Moving out

LegacyUser

I'm moving out of my house-share, and am trying to find a replacement to take over my part of the lease.

I got plenty of people responding to an ad, asked my housemates which ones they liked the sound of, and arranged some viewings. Ultimately, they decided they didn't like any of them (I thought some were perfectly okay), and want to put the ad up again.

That means I have to pay another week's rent, which I find unfair. It's obviously not my fault the right person didn't respond to the ad and get a viewing. What if Mr/Ms Right doesn't arrive next week... do I have to pay another week's rent?

I don't want to fall out with them over this, but from my perspective they're asking me to pay an extra week's rent because they have standards that are too high. I understand they have to live with the person, but it's me who's left with the bill. On some occasions previously we wouldn't even have met the person who's moved in!

What's a good route to resolve this?

Id tell them tough luck to be perfectly honest. You did your part, you put up the ad, found interested people and showed them the room you would be confident that at least one of the interested people would have moved in and thus started paying rent. If the housemates want to be picky they can be but its not up to you to fund it. I wouldn't pay anymore rent and I'd hand them the job of filling the room also as they appear to be vetoing the people you find let them find people themselves.

LegacyUser

Are all your names on one lease or do you each have your own lease with the Landlord?

If you've each got a seperate lease with the landlord then tell them to sod off and you're dealings are with the Landlord.

If your all on the one lease are you leaving early thus breaking it? If you've made the effort to find a replacement trying to break a fixed term lease a landlord would have to accept the replacement found, however this is slightly different if your dealing not with the LL but with housemates. Might be best to give Threshold a call.

LegacyUser

can't log in wrote: »

Are all your names on one lease or do you each have your own lease with the Landlord?

The landlord is very hands off - I've never signed anything. Just rolling deposits as people move in and out.

Keane2baMused

You did more than you needed to. It's your housemates tough luck frankly if they weren't happy with any of the options.

I wouldn't pay another weeks rent in fairness

L.Jenkins

It's not really your job to find a house share replacement. If you want to leave, then I'd leave it to your house mates to find someone.

stupid_is_as _stupid_does

The best way to do it is to post an ad with criteria for who will suit the house ie age, professional, working hours etc. Then organise a viewing evening where you organise 6-8 people to come meet flatmates nd view room. Use your discretion to choose who you think will be suitable.

Get the potential new people to have quick chat with housemates. Take notes of whos who (ie just memory aids such as where from and profession) and get housemates to rank their first three of who they prefer. Dont give them an option to not rank them. It worked for me in a similar situatuon.

It gives housemates a choice but it also means that you can say tough, i gave you an option of x people. One of them is taking the room.

Billiethepup

I've had this issue before. Basically the first 3 people were not liked by my ex housemate. I paid another 2months rent when I wasn't living there as a result.

In the end I basically told her to lump it, I let the next one move in and i signed myself off with the landlord. You can only try and be reasonable with people for so long, if they get unreasonable then it's time to change tactic. Yes we aren't great friends now but to be honest I think it was just a side of her I never saw and would have eventually come out, I'm perfectly ok without self-serving 'friends' anyway.

LegacyUser

I deliberated over contacting them at the weekend, and had a considered message written out, but was waiting to send it when I got a message that they'd decided to just go with one of the people from the first viewing.

All's well that end's well!