Grrr Housemates!

[Kath2003]

Drama for my llama at my house!

One of my housemates - V - who was supposed to be staying on for another year in this house has changed her mind - mainly because the bills are extortionate through people using individual heaters and the like (I don't blame her, I wouldn't let here again either - the bills are over double what I was paying last year). She told the letting agent and they were fine with it, but said they needed to find someone else to take her room when the let ends (July).

My housemate R knows of someone who is looking for a room and would be prepared to take V's room, but V made the mistake of telling housemate J that she wouldn't be living there first. J won't let her tell R about her moving out, because he doesn't want to live with the person R knows who would be willing to take the room. J wants V to pay $750 in damage deposit for a room she's not living in until he finds someone he wants to live with! V sensibly refused and now they're not talking I know about all this and don't know whether to tell R - who knows someone who'd take the room - about V moving out to save V a heck of a lot of hassle. I'm moving out anyway, so I don't really care if J isn't talking to me (I don't like him anyway).

Drama for MY llama is that housemate G is having her brother over in June. This is fine - only he's staying for a month, and renting housemate A's room (she's leaving in June). I have no problem with this whatsoever. However, what I DO have a problem with is that G and J decided this between themselves - without asking V and me who will be living here at the time. We are unsure as to whether the 5th housemate, R, knows, but guess he doesn't - so basically 2 of the 5 of us have added a 6th housemate without asking the remaining 3! I just think it's incredibly rude to move someone into MY home for a month and not even have the decency to ask me (or even TELL me!). NOT happy.

Stupid inconsiderate people.

 

[Pam]

Sorry but you lost me after the first sentence!

 

[DMickey28]

Sorry but you lost me after the first sentence!

Pretty much!! Too me a few more sentences to figure out that "let" is the same as "rent" over here ... at least I think so!!

 

[tiggersmom2]

I well remember having roomates during my first year of college ...pure hell.....

 

[Kath2003]

Yet the "let" is the rent period - September - July (student let).
The letting agent is the company which we rent the house through.

 

[freckles and boo]

It sounds like typical college drama to me. If none of them are on a politically motivated "hygiene strike" as one of my housemates was my final year, you are ahead of the game!

 

[FayeW]

Don't worry Kath, I understood you! I remember all to well the drama that roommates and subletting brings. I had some doozies myself!

On a side note, isn't it funny that we (in North America) use the term "rent" instead of "let", yet we kept the term "subLET to describe renting to someone else before the lease is up? Our Canadian "language" is heavily influenced by our English/Irish/Scottish heritage so we use lots of words and phrases that are common in the UK. Since we are part of the Commonwealth, we also spell words in the traditional way (colour, cheque). We also know that beer is both singular and plural (just like deer), and sounds stupid with an "s" at the end.

 

[Kath2003]

Don't worry Kath, I understood you! I remember all to well the drama that roommates and subletting brings. I had some doozies myself!

On a side note, isn't it funny that we (in North America) use the term "rent" instead of "let", yet we kept the term "subLET to describe renting to someone else before the lease is up? Our Canadian "language" is heavily influenced by our English/Irish/Scottish heritage so we use lots of words and phrases that are common in the UK. Since we are part of the Commonwealth, we also spell words in the traditional way (colour, cheque). We also know that beer is both singular and plural (just like deer), and sounds stupid with an "s" at the end.

Canadian is the best mix of English and American Two of my housemates are Canadian (one of them I like, one of them I like but she won't have anything to do with us any more )

And I know my situation isn't anything unusual and I could definitely ask for worse housemates. I just think that they're being particularly rude with getting another housemate - albeit one of my housemates brothers - to move in without even asking 40%, probably 60%, of the people who live in the house. This is my home, it is V and R's home too, and I think we should be at least consulted on who lives here with us. I wouldn't and don't have a problem with G's brother moving in (and I'm sure the others wouldn't/don't either), but I think it's very disrespectful not to even ask - especially since according to A this was all decided two months ago!

