A concern with our new tenant need opinions please...

we have a tenant so far so good he is a nice guy. we gave him the apartment for x amount of dollars. the apartment is really roomy can accomodate two people. we said if he wanted a roomate the rent would be of course higher. He has a girlfriend and we asked if she was moving in. of course not her parents wouldn't let her blah, blah,. So she has been their this past weekend we paid no mind figured weekend no biggy and also we don't care if she's their 2 or 3 times a week. Well she was their Monday and yesterday and i have a feeling she will be sleeping over again tonight. She is obviously taking her shower and getting ready for work on these days. This morning she was the first to leave for work she was all dressed up and headed out then the boyfriend - the real tenant followed. Do you guys see a concern. My hubby said he'll handle it when getting next month's rent. How do you think we should handle it in a nice way?

Re: A concern with our new tenant need opinions please...

I would say to him, 'obviously your situation has changed and your girlfriend is basically living here, therefore we need to increase the rent to $x, to accomodate for the extra expense'

Re: A concern with our new tenant need opinions please...

If she stays for more than 2 weeks then shes living there. Have a talk with them and explain that you only rented the apt to one person and you dont mind if he has company stay over, but if someone is there every day straight over night, then you have 2 people living there and you have to raise the rent. That was the agreement. End of story.

Do they have a lease or are you renting month to month.?

Re: A concern with our new tenant need opinions please...

Well, in theory, apartment rents are not 'per occupant' but are per room/apartment.
But that's a separate issue.

I would watch for a few more weeks to see if the girl continues to stay over more than 3 nights per week, and if so, I would increase the rent nominally, enough to compensate for providing additional utilities to her (perhaps $50/month max)

Re: A concern with our new tenant need opinions please...

I agree with alina.

ETA: I think the principle of more rent per occupant is the same as if a taxi is driving two people to the same location and charges extra for the additional person (a cab company in my old neighborhood used to do that). So yes, if she's staying there, up the utilities, but I don't think it would be fair to dramatically increase the rent otherwise. JMO!

Re: A concern with our new tenant need opinions please...

Yeah but if you rent an apt to one person a landlord does have the right to know if others have moved in.

Re: A concern with our new tenant need opinions please...

I guess you are entitled to charge more rent if you are paying for the utilities (gas, electricity, etc.) However, if the only extra expense to you is hot water, is it worth potentially losing this tenant?

JMO. I would move out if I felt my landlord was monitoring my comings and goings.

Re: A concern with our new tenant need opinions please...

I used to rent, and told the landlord when I moved in my boyfriend/not FH might spent time here. Towards the end he was pretty much living there, they rose my rent $100,,,stated taxes are being raised, so we need to make up for it.

THAT WAS A LOAD OF CRAP. they rose it because he was living there, which I was fine with but just say that. (They own like 3 other rental house, have a new car every year, they did not need my $100 for taxes, please!)

Moral, I think you definelt have the right, especially if you pay their utilities (they paid our water,,,,but again, I rarely showered there, since shower at work mon-fri,,,,but again another grip I had with landlord).

If they don't like it, tough, I am sure if he is happy there he will stay rather than move out. Living my the landlord's rules it the price you pay for renting.

Re: A concern with our new tenant need opinions please...

---

Posted by wacky

Yeah but if you rent an apt to one person a landlord does have the right to know if others have moved in.

---

True, if girlfriend decides to move in, I would put her on the lease

Re: A concern with our new tenant need opinions please...

Assuming this a legal apartment situation, is there a lease? Does the lease list the occupants? Does the lease state that you will increase the rent if more than one person lives there? Frankly, you are not entitled to raise the rent because more than one person is living there. You are renting the whole premises, not portions of it to individuals. What is it you're really concerned about? I could understand your desire to have all tenants named on the lease, especially for insurance purposes, but I'm not understanding why you would need to increase the rent for an additional person.

Re: A concern with our new tenant need opinions please...

do you pay their utilities,,,,that could be your grounds to raise the rent

Re: A concern with our new tenant need opinions please...

Not if both apartments are on one meter...chances are it's not a legal apartment and therefore, without a proper certificate of occupancy, one is not entitled to any rent (again, only assuming this is not a legal apartment, which I don't know at this point).

Re: A concern with our new tenant need opinions please...

The only time you should raise the rent is if utilities are included. Then the extra person does increase the expense to you.

If utilities are not included, it shouldn't make a difference if he has overnight girlfriend over.
But if she will be living there, her name should be on the lease.
A couple times a week IMO does not constitute living there, but every day does.

Re: A concern with our new tenant need opinions please...

The same thing happened to me! You have FM.

Re: A concern with our new tenant need opinions please...

Personal experience:
After 9/11 I had surgery. Up to that point FH only came over ever few days or so and rarely stayed. I had two roomies in a 3 bedroom apt. We paid the Main rent guy if that makes sense and he paid the rent. Now, I had the smallest room cause had the least stuff. We split the bills 3 ways.

After my surgery my FH practically lived here. Mostly cause I couldn’t take a wee without help. I definitely couldn’t get into the tub. During that time the Main Rent Guy was out of town. I took over collecting and paying the bills. Something happened in the apt (major leak) and I tried to get it resolved but the Main Rent Guy said no biggie (sure he wasn’t LIVING there at the time).

For 3 months FH lived with me. When the Main Rent Guy got back my other roomie complained. This pissed me off. FH had fixed minor stuff in the house, we kept it clean and he cooked for the house. We bought groceries and really put in a lot to make up for him staying there.

Main Rent Guy said I owed 2/4ths of the rent if my FH stayed over like that. I was pissed. I had the smallest room, worked the latest hours and by that point I had been staying at his house on weekends to give the house over to the guys.

I refused to pay. Instead we made a schedule 3 days at my place 4 at his. I understand the principal since the bills were split, but in my case, I didn’t use the phone, was home only 3 hours before bed time and FH help out in other ways AND I had the smallest room and both roomies were notorious for leaving on lights all day.

I moved out. Still keep in touch. The Main Rent Guy totally understood where I was coming from. To this day, I think we could have worked something out but that’s ONLY because the bills were part of it. I couldn’t see why I’d have to pick up his part of the rent when the space was the same.

I’d only charge this tenant more if it included expenses.

JMHO

Re: A concern with our new tenant need opinions please...

I think you could raise the utilities yes ....
The girl is not living there - don't cramp a brothers style