Flat rented - unfair room prices

bergenhaus

My girlfriend's room does represent good value, it's just the other room represents very excellent value! You'd be pretty annoyed if you bought half a pint of lager for £1 and then overheard another costumer getting a pint for £1.

I don't understand why she is saying she'll look for another place, I think it was just a reaction.
You can carry on looking for the perfect deal until you're old and grey and this flat is good but thanks for the life lessons!

If it was me in a much better room I would feel incredibly guilty and I would never be as childish or selfish to just say "I got there first".

I was really looking for advice about whether it's possible to negotiate with the landlady. The landlady's answer that the price was fixed because of the solicitor didn't sound quite right to me.

The position at the moment is that my girlfriend has moved in before the contract starts while one girl who was in the flat last year is away. She has agreed to a draft or pre-contract as far as I am aware but definitely hasn't signed the proper contract or payed the deposit.

N79

If your GF has paid rent then a tenancy exists. It will have a 6 month fixed term during which your GF is unable to leave and the rent is fixed unless the LL agrees to change it.

Obviously if you sign a new tenancy then you can negotiate the terms but if the LL does not agree then the current tenancy stands.

This post assumes each T has a separate tenancy for their occupancy.

ILW

bergenhaus wrote: »

My girlfriend's room does represent good value, it's just the other room represents very excellent value! You'd be pretty annoyed if you bought half a pint of lager for £1 and then overheard another costumer getting a pint for £1.

I don't understand why she is saying she'll look for another place, I think it was just a reaction.
You can carry on looking for the perfect deal until you're old and grey and this flat is good but thanks for the life lessons!

If it was me in a much better room I would feel incredibly guilty and I would never be as childish or selfish to just say "I got there first".

I was really looking for advice about whether it's possible to negotiate with the landlady. The landlady's answer that the price was fixed because of the solicitor didn't sound quite right to me.

The position at the moment is that my girlfriend has moved in before the contract starts while one girl who was in the flat last year is away. She has agreed to a draft or pre-contract as far as I am aware but definitely hasn't signed the proper contract or payed the deposit.

Sounds like she has two choices:

Take or leave it.

Your attitude of "its not fair" does come over as a little immature though.

bergenhaus

ILW wrote: »

Sounds like she has two choices:

Take or leave it.

Your attitude of "its not fair" does come over as a little immature though.

That wasn't terribly helpful.

alfiesmum

bergenhaus wrote: »

If it was me in a much better room I would feel incredibly guilty and I would never be as childish or selfish to just say "I got there first".

That wasn't terribly grateful.

ILW

bergenhaus wrote: »

That wasn't terribly helpful.

Not sure what you want to hear?

laughingcow81

I think it is perfectly possible to try and negotiate with the landlady over the price of the rooms, however she is probably not under any obligation to actually change it! Nor would I expect her to.

The room size vs. price is not fair, but you'll probably find that rooms in most shared houses aren't always priced according to size unless there is a huge difference.

Not sure about the legal standpoint.

ILW

laughingcow81 wrote: »

I think it is perfectly possible to try and negotiate with the landlady over the price of the rooms, however she is probably not under any obligation to actually change it! Nor would I expect her to.

The room size vs. price is not fair, but you'll probably find that rooms in most shared houses aren't always priced according to size unless there is a huge difference.

Not sure about the legal standpoint.

according to OP they have already asked and been told no.

Idiophreak

bergenhaus wrote: »

If it was me in a much better room I would feel incredibly guilty and I would never be as childish or selfish to just say "I got there first".

...really?

If I were in that position, I might assume that my relatively lower rent was due to loyalty for being there for two years running. Or I may assume that landlady just wants to keep her sums as easy as possible. Or it might be that the square footage of the room isn't a significant cost to the landlady, whereas using the fridge, washing machine and so on will actually increase her costs - and this is the same whatever the size of my room.

Even if I felt there was some grave injustice going on, I'd feel bad for the new girl, but I wouldn't say "here you go, you take the bigger room"...I'd consider that I'd been settled in the room for a year and wouldn't want to have to move rooms, redecorate etc just to accommodate someone who *knew what she was paying for* when she moved in.

Pee

When I lived in a shared house, I had the smallest room and we all paid the same rent. It didn't bother me, but later that winter when I had the smallest room with the biggest heater in, I was perfectly happy!!!!!