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breaking_free
Posts: 758 Forumite
Meh! I need to vent.
A few months ago I advertised my spare room Monday to Friday only at £XXX per month. A very nice lady turns up and says she'll only need it 3 nights a week, not 5. Without prompting I knock £100 off the monthly rent. My reasoning is that I could make more having it as a 5-day let, but if she's only using it for 3 I shouldn't charge for 5. Needless to say she was extremely happy with this unprompted rent reduction.
Roll on a few months and there have been a couple of weeks when she's not needed to use the room. There have also been a few weeks when she's used it fewer than 3 nights.
Tonight she turns up out of the blue having "forgotten" to tell me that she'd like 5 nights this week. She's had all of last week and this week to tell me that she'd like to tack an extra 2 nights on.
I've calmly explained that I'm not happy - we have a contract for a 3-night a week rental and I've reduced the rent accordingly. If she'd told me ahead of time I'd have been quite amenable to an extra couple of nights.
Her counter-argument is that she hasn't stayed here some nights so she "didn't think it would be a problem" if she stayed a couple of extra (without bloody telling me about it because she forgot!).
A contract is a contract. She pays £XX pounds instead of £XXX for a 3 day a week rental instead of my advertised 5 day a week rental.
I've given this lady her marching orders tonight. I feel like I should be upset, but I just feel quite relieved because for some reason I had a presentiment this might happen. I feel like if I'd acquiesced this would have been a slippery slope. Was I too harsh?
My feeling is that I did her a favour by lowering the rent (£200 cheaper than her previous place, which wasn't even as nice as mine!) and she's taking the pee by assuming I'll accommodate her extra nights without notice.
Your thoughts please.
A few months ago I advertised my spare room Monday to Friday only at £XXX per month. A very nice lady turns up and says she'll only need it 3 nights a week, not 5. Without prompting I knock £100 off the monthly rent. My reasoning is that I could make more having it as a 5-day let, but if she's only using it for 3 I shouldn't charge for 5. Needless to say she was extremely happy with this unprompted rent reduction.
Roll on a few months and there have been a couple of weeks when she's not needed to use the room. There have also been a few weeks when she's used it fewer than 3 nights.
Tonight she turns up out of the blue having "forgotten" to tell me that she'd like 5 nights this week. She's had all of last week and this week to tell me that she'd like to tack an extra 2 nights on.
I've calmly explained that I'm not happy - we have a contract for a 3-night a week rental and I've reduced the rent accordingly. If she'd told me ahead of time I'd have been quite amenable to an extra couple of nights.
Her counter-argument is that she hasn't stayed here some nights so she "didn't think it would be a problem" if she stayed a couple of extra (without bloody telling me about it because she forgot!).
A contract is a contract. She pays £XX pounds instead of £XXX for a 3 day a week rental instead of my advertised 5 day a week rental.
I've given this lady her marching orders tonight. I feel like I should be upset, but I just feel quite relieved because for some reason I had a presentiment this might happen. I feel like if I'd acquiesced this would have been a slippery slope. Was I too harsh?
My feeling is that I did her a favour by lowering the rent (£200 cheaper than her previous place, which wasn't even as nice as mine!) and she's taking the pee by assuming I'll accommodate her extra nights without notice.
Your thoughts please.
"The problem with Internet quotes is that you can't always depend on their accuracy" - Abraham Lincoln, 1864
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Comments
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Overall it’s an overreaction in my opinion. You’ve had the house to yourself for a few weeks as well as less than 3 night some weeks. I don’t think her using it 5 nights one week is a huge deal.
Honestly from your reaction I’d probably suggest getting rid of a lodger was a good idea, and maybe don’t get another...0 -
Sounds to me like this lady has had a lucky escape tbh.0
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You’ve had money for nothing and now give her notice.... I think I can tell which waybthe wind is blowing0
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breaking_free wrote: »Meh! I need to vent.
A few months ago I advertised my spare room Monday to Friday only at £XXX per month. A very nice lady turns up and says she'll only need it 3 nights a week, not 5. Without prompting I knock £100 off the monthly rent. My reasoning is that I could make more having it as a 5-day let, but if she's only using it for 3 I shouldn't charge for 5. Needless to say she was extremely happy with this unprompted rent reduction.
Roll on a few months and there have been a couple of weeks when she's not needed to use the room. There have also been a few weeks when she's used it fewer than 3 nights.
Tonight she turns up out of the blue having "forgotten" to tell me that she'd like 5 nights this week. She's had all of last week and this week to tell me that she'd like to tack an extra 2 nights on.
I've calmly explained that I'm not happy - we have a contract for a 3-night a week rental and I've reduced the rent accordingly. If she'd told me ahead of time I'd have been quite amenable to an extra couple of nights.
Her counter-argument is that she hasn't stayed here some nights so she "didn't think it would be a problem" if she stayed a couple of extra (without bloody telling me about it because she forgot!).
A contract is a contract. She pays £XX pounds instead of £XXX for a 3 day a week rental instead of my advertised 5 day a week rental.
I've given this lady her marching orders tonight. I feel like I should be upset, but I just feel quite relieved because for some reason I had a presentiment this might happen. I feel like if I'd acquiesced this would have been a slippery slope. Was I too harsh?
My feeling is that I did her a favour by lowering the rent (£200 cheaper than her previous place, which wasn't even as nice as mine!) and she's taking the pee by assuming I'll accommodate her extra nights without notice.
Your thoughts please.
i think the lady has had a lucky escape
with your attitude you will be lucky too get any lodger long term0 -
Would you even notice she was there?0
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agree, an over re-action.marliepanda wrote: »Overall it’s an overreaction in my opinion. You’ve had the house to yourself for a few weeks as well as less than 3 night some weeks. I don’t think her using it 5 nights one week is a huge deal.
Honestly from your reaction I’d probably suggest getting rid of a lodger was a good idea, and maybe don’t get another...
I had a term time lodger, I initially advertised it £250 per month, she did say it would be 4/5 night per week.
I agrreed that she should pay £10 per night, some weeks she was there 3 nights.
It did mean I got less money, she was a good lodger, I would have her back anytime.
I have others interested now, £300 per month is my starting point.0 -
Taken your comments on board and you're probably correct.
I've had lodgers previously and I've not had a problem. It's the "I expect 2 nights extra but I forgot to tell you" that I took exception to.
It's the lack of notice that caught me by surprise. I've previously let lodgers stay beyond their contracted days because they asked me in advance and I said "No problem"."The problem with Internet quotes is that you can't always depend on their accuracy" - Abraham Lincoln, 18640 -
I think you've been a bit harsh as well - and I've taken in lodgers before now in my last house and had some "right wotnames" in the event, as well as some decent ones.
Still - it's done now and you've lost her as a lodger.0 -
But now you have lost your very nice lady lodger.
All because she thought you would be more reasonable and you took exception.
Now you have to start the whole process again and she is probably mortified0 -
You sound like a nightmare.0
This discussion has been closed.
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