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Money Moral Dilemma: Should my friend let me off rent while her flat is decorated?
MSE_Kelvin
Posts: 454 MSE Staff
This week's MoneySaver who wants advice asks...
Unfortunately the MSE team can't always answer money moral dilemma questions as contributions are often emailed in or suggested in person. They are intended to be enjoyed as a point of debate and discussed at face value.
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My friend owns our flat and I pay her rent that’s cheaper than for similar rooms in our area. The flat is being decorated from top to bottom, meaning we can’t stay there and have had to couch-surf with other people for two weeks. Is it fair to ask my friend to take those two weeks off my rent?
Unfortunately the MSE team can't always answer money moral dilemma questions as contributions are often emailed in or suggested in person. They are intended to be enjoyed as a point of debate and discussed at face value.
If you haven’t already, join the forum to reply!
Related on MSE:
50+ Tips for Renters
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Comments
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To me, this seems like a balancing act. The OP states that they pay "cheap" rent - if this is sufficiently under market value, do they really want to rock the boat pushing for a rent free period? I can certainly see this would be frustrating, no doubt, but I think the big picture is important.On the up
Our wedding day! 13/06/150 -
Vampiric_Addiction wrote: »To me, this seems like a balancing act. The OP states that they pay "cheap" rent - if this is sufficiently under market value, do they really want to rock the boat pushing for a rent free period? I can certainly see this would be frustrating, no doubt, but I think the big picture is important.
Whereas, this seems to me, as is usual with the MSE MMD, (no replies for a few days as most regular posters sigh at the absurdity of the MMD, then a new poster or very old poster who hasn't posted for ages/years, suddenly replies) a way of resurrecting the dying, nay, 'dead' thread!
Call me a cynic but that is my take on the 'bigger picture'.'I'm sinking in the quicksand of my thought
And I ain't got the power anymore'0 -
Don't worry about it, if you have already open your big mouth, then you have probably already been demoted from friend to acquaintance, and most likely you not welcome for much longer, enjoy your new accommodation (at full market rent when the switch happens).Chuck Norris can kill two stones with one birdThe only time Chuck Norris was wrong was when he thought he had made a mistakeChuck Norris puts the "laughter" in "manslaughter".I've started running again, after several injuries had forced me to stop0
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Would you ask to not pay rent if you go on holiday? Or to visit friends or family? Or if you were in hospital?0
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Would you ask to not pay rent if you go on holiday? Or to visit friends or family? Or if you were in hospital?
This is totally different because they will be the OP decision to do them things and yes they should pay rent.
But if I was being forced to move out by the landlord/ housemate then no, I shouldn’t pay rent. It’s their decision to decorate, They could have done a room at a time and no one would have had to move out. What if the OP had no where to go, is the housemate going to pay for a hotel.
However that be said, if your rent is very cheap, then maybe come to some agreement.0 -
It is not clear from your post whether you have exclusive occupation of the flat or share the flat with your friend. Assuming it is the former, most tenancies, whether Assured Shorthold or social housing tenancies require the tenant to have responsibility for internal decoration. If your landlord is doing the work and renting the property to you at below market rent then the answer is simple. There is no moral dilemma. Accept the situation. You have a good deal. If you want to treat your tenancy with your friend on a purely business basis then it is reasonable to expect your friend to do the same and charge a market rent when the next rent review takes place. If there was no formal tenancy agreement drawn up when you took on the tenancy then the law implies certain tenancy conditions which do not normally include the landlord having responsibility for internal decorations. So you could also find yourself having responsibility for internal decorations in the future unless you have a written tenancy agreement which specifically makes the landlord responsible.0
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This is why friends and money don't mix, is your friendship worth x amount?"It is prudent when shopping for something important, not to limit yourself to Pound land/Estate Agents"
G_M/ Bowlhead99 RIP0 -
If the rent is cheap and you are happy sharing with your friend then I would pay up and be grateful that she/he is redecorating the place. Is it really worth losing a friend and a comfortable home for a few weeks’ cheap rent?0
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Surely this was a discussion you should have had with your friend when she told you about the redecoration? As you say "our flat" I assume she lives there too so technically you are a lodger. Lodging arrangements can be terminated with "reasonable" notice. So this is what she did asking you to move out. As she is asking you back, she is happy with your arrangement - probably better than sharing with a stranger.
It is worth asking yourself if it is worth having a conversation about the rent. Personally, when I sofa surfed I paid out for things as a thank you for letting me stay which added up.0 -
It depends who asked you to move out, if you decided to then you should carry on paying. If the landlord asked you to move out then you could argue you shouldn't be paying.
Also depends how long it takes to redecorate and how much rent you'd save by not paying.but if you're paying below market rate already is it worth potentially rocking the boat to save a few quid?0
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