Although the situation with the re-letting V's room is nothing to do with me since I won't be here, I also think it's outrageous to ask her to sign a let and pay a $750 deposit on a room she's not living in. Since J's being so picky about who he lives with to the extent that he's not prepared to fill the room with someone who's willing to take it, she could end up liable for the rent for that room if he doesn't "pick" someone by September. I don't get where he gets off dictating who the rest of the house do or don't live with, either: surely if R knows someone willing to take the room the 5 of them should meet with the new person and then make a group decision, rather than J dictating who can and cannot live in the house.

J and I don't get along any way. He didn't want me to move in - I am unchristian, immoral, I drink too much, party too hard and am wasting my life... I guess that's why he doesn't want to take a vote again - last time that happened, I got a room

 

[LadyyRedd]

I just wanted to know how many housemates you have! It seemed like you have them named after all of the letters of the alphabet.

Kimya

 

[jessica52877]

Reading this makes me so happy I never really had roommates!

 

[DisneyMommyMichelle]

huh??

 

[aprilgail2]

Does that make it 5 people sharing one place?? Oh man, I could not even imagine sharing my place with ONE never mind 5 splitting a place together (is that even legal), no thanks for that. couldn't you just go get a cheaper place you could afford by yourself or with just one roomate???

 

[FayeW]

Does that make it 5 people sharing one place?? Oh man, I could not even imagine sharing my place with ONE never mind 5 splitting a place together (is that even legal), no thanks for that. couldn't you just go get a cheaper place you could afford by yourself or with just one roomate???

She's moving out...but will have to live with the brother of one of the roommates for a couple of months before the lease is up, because one of the roommates is moving out early and the other's brother is taking up her room until the lease is done in Sept.

This is a 2 part vent. 1) One of the roommates wants complete control over who is moving in when a couple of the others move out in Sept, to the point that he wants one of them to resign the lease and pay a damage deposit just because he doesn't like the prospect they've lined up to move in. OP doesn't really care, since she is moving out anyway, but still thinks he's a jerk for being so unreasonable.
2) Another roommates brother is moving in for 2 months, but they didn't have the decency or courtesy to discuss it with the other people in the home first, to make sure it was ok with them. It's not such a big deal, other than the lack of respect shown the other tenants.

OP, did I get that right?

 

[Kath2003]

Does that make it 5 people sharing one place?? Oh man, I could not even imagine sharing my place with ONE never mind 5 splitting a place together (is that even legal), no thanks for that. couldn't you just go get a cheaper place you could afford by yourself or with just one roomate???

6 people - we pay $550 a month each.

If I were to rent a one bedroomed place for myself, it'd cost $1000 a month, so I'd have to move in with a partner to make it financially viable. If I were to get a two bedroomed flat and share with just one roommate, it'd be about $700 a month, which I can't afford. Plus there aren't many student properties with just two bedrooms available - which means I'd have to get a regular let, which I can't do because you have to be credit checked to ensure that you have enough income to pay the rent. Since I don't have a job because I'm a student, I'd fail that check.

This house is actually CHEAP for where I live - the average cost of a shared house (4-7 housemates sharing) in Exeter is $700/month.

 

[Kath2003]

She's moving out...but will have to live with the brother of one of the roommates for a couple of months before the lease is up, because one of the roommates is moving out early and the other's brother is taking up her room until the lease is done in Sept.

This is a 2 part vent. 1) One of the roommates wants complete control over who is moving in when a couple of the others move out in Sept, to the point that he wants one of them to resign the lease and pay a damage deposit just because he doesn't like the prospect they've lined up to move in. OP doesn't really care, since she is moving out anyway, but still thinks he's a jerk for being so unreasonable.
2) Another roommates brother is moving in for 2 months, but they didn't have the decency or courtesy to discuss it with the other people in the home first, to make sure it was ok with them. It's not such a big deal, other than the lack of respect shown the other tenants.

OP, did I get that right?

Yup