Lodger/toilet problems

Hectors_House

Earlier this year we took in an old friend as a lodger.

We hadn’t seen him in years and in the meantime some crappy things had happened in his life.

He’s now getting back on his feet, finding work here and there and has just finished a contract he had down in London and is back with us full-time.

The problem is he tends to sleep during the day and then stay up late into the early morning and uses the toilet a lot.

I counted seven trips to the toilet last night and he woke me up each time as he flushes each time.

I’ve had a jokey word with him earlier this week as I have a weak bladder myself so make toilet trips in the night myself but never close/lock the bathroom door and don’t flush the chain. This may sound gross but the bathroom is up against my sister’s bedroom and doing these things wakes her up….plus I make two trips at most.

I’ve had another word with him today and his response is that the house is full of creaky floorboards (this isn’t the problem) and that he will try to go less in the night.

We’re going to give him a couple of nights to see if there is any improvement but I’m worried what to do if there isn’t.

Technically, as of December 8th he is three months behind with his rent (he’s waiting for the company he was working for the pay his last invoice) and we’re not bothered by his staying up late as he does make sure to keep the volume of anything he’s doing down. It’s just the toilet use that is the issue.

Apart from providing him with a bucket can anyone suggest any ideas?

BitterAndTwisted

He's a friend so it shouldn't be too difficult a conversation to ask him not to flush the lav when everyone else in the house is asleep.

Hectors_House

BitterAndTwisted wrote: »

He's a friend so it shouldn't be too difficult a conversation to ask him not to flush the lav when everyone else in the house is asleep.

Unfortunatley today was the third time he's been spoken to about it and all he said was that the floorboards squeak and he'll try to go less in the night.

We don't want him thinking he can't use the lav but getting across to him the points that are waking us up seems to be the problem.

Hopefully you are right and he'll be more thoughtful from now on.

Alias_Omega

Would you be happy arriving at the toilet when its full of stinking orange urine? What if he "does a no2"..?

I would maybe move your bed away from the toilet wall, and try not to think about it. I guess its like living next to a train track, you will adapt to it in the end.

BitterAndTwisted

If he's responded to your request that it's the floorboards and he'll try to go less often, then either you're not being absolutely explicit about when you want or he's not listening. Tell him that it's not the creeping about that's the problem but the flushing.

Give him a week to mend his ways.

Hectors_House

Alias_Omega wrote: »

Would you be happy arriving at the toilet when its full of stinking orange urine? What if he "does a no2"..?

I would maybe move your bed away from the toilet wall, and try not to think about it. I guess its like living next to a train track, you will adapt to it in the end.

funnily enough, a bowl full of urine doesn't bother us - we'd rather get a nights uninterrupted sleep.

As to if he does a number 2, then, yes we've told him to flush.

Oddly we do live next to a train track and even the nightly 3am freight service doesn't wake me...unless I'm already awake from the latest flush.

alisoncar

Hi there,

if it helps the OP I used to share a house with 3 other people (long term lodgers so you got to know one another pretty well).

I was the one making regular trips on the toilet at night but unless I really needed to I would not flush and neither would the other people because of the noise.

If you are like a family then surely small amount of urine in your toilet you can flush asap in the morning when you get up is better than being woken up on a regular basis..? I would just be completely honest with your friend and if you don't mind the scenario suggested why not simply ask him not to flush unless he "has to" ?

krlyr

Maybe you need a plaque made up with the old rhyme, "If it's yellow.."

geoffky

put bleach down last thing at night...

BitterAndTwisted

Flushing the lav is an automatic response and can be a difficult habit to break if you're not concentrating. If it's chain-flush thingy why don't you pop the hand-pull and the chain on top of the cistern when you go to bed?

Hectors_House

geoffky wrote: »

put bleach down last thing at night...

?????????

we do bleach the toilet regularly but I can't see how that helps with the noise.