tennants room a total mess and stinks

longwalks1

one of my tennants (I have 2) has been with me for 2 years, great guy apart from insists on drying his washing in his room with very little, or no ventilation to it, even in summer. Ive mentioned it and i get the 'dont want my clothes to get nicked from the communial lines outside' even tho me, and my girlfriend who sometimes stays have never had stuff nicked and she wears designer stuff too. had to go in and open window over xmas while he was away and looks like a bombs gone off, a total mess, cant see ANY floor just piles of clothes. Cant even tell if its clean, drying or dirty for washing but the smell is disgusting :mad: im sure its spreading as theres a dirty, damp smell through the house now and i can smell it most of the day. My new girlfriend has also commented to me and said i should just speak out.
I know i should just lay my cards on the table but (stupid as it may seem) dont like to be confrontational or upset people, just wondering how to go about it?
Can i request/demand rooms are kept clean and tidy at all times, say for fire safety reasons?

Any advice greatly recieved

Doozergirl

You can say whatever you like - if it's your home you can turf him out on his ear, frankly, without much notice. Tell him that he needs to treat your home in the same way that you do, or find somewhere else to live. You can dress it up anyway you like, but it's that simple. Blame it on your girlfriend if you want!

It sounds disgusting. I'd have got rid of him ages ago! Someone needs to point out that his stuff can't be all that special to get nicked from the line if he stores it on the floor.

spirit

Tricky one this isn't it. I had a French girl stay a few weeks last year who also started drying her washing in her room. The daft thing is that I provide a perfectly good tumble dryer and a washing line outside which is a private back garden. My neighbours seemed to find it hilarious when she hung her undies from a coat hanger on the curtain rail, so in full view of the street!

You are right though, you get a musty smell coming from the room. as soon as i noticed it happening I stopped her from doing it. I provided electrical items for her in the room and she had a laptop and I said the damp would not be doing the hi-fi etc any good by getting damp. In 3 short weeks the windows were going black with mould and it smelled musty. I cleaned the black off, opened all the windows and forbade her to dry things in there.

since then i write it into the house rules that rooms must be kept reasonably tidy and no washing is to be dried on radiators or anywhere else in the room. the lodger i have now is really clean and tidy and to be honest i've not been in her room in the 11 months she's been here because i know it is clean as on the odd occasion she's invited me in to look at something on her pc.

longwalks1

Thanks people, my fear (I guess thats the right word) is that we are very good firends now, social drink, holidays etc together talk over each others problems and i guess in a way dont want to ruin that, silly i know. I've bought things up before and housemate tends to sulk for a few days and makes me feel awkward

poppysarah

Lodger or tenant?

Blame the GF -

Get a tumble dryer if outside is no good.

spirit

what about if you provide him with one of those laundry bin things. My nhslodger has one, it folds up when not in use. You could introduce it by saying you noticed he'd not got one and it would help him to keep the washing from the washed? then perhaps get some of those moist wipes (like dusters but better) and say you've just done your room and they are brilliant and hand him the pack and suggest he does his?

I don't know about you but I don't mind cups of tea and say snacks being taken in their room but not smelly hot food and that they are to be taken in the dining room? I hoover my (bed) room normally on a Saturday when i do the rest of the house and when i had previous lodgers (no need to remind nhslady) once I'd done it i'd leave the hoover on the landing and say i'd left it there for them to save them going downstairs to get it?

clutton_2

if you cant talk to him - write him a letter

madmalteaser

This sounds like a problem for BadgerLady to deal with!

My thoughts are, at the end of the day this is your house so you need to tell him that what he's doing is not acceptable. And if he sulks, let him! He's a grown man, if he can't behave like one then is it any wonder you have to say anything to him?

This is definitely a problem that needs to be sorted because that smell is only going to get worse. Good luck and hope you manage to get it resolved!

housesitter

I dry my clothes in doors on a rack in front of a radiator. Window certainly shut at present but not always during th summer. What's the big deal tho?

My lodger has taken to smoking via an open (tho I think probably not always) window in his room and you can smell it on the landing. But quite honestly, he's subsidising my house deposit fund quite a lot and when he's gone I can spend a day blitzing the room, fabreeze, vax, clean the walls.

He is fairly antisocial and has he issues like above, but I trust him in my house alone with my things 100% and wouldn't turf him out for something so petty.