Big Badger House (aka Noisy Lodger) HE'S GONE!

Badger_Lady

OK she's gone home. Phew! Bed time with Tufter

Badger_Lady

I spent this morning bagging everything up from the dining room and piling it up under the stairs in the basement (out of the way). It's sooo nice to have my favourite room back - there was an old delivery of mint sauce in there that I'd not been able to find since my car accident! :rotfl:

BigGuns didn't notice until a couple of hours ago. He just asked where the stuff was so I told him.

So he and the GF are downstairs watching sports now. And I'm convinced they're smoking in the house - the place reeks and there's an old jam jar on the coffee table in front of them

BitterAndTwisted

If they smoke of course they're smoking in the house while you're gone all week. I'm just surprised that they're doing it now that you're back at home right now. This sounds like a lodger who needs to be given his marching orders. Or at the very least given an ultimatum. He needs to pull his socks up because he's taking the pee right now.

Badger_Lady

Right, okay, so how does this sound for a plan?

I'll arrange a meeting with him next week. It'll go something like this:

Do you still want to live here? If so, that's great but we need to make some changes, namely:
- Keep your things inside your room or in the loft. I can help you flog stuff on eBay or Freecycle if you need to, but you can't spread things into the other rooms.
- Absolutely no smoking in the house ever. The ashtray must stay outside and not be brought in.
- Keep noise to reasonable levels, and make no noise that can be heard in other rooms after 9pm.
- If you have guests, you are responsible for them and their actions, and they must therefore stick to these same rules or be asked to leave.
- If GF has moved in (she has been here every night this weekend), then I need to vet her in the normal way and she needs to make a contribution to the bills.

If you don't think you want to live here any more, or if you can't keep to these rules, you need to find new accommodation and give me your notice. If I observe the rules being broken, I will give you your notice.

Firm but fair?

BitterAndTwisted

"If GF has moved in (she has been here every night this weekend), then I need to vet her in the normal way and she needs to make a contribution to the bills."

You'd be bloody mental to say that: who lives in your house is up to you and if you wanted another lodger you'd have found one and be charging them rent. The occasional overnight guest is acceptable as long as they keep to the house-rules and don't take the pee. Any more than X nights a week and BigBruv will be charged an additional percentage of the bills.

Also you haven't mentioned the written complaints from the neighbours. That's pretty serious.

BigAunty

I really don't know why you would bother with a drawn out negotiation period for a lodger who is annoying you and the neighbours with his and his guests anti-social behaviour - noise, smoking, mess, damage, unwanted long stay guests (or sublet).

Serve notice.

Badger_Lady

Hey BigAunty... I guess it's because he's had no warning - I haven't told him off about this stuff yet. The only thing I shared was the neighbour's noise complaints, and he corrected that habit straight away. So I kinda wonder whether he would change himself given that opportunity.

On the other hand, I just went downstairs to make myself some tea, and found the living room in state reminiscent of 1990's back alley pubs.

Badger: Have you been smoking in here?
BigGuns: Uh, yeah.
Badger: That's not allowed!
BigGuns: Oh, right.
Badger: What do you mean 'oh right' - you know that.

[Badger storms back upstairs with her tea]

I guess I'm kinda fed up of being renegaded to my room all the time too. He always has something 'special' he has to watch on the projector - currently X Factor, cuddled up on my broken sofa with GF.

Tether starting to approach its end... :mad:

m1ntie

Badger, you are far to soft and they are taking advantage of you. I let rooms and have done for 8 years and I would definately not stand for all this. I would give immediate notice. I would not want such disrespectful people in my house.

Badger_Lady

OK, I'm going to send an email now to both lodgers (Joanna will understand where I'm coming from and not be offended). I'm going to say that, since it has been some time since we agreed and signed the house rules, I would like to suggest a new version with some clarifications. I'll ask them to reply to the email to confirm that they agree.

And then of course, if any of the rules are breached, we know what's coming! Here's the list:

HOUSE RULES

1. This is an equal home for everybody, and no housemate has more right to the facilities than anyone else. We will all respect one another equally. We like to keep a friendly and casual
atmosphere, so that everyone is comfortable when they are at home.

If something in the house needs to be done, such as changing a light bulb or cleaning up a
spill, we will all chip in to help make it a pleasant place to live.

2. Being a terraced house in a quiet area, noise can travel and we will therefore be careful not to disturb our neighbours. Guidelines are:

a. No music or loud noise in bedrooms after 8pm on weekdays. The same rule applies
after 10pm on weekends (Friday and Saturday nights).

b. Music can be played at any time in the basement area, with doors and windows
closed and with general consideration for our neighbours. It should never be at a volume that carries through to the ground floor or through walls - if using the basement overnight please keep noise to a minimum.

c. No conversations or noise to be made outside (front or back) over night. Although housemates and guests may need to go outside to smoke late at night, they must never do more than whisper until they’re back indoors again.

d. If any neighbour makes a complaint about noise, it will be taken very seriously - the problems must be addressed immediately.

3. A professional cleaner visits the house every Friday morning and carries out general duties including:

a. Vacuuming all floors to rooms with their doors left open (this can include bedrooms
if the door is open) and mopping the hard floors in the basement.

b. Wiping down the banisters and skirting boards in the hallways and basement.

c. Cleaning the kitchen and bathroom.

d. Finishing and putting away any washing-up in the kitchen.

The cleaner is only available for two hours each week, and will therefore complete as many
tasks as he can manage in that time. Any extra cleaning (for example wiping out the microwave or cooker) must be periodically managed between the housemates.

Also the cleaner won’t tidy away personal items, so these should
be tidied away by the owners. Personal items should only ever be kept in your own bedroom or in the loft, which can be accessed through the hatch in the bathroom and used for long-term storage.

4. Heating and electric are included in the room rental, but this doesn’t mean we should be wasteful. Please turn off any unnecessary lights (particularly when leaving the house), and
take consideration over how much heating you need and at what times.

5. Housemates are welcome to make any changes they like to the bedroom decor, as long as their room is returned to its original state on departure (unless the permanent change is previously agreed with the landlady).

6. Visitors are of course welcome as they normally would be to a home. However it’s good etiquette to warn housemates well in advance if a group (3 or more) will be in the
house. Similarly, any houseparties need to be jointly organised by all housemates. All guests are expected to follow the house rules as stated in this document. The housemate who invited them will be held responsible for any breeches.

Partners can of course visit and stay over on occasion as above, however if staying on a frequent or long-term basis they will need to supply their contact information to all housemates and to contribute a fair amount towards the running of the house. They must not under any circumstances be given keys to the house or left alone in the house without prior permission from the landlady - these actions will be treated as ‘moving in’.

7. This is a non-smoking house. A patio is provided should anyone need to smoke, and there is an old outside toilet that can be used for shelter in bad weather. No smoking or ashtrays are to be used in any indoor room of the house.

Emmzi

too soft. serve!