Lodger harassed by live-in landlady

elephantrosie

I moved into the room in early August. Since last month, the weather has gotten really cold and I used a fan heater in my room. Landlady had a word with me, so I stopped using it that frequently. She occasionally stood outside my room to check (by listening to the noise of fan heater). Last Thursday, she has said that I am not allowed to have any kinds of portable heater. She described them as 'extras'. So I stopped using the fan heater completely since last Thursday.

Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday nights this week, landlady turned off the main electrical switch between 0100 and 0600. She came to me on Wednesday evening to explain that she has been doing that because I was using the heater intermittently. Despite me saying no, she insisted that I did. SHe only stop pursuing it when i said 'I swear to God I did not'.

Last weekend, I also told her my intention to move out. She has since then advertised the room and brought viewers into my room without my knowledge (or a few hours notice only). In front of me, she told one viewer that 'there is a messy person living in this room at the moment. it is a disgrace and she should be ashamed of herself'. I ignored that and keep on with my work on the desk.

Yesterday she came into my room and left a bag of my laundry on the table. Today, she came into my room again and took away a table lamp (provided by her as part of the rent) that I have put on the floor under my desk to provide some heat!

She uses a portable halogen heater in the living room (where no other lodgers use it, although we could). Yesterday her family was around and they used the living room, where she heated it up with coal fire. she did not switch on the central heating until 9pm and it was 2 degrees outside (I do not have a thermometer to tell you the temperature in my room).

Please advice as this conflict has caused unnecessary distress to me.

Thanks.

booksurr

her house, her rules
she has right of access to your room when she wants (lack of common courtesy is a different matter)

I assume you don't understand your rights? You have said you are leaving, so leave. You don't need to give notice, just pack up and go. Obviously there will be an argument over the final rent, so expect to pay it.

elsien

My advice would be to move out. Which you're already doing. Not sure there's anything else to say other than her house, her rules

PasturesNew

In general, with a live in landlord you have to live by their rules.

As a general rule, I doubt many landlords would ever wish a lodger to have a portable electric heater of their own choosing in their room as they are expensive to run.

You're moving out.... just put it behind you and next time either choose a house share, or a house with all mod cons where the heat hits you in the face when they open the door to show you the room.

Marvel1

elephantrosie wrote: »

In front of me, she told one viewer that 'there is a messy person living in this room at the moment. it is a disgrace and she should be ashamed of herself'. I ignored that and keep on with my work on the desk.

So tempting to say "be careful as she likes to listen outside the bedroom door, why I'm leaving".

ScorpiondeRooftrouser

I am not entirely sure what you want advice on.

moneyistooshorttomention

cjdavies wrote: »

So tempting to say "be careful as she likes to listen outside the bedroom door, why I'm leaving".

I must admit I'd have probably turned straight round to the would-be lodger and said "As you can see......she is extremely rude" and added telling them what she is like about heating and snooping.

Mind you - she is a fool to herself to have made the comment she did. Any would-be lodger with any sense would instantly think "How rude she is....don't want her for a landlady. I'd be wondering what she would say about me" and not take the room anyway.

michelle09

On the fan heater - I am with your landlady. I wouldn't let either of our lodgers run a fan heater under their current arrangement. As other posters have said, they eat through money.

I'm not entirely against her on the laundry either, if our lodgers leave things downstairs for long periods of time then I will drop it back in their room because I want the communal areas tidy (and they both knew this before moving in). End of the day, she probably has to live there and you don't...

The rest seems fairly unreasonable though, and you are better off just finding somewhere new to live and drawing a line under it. You're obviously not happy, she's obviously not happy, so find somewhere you are.

If the fan heater is yours and you're taking it - maybe next time offer to pay to run it? One of our lodgers sleeps with a white noise machine, which I only discovered when our electricity bill jumped after them moving in. We had a discussion where I said they either needed to stop running it, or they could agree to pay an extra £15/month towards the electricity bill to cover the cost of it. They went with the second and it's now an non-issue. They get what they want and it no longer bothers me.

Jenniefour

You've made the right decision and perhaps this experience will help you suss out what to look for next time. Ask more questions when viewing. Find a landlord/landlady who is courteous, respects privacy and wants their lodger to be comfortable/warm enough. Within reason, of course. Avoid those who might have stepped out of a Charles Dickens novel.

Agree with michelle09 on portable heaters - but it looks like this landlady didn't have heating on when most folks would reasonably expect it to be on. My last lodger told me when she viewed that she was an early bird and got up at 5am every day. I agreed to supply her with a portable heater and she agreed to pay the extra on the electricity bill. Sorted.

Also agree re laundry. Needed to ask one lodger quite a few times not to put in their washing and then just leave it in the machine for hours or, a couple of times, overnight.

Good luck with your move.

dekaspace

michelle09 wrote: »

On the fan heater - I am with your landlady. I wouldn't let either of our lodgers run a fan heater under their current arrangement. As other posters have said, they eat through money.

I'm not entirely against her on the laundry either, if our lodgers leave things downstairs for long periods of time then I will drop it back in their room because I want the communal areas tidy (and they both knew this before moving in). End of the day, she probably has to live there and you don't...

The rest seems fairly unreasonable though, and you are better off just finding somewhere new to live and drawing a line under it. You're obviously not happy, she's obviously not happy, so find somewhere you are.

If the fan heater is yours and you're taking it - maybe next time offer to pay to run it? One of our lodgers sleeps with a white noise machine, which I only discovered when our electricity bill jumped after them moving in. We had a discussion where I said they either needed to stop running it, or they could agree to pay an extra £15/month towards the electricity bill to cover the cost of it. They went with the second and it's now an non-issue. They get what they want and it no longer bothers me.

Speaking as someone who had been a lodger myself (worst experiencs of my life) but even I can find similaries with regular renting is people only think about short term in this case the landlady would complain about the extra usage from the heater but the tenant could be thrifty with usage in other ways so it balances out, when I have shared in past housemates moaned that I had a tv and they didn't, but then I was using washing machine once a week and they were almost daily as well as using tumble dryer but they expected me to pay more, they had guests round a lot or partners and I was single and had no guests but they thought they shouldn't pay extra just as they wanted heating on high and I would turn it down even off in my room as was burning hot,or they had multiple showers a day this has happened at multiple properties and people only notice the more direct things like I was using a non energy saving bulb, or had a tv.

So this landlady sounds a nightmare and penny pincher type.

Mr.Generous

worse than a penny pincher, no heating on when 2 deg outside but heats a room for herself and family? leave her to it and wish her luck, another one of those people who want to take it all with them. richest person in the graveyard if she is lucky.