URGENT: Greedy landlord gone OTT..?

looby75

personally....dump the girlfriend. If she is siding with her landlords totally unreasonable demands and won't listen to reason then you are better off with out her. What kind of relationship are you going to have if every time you don't see eye to eye with what she wants she says 'thats it, call it a day'

She is probably feeling very pressured by her landlord but that doesn't mean you should bend over and give up money you don't owe. with everything in your post suggests she needs to stand up for herself a bit more against other people, yet she is more than willing to fight you about this. Something's not right.

Sorry if I sound harsh but sometimes people on the outside looking in can see things people on the inside can't.

nick22abdn

If she is demanding you pay her backdated rent as to meet with her in person one on one. Sounds as if the other half is being bullied and pressured by the landlord. Stand your ground as you are undoubtedly in the right.

It could easily be argued that you should kick in a bit of moeny towards bills but additional electricity costs etc will be negligable. If your girlfriends contract says nothing about additional charges for people staying there are no legal ramifications and no way she can enforce any payments on you.

She could serve notice on your girlfriend assuming she has reached the end of her tenancy agreement but would have to give a few months notice. The only exception to this if is this property is the landlords principal residence but by the sounds of things this isn't the case? Considering the current market, the landlord would be unlikely to evict as she would probably have a large void and would be costly. Sounds like she is just panicking about interst rate hikes and it trying to foot the bill. Stand your ground with her and your girlfriend.

whowants2brich

If she wasn't worth fighting for, then I'd contemplate possibly letting her go. But deep down, I want to be with her, and I know that much. It's just infuriating that sometimes she chooses the path of least resistance, ie that paying the money will be less hassle - partly cos she won't be paying (I will) and partly cos she'll continue to have a roof over her head until she finds somewhere else... Even if I don't pay, and she does break up with me, I have a feeling that she'll probably want to pay the landlord and take me to court to claim back the money...!?!?!? ARRRRGGGHHHH!!!

rosysparkle

You don't have to pay, I think the landlord is trying it on.

May I ask why, if your girlfriend is unhappy with her accommodation and housemates, she feels you should pay this? Is there so little accommodation available in your area that this is her only option? £2k will go a long way towards paying for something better.

PJD

Completely agree with everyone's comments here, - that is VERY cheeky of the landlord to spring this on you like this! Don't pay anything, and move out ASAP!

Show your girlfriend this thread.

whowants2brich

Thanks for all your support. My girlfriend will hopefully read this tomorrow, I've even chosen select points from the OFTP article mentioned in an early reply. Whether she'll take note of any of your comments, I don't know... I'll let you know ASAP.

Thanks for the reassurance! Please keep comments coming in.

PS Re going to India for a month, I think it's a great way to spend the money. Personally, my brother's wedding's in Australia in October, it'd be a better way to go... Don't you think?

franklee

Are you door mats? Your girlfriend doesn't have use of the living room and has very restricted use of the kitchen and bathroom and yet is being asked to pay more for your stay! Do the other house mates ever have guests stay over and do they pay?

The contractual position varies depending on the type of agreement your girlfriend has.

If the landlord lives in the house then your girlfriend is probably a lodger with limited rights, she can pretty much just be asked to leave.

If the landlord doesn't live there then your girlfriend is probably on an assured shorthold tenancy and will need to be given proper notice. In this case is she on the AST on her own or jointly with the other house mates?

Either way I don't think you should pay anything backdated. If the contract said guests pay full rent per night why did the landlord wait a year before asking for this payment? If you knew you were going to be charged you would not have stayed over so often, right? Get in there and argue and tell your girlfriend not to be so timid, oh and to get to the bathroom first and stay in there all evening

wisbech_lad

Sheesh, grow a pair. Or rather, your girlfriend should. Why doesn't she make sure the two guys feel that they can't use the lounge and kitchen when she feels like it?

Spend the money on going to your brother's wedding, and some assertiveness courses for her...

wisbech_lad

whowants2brich wrote: »

... The other thing that she's saying is that I should pay the money (she's calculating it as about £2,000 for the days I've been there over the past 12 months) - and that if I don't pay the money, she'll call it a day with me.
Whowants2brich

This is emotional blackmail, and, while I know we are all different, would be a big red flag for me in the relationship...

Amarillo

I fully agree with the others on this and there is no way I would pay a penny - I reckon she's thinking of selling up and getting you to pay the amount she'd have to pay an Estate Agent.

I find it very difficult to understand why your girlfriend would want to stay somewhere where she feels unable to use the living room and has to clean her teeth in the bathroom, I personally have more self respect than to live somewhere where I was clearly unwelcome and treated like that. And I don't get why on earth she thinks that you should pay 2k or that she will pay and get it back from you. I think she needs to get some self confidence and go and find somewhere for the both of you to live asap.

Put your money to much better uses than lining some greedy landlord's pocket . And I speak as someone who has been a landlord and been well aware of tenants partners staying on a regular basis. I wouldn't have dreamed of charging them, but would have supported the other tenants if they had felt that a partner should chip into the bills.