not saying you personally, but in general] and want things just as you like them and no other way then your going to have a fair amount of bad experiences in house shares. The whole principal of sharing with someone [1 owner or again, 11 aussies] is that there has to be give and take - it cant me all me, me, me! if one person is a eejet and messing up your life then just leave!

homerjay2005

price is away too high alright. i am living soutside, dundrum and rent is €310for 5 sharing a huge house, 3 of the rooms are massive(its actually €260 at the moment as we are renting out the spare room for 4 months to a friend of 3 of the girls in the house) and we are 5 mins walk from the luas line. that is what you are up against now, people only care about price, if the location is semi decent and it is for us.

3 of the girls visa run out soon and we will be advertising the rooms. i dont expect them to be empty for long due to the price.

makeorbrake

makeorbrake wrote: »

In reality, you are a guest but a paying guest. That doesn't mean that you should be treated as if its not your home. It just means that the owner occupier (whether they like it or not) has to be ultimately responsible for the gaff. They setup the arrangement of the house share.
If theres a disagreement between two people in a house share (which im sure you'll agree is something that happens on a regular basis), either of them could end up moving out if things got that bad. In an owner occupier scenario, they have no choice but to stay even if they wanted to leave.

Well, I don't want to be a guest. I don't mind being a guest at someone's house for a weekend, or in a hotel. I don't want to be a guest in my own home. I understand what you say about not being able to leave, but that's not of the tenant's concern. It would have to be an amazing or amazingly cheap place for me to choose an owner occupied house over a regular house share, and it's the same for most of my friends.

tHE vAGGABOND wrote: »

If you feel like that your either living with a complete eejet or [and pardon me for saying this] the tenant my be a bit on the sensitive side?

The girl I lived with was an absolute b*tch who openly resented the fact she had to rent out a room and made it obvious she didn't want me there. But I've known a lot of people in very similar situations. Not always that the owner occupier was a horrible person, but there's a very clear sense of one person having much more power and control than the other. Stuff like, the owner has friends over or has parties when they like, the tenant has to ask, the owner makes as much noise as they want but gives out to the tenant for slamming a door one night. You don't have to be sensitive to get annoyed by that. I don't know many people who would willingly pay hundeds of euro a month to have to tiptoe around someone else's home.

If your super sensitive [not saying you personally, but in general] and want things just as you like them and no other way then your going to have a fair amount of bad experiences in house shares. The whole principal of sharing with someone [1 owner or again, 11 aussies] is that there has to be give and take - it cant me all me, me, me! if one person is a eejet and messing up your life then just leave!

That's my whole point. It's the people who rent rooms who 9 times out of 10, don't understand that. I've lived in over a dozen shares around the world, I know how to behave in them. Lots of people who rent rooms seem to expect to live their lives the exact same way as before and have the tenant work around it. I went to view a nice house occupied by a woman in her 30's, she seemed nice and friendly, but then started saying how I couldn't shower in the morning before 9, as there wasn't enough hot water for two showers, and how she watched such and such a program on Monday nights, and she had her boyfriend over on Saturdays, and there wasn't much space in the living room (basically telling me to f**k off every Saturday). That's totally unreasonable. Just because she lived there alone for 2 years didn't mean that I'd now have to fit around her schedule. IMO, when you get a housemate in, it's equal. You can't have one rule for them and another for you or of course people feel awkward or unwelcome.

pawrick

what it all comes down to is some people can be asses

and also that yes most people will feel more secure in standing their ground on equal footings - when one person in the house is the owner the balance shifts immediately. If the people there get on fine and show respect fro each other there will be no problem.

I've lived with owner occupiers on two occassions in Dublin and the rest of the time I have lived with strangers, mostly where I interviewed them to share a place with me. Meet the people first and have a serious chat to see if they seem like the type of person you could live with then hide the remote to the TV if they like soaps!

I've only had one bad experience with a house mate but that was due to a breakdown. All the other people I have lived with I stayed friends with after we parted.

billybigunz

It's all about power and equality. If two people are on an equal footing then problems are less likely to occur.

Why would you want a person paying your tv and gas bills? It then becomes their tv and their gas. You'd be better off in your parents.

No owner occupier wants to rent rooms. They do it because they can't afford their mortgage. Your presence is a daily reminder of their shortcomings.

D3PO

billybigunz wrote: »

No owner occupier wants to rent rooms. They do it because they can't afford their mortgage. Your presence is a daily reminder of their shortcomings.

Thats not always true although I suspect might be in a lot of cases :D

I rented out rooms for 2 years, not because I couldnt afford the mortgage or had any shortcomings but because it was extremely suitable to my circumstances.

I had extra cash coming in and as I used to travel around the country alot and would be out of the house on average 2 nights of the week having somebody in the house made me feel better about the property from a security perspective. Was great when I wanted to go away for my summer hols aswell not having to worry about getting somebody to check on the house etc etc.

Dont tar all owner occuipers with the same brush. I gave my tennants the same reign as if they were my housemates I only once had to tow the line when the next door neighbour caled me on a thursday night whilst I was down the country at 1am saying the noise from the music was really loud and they werent turning it down.

that was the only time I had an issue and in fairness they didnt hold it against me and appologised the next day

MysticalSoul

billybigunz wrote: »

No owner occupier wants to rent rooms. They do it because they can't afford their mortgage. Your presence is a daily reminder of their shortcomings.

Not true. As an owner occupier myself, it is nice to have the company - get to know someone, and depending on how we get on (as in all house share scenarios), maybe even go out for a drink occassionally.

tHE vAGGABOND

Not true. As an owner occupier myself, it is nice to have the company - get to know someone, and depending on how we get on (as in all house share scenarios), maybe even go out for a drink occassionally.

same here...

makeorbrake

billybigunz wrote: »

No owner occupier wants to rent rooms. They do it because they can't afford their mortgage. Your presence is a daily reminder of their shortcomings.

wtf dude? shortcomings? Care to develop on that a little?

Whilst I started out on the 'rent a room' thing with regard to affordability concerns, i'm past that now. However, it has paid off 20% of the purchase price of my house and 25% of my mortgage in the space of 4 years. Apologies for having the shortcoming of not being a millionaire but I respect the rent a room scheme as it has helped me in being in control of my own finances.

Raven Quick Beekeeper wrote:

Well, I don't want to be a guest.

I only use that term as in the eyes of the law, thats how its described. The situation that you describe was completely out of order - thats not the way I believe a house share should be run - owner occupier or otherwise.

billybigunz wrote:

Why would you want a person paying your tv and gas bills? It then becomes their tv and their gas.

Their tv and their gas? You must be kidding! Not in my house share scenario.

KTRIC

I posted a thread recently about my owner-ocupier expierience. Its still on going and a complete nightmare.

I'll hopefully be moving very soon

billybigunz

Link, would like to read about that.

makeorbrake

KTRIC wrote: »

I posted a thread recently about my owner-ocupier expierience. Its still on going and a complete nightmare.

I'll hopefully be moving very soon

I know its not funny for you but I'm sure you'll see the funny side of it when you've moved on!

billybigunz wrote:

Link, would like to read about that.

You've posted on that thread so won't be anything new to you.
Link

And just to balance things up and prove that it is a two way street - and all depends on the individuals involved (be it owner occupier or tenant) , check out this thread here