Handyman let himself into my room!

3plus1

crispsandwich wrote: »

Ta for the replies. I'm not on my high horse, just a bit ignorant . Didn't actually think the LL could get in trouble for her living there. A bit naive I know. Might have to discuss it with them then. They'll either accept it or tell me to go.

As for the locks, I'm just uncomfortable with the handyman letting himself into my room. He has no right to do that. Don't know what he was doing. He might just be nosey but he still has no right to let himself into people's spaces. My AST is for my room so in effect he is breaking into my home as far as I'm concerned.

Had you reported something in your room broken? Is it possible he was popping in to fix it and trying to do you a favour? Had a housemate maybe just not passed on a message from the handyman/your landlord saying someone was going to pop around and carry out the repair?

If the answer to all of the above is no, okay, I can see why you're annoyed. You do have the right to quiet enjoyment and you should get 24 hours notice of someone needing to enter your room unless there was an emergency.

But, you're in the wrong too. Your girlfriend should never have been there. I don't think you can trump your landlord/the handyman in morals here.

To be perfectly honest, I think you should look for somewhere else to live. From personal experience, once you find out a handyman can and will let himself into your room without justification, it's really difficult to feel safe. When I was living in France in the sort of building that would probably be classed as a HMO if it was in this country, the handyman let himself into my room after midnight on a weekday. I was young, female, in bed and terrified.

After hearing me screaming at him, I got a muffled "desolee" and he left.

Apparently, he'd intended to enter the room in the same place as mine but on the floor below. He'd made a mistake. And why had he tried to enter that one at such a ridiculous hour? He had been trying to catch the lodger there with his girlfriend (under the terms of our contract, we weren't meant to have guests).

Hearing the explanation didn't make me feel any safer.

Getting the handyman officially disciplined and hearing an apology didn't make me feel any better.

Because he was still employed as the handyman for my building and could still enter my room whenever he felt like it.

Trust me, you never feel totally safe after something like this happens. I wouldn't bother complaining to the landlord - I'd just look for somewhere else to live. You've broken your contract and your girlfriend should move out. And presumably, the two of you want to keep living together. Even if you could square having an 'illegal' extra tenant in the property - how safe would you and your girlfriend feel after this?

Bungarm2001

neas wrote: »

Totally unacceptable to lie to your Landlord or hide the fact your adding an extra tenant to a property rated for 4.

I agree. Emphatically

We always state in our AST's for shared houses that the tenants MUST inform us if they have a guest who stays for more than a week. We have had to add this because so many sharers think (particularly students...)it's perfectly acceptable to move in boyfriends/girlfriends or a 'dosser' to share the rent. The days when you could get away with doing this are long gone since the HMO liscencing and rating systems were adopted.

If our tenants don't inform us, then they are in breach of their contract with us and we would take proceedings to evict if after having a friendly word didn't work. You are breaking all sorts of HHSRS rules and the landlord could be prosecuted and fined, even if he/she pleaded ignorance to the fact. Isn't exactly fair, is it???

As for the handyman popping in at will...do you have it in the contract that there will be monthly inspections? If so, a quiet word with the LL or LA whatever should sort this out. Watch it tho...IF the LL was unaware of your 'guest' up until the handymans visit, it's highly likely that he/she certainly will be after this.