Should my flatmate's partner contribute to cost of bills?

emmasmum

Everyone take note of Mummybears post which is spot on. I rented a property to a wonderful tenant. She then allowed another person to move in with her and it only came to light when we needed to do a repair to the house. I rang our insurance company who said that any person not on the Tenancy Agreement made our insurance null and void. She did not want to put him on the Agreement so we had to ask him to go as we were totally exposed to any risk on the property if there was a fire etc etc. If I was your Landlord I would be having a very serious conversation with you. You risk your own Tenancy if you don't sort this out.

19lottie82

xXMessedUpXx wrote: »

Is the gf renting elsewhere? Does she get a reduction for the time she doesn't spend there? I can see the flatmate arguing that she'd be paying twice if she rents elsewhere too, though I do think some contribution is fair.

Yes, but that's not the OP's problem, is it? Why should the FM's OH live there (a lot of the time) for free, while the OP pays rent and bills?

Of course each person on the tenancy agreement is entitled to guests, but more than a night or two a week, with no contribution, is taking the pee.

The OP should ask for a contribution if the FM's OH is going to stay more than 2 (?) nights a week.

19lottie82

gloriouslyhappy wrote: »

Shouldn't you be talking to your flatmate instead of us? A quiet word in a non-confrontational situation to open the subject should bring a conclusion of sorts, allow you two to agree on something re partners present and future - after all, you might want to bring someone over too.

Yes, but this is an internet forum. Lots of people come on here to seek advice before tackling a situation head on.

19lottie82

If you get on with the BF reasonably well and are open to this suggestion, why not suggest he moves in FT (if OK w LL), as he is there most of the time anyway? Then you can split the bills equally.

Expecting to live there 80% of the time (or whatever) and not contribute isn't fair, regardless if they have their own place or not.

gayleygoo

emmasmum wrote: »

Everyone take note of Mummybears post which is spot on. I rented a property to a wonderful tenant. She then allowed another person to move in with her and it only came to light when we needed to do a repair to the house. I rang our insurance company who said that any person not on the Tenancy Agreement made our insurance null and void. She did not want to put him on the Agreement so we had to ask him to go as we were totally exposed to any risk on the property if there was a fire etc etc. If I was your Landlord I would be having a very serious conversation with you. You risk your own Tenancy if you don't sort this out.

Really? I had read on here before that the people who live in the house that you pay for are up to you. It is YOUR home while you pay for and live in it. Provided that you do not sub-let (i.e. move out and get someone else to pay the rent, but still pretend you live there) you can ask for other people who live there for a contribution to the rent or bills. A far as I understand, you can even take in a lodger without informing your LL.

some info here on what subletting actually is.

Insurance companies might be a PITA when it comes to claims, but I'm not sure why they think anyone not named on the tenancy agreement wouldn't be covered. I have friends stay over for a night sometimes, and any number of people in the house if we're having people round. My children aren't named on the tenancy agreement either. That's pretty useless insurance if it only covers me and my OH.

If the OP's flatmate's girlfriend is only staying over a few nights a week then I wouldn't ask for a share of rent. If she were having regular hot baths, cooking just for herself, sitting in the house all day while you both are at work/uni, using the washing machine, then you could consider speaking to flatmate and suggesting that he pays a little extra towards the extra costs. But unless money is very tight for you, it may not be worth the hassle for an extra couple of pounds a week.

BoJangles_2

Definitely 'have a chat' if it becomes a long term situation and the contract isn't due to end soon. I would keep an eye on the extra costs as if very small it probably isn't worth the hassle.

minerva_windsong

What's the setup with you and your flatmate at the moment? Do you both buy your own food/toiletries, are there certain things (in our flat - me, husband and flatmate - it's milk and toilet paper) that are communal but the rest is bought individually, or is it all shared?


If it's the first two, then your flatmate and/or the girlfriend should be covering the bulk of the costs for food for both of them whilst she's there, so I don't see how that affects you beyond the cost of those communal items which is surely fractional. Obviously if everything is shared and she's at home all day with the heating on full blast, eating all your food etc then it's different though.


That said, if it's having a significant impact on your finances (relative to your own situation) rather than just being an inconvenience, I would talk to your flatmate and raise the issue before coming to a reasonable agreement for all of you - whether that's her paying a small amount to cover her share of the bills/food or splitting it all three ways, depending how much she's using.

carmelbrulez

Firstly, only the owner of the property is allowed to charge people to use the place. As far as he or she is concerned you have an agreement with him and you have to stick to it or be thrown out.
Visitors do not pay rent. You must have visitors sometimes.
Are you saying that when someone visits you you want to charge them to use the toilet or water or gas or electricity or hve a shower?


If your flat mate has a partner who uses the room with them how does this cost you money? It does not.


If they park their car where you want to park yours then you tell them not to - it is about being firm and tactful not turning it into a financial thing.


Nobody is going to pay to use your place on top of paying for their own place.


Presumably your flat mate will get fed up with sharing with you two and having his partner around a lot anyway and they will move out and find somewhere that is more suited to a pair.
If you want to stay friends with them then instead of looking at this as a financial thing where you make a profit - which I doubt their partner will be daft enough to go along with anyway -
remember that these things happen when you share. If you want it to be perfect to suit you then do not share and have all of the expense yourself.


I used to rent out rooms in a large house I owned. The house had an enormous kitchen. I soon learnt that it was a mistake to allow people who rented a room off of me to share the kitchen.
They would take over some of the fridge, freezer, use all of my pans and plates and cutlery, often leaving washing up, wanting to cook when I was cooking, wanting to sit in the kitchen watching tv for hours, food disappearing from the cupboards and fridge etc in other words taking the room over.
Telling them they have to pay would have been ridiculous and would not have given me my kitchen back. So I brought in a rule that they either ate out all the time or they had a meal that I prepared and they paid for. They could not cook in their room or i the kitchen or eat in the kitchen.


You need boundaries and rules, you cannot remove them in place of a few pounds.


But what your flat mate wants to do in his or her own bedroom should be up to them. I do not see how you can complain if they have someone in there every night if they are paying their share. If they want to sit in the kitchen or lounge whre you are then taht is different, they are invading your space.

carmelbrulez

p.s.


Instead of getting angry if she uses the washing machine and worrying about the cost just say she cannot use it and can use her own in her place.

rachiibell

If she is only in with her boyfriend then bills shouldn't go up to much i.e. lights/ heating/ ect would be on whether she was there or not. If she's frequently there during the day then that's a different story. However is she bringing any added benefits to your life by being there. When I occasionally spent the day at my ex's without him I'd normally give the place a good clean or make dinner for when him and his housemates got back (using food I bought myself!). In that case I'd be pretty miffed if I was asked to cough up some cash as well!

Another option would be to actually ask her to move in. Rent is stupidly expensive so paying for what is essentially a storage unit seems a bit silly. Once she had officially moved in obviously all bills would be split three ways and she would contribute towards communal goods. However you'd have to think about how you'd feel that your flatmates rent would go down significantly but yours wouldn't because I'm guessing they won't agree to split the rent three ways when they're sharing a room.

Anyway a few things to think about. At the end of the day friendship is more important than money so unless it is seriously affecting your finances I would think very carefully before saying anything. Good luck!