Renting issue

Simonwebb

Hi Everyone,

I hope you all are well. I have been living in a house share for the last 9 months with 4 other tenants. It is far from ideal and the house is very small for 5 people with a very cramped living space. We get by usually but recently, there has been two of the tenants who have very frequent house guests including overnight guests staying on the sofa in the tiny living room 2 or 3 nights per week.

One of the regular overnight guests who sleeps in the common living room area is a relation of one tenant and she has taken to sleeping on the couch on week nights too, which In objected to as it prevents other tenants accessing the sitting room at this time (tiny house). We agreed that this was not practical and the relative would instead only stay over on weekend nights, from time to time. The relative actually lives in the same locality and not out of town.

The problem is she is over at least 4, maybe 5 days and nights per week. She might leave at 11.30pm or 12am on the nights she does not stay over. She leaves messes after herself in the kitchen and makes a lot of noise as well, so it's not as if you wouldn't know she was in the house. I do not think this so fair. In recent weeks, his (tenant's) friend is also frequenting the house for hours on end and leaving late, making noise and keeping others awake. I am at my wits end as this person is not a paying tenant either, or contributing anything to the house, other than encroaching on other people's space.

I am considering approaching the Landlord, as they are also regularly smoking weed inside the house (which he will definitely object to). I feel like the other tenants (2 of them specifically) have been completely inconsiderate on this issue. Cleaning is another major thing as one of them never does any (there is a rota but this person does not do it at all, despite this being mentioned before) and does nothing to contribute to associated costs. However, I don't think the Landlord will be interested in the division of labour within the house.

Just another fyi, the two tenants who bring house guests over multiple times a week rarely give any notice, even when they stay overnight. The guests can range from strangers picked up in bars, non-parental relatives, friends of relatives or tinder dates. If it was the odd sleepover or someone over to catch up, have a few drinks, cup of tea, this would not be a problem. It is constant and the guests are staying for hours, or days on end and obviously taking up space in an already stretched common area. It feels like some type of frat house at times, despite the occupants being from age 25 upwards.

Please don't just suggest 'move out.' I am looking into that in a few months when I am set up financially, rather I am just looking for anyone who had experience of this and how they resolved the matter, if at all.

Thanks & Kind regards,

Samuel T. Cogley

You've several options. Move out is by far the best; approach the LL and hope he/she does something but don't hold out too much hope. Approach the housemates which doesn't seemed to have worked. Lastly if you can't beat 'um join 'um. They can't stay if you've already got some randomer on the couch.