Currently share a rented house: How do we get a fellow tenant to leave?

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CluelessBob

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How can a group of tenants legally go about removing a fellow housemate or get them to leave?

We currently share a rented house and have been having ongoing difficulties with one of our housemates. We have no lease. We have been living in the house for over a year, and have no issues with the landlord.

We really dont want to lose this house, as its a great and resonable place. But this housemate is unlikely to leave within the next 12 months, really leaving us with no option to move out.

The difficulties are significant. And have been ongoing for 2 years or more.
 
Re: How do we get a fellow tenant to leave?

Serve a valid termination notice to the landlord and go and rent the property without your problem 'tenant' when you all have left.
 
Re: How do we get a fellow tenant to leave?

Does the landlord have any issues with this 'problem' tenant?
 
Re: How do we get a fellow tenant to leave?

I'm sorry to hear about your troubles. When I was still renting we once had to ask someone to leave the house, it was very unpleasant and they were not responding in a nice manner although they left in the end.
So your only chances are either to sit down this person and collectively tell them you want them out or you engage the landlord, by either asking them to step in and help or you follow Bronte's advice....
I hope you get it sorted, it's so stressfull living with someone unpleasant.
 
Re: How do we get a fellow tenant to leave?

Petal said:
I'm sorry to hear about your troubles. When I was still renting we once had to ask someone to leave the house, it was very unpleasant and they were not responding in a nice manner although they left in the end.
So your only chances are either to sit down this person and collectively tell them you want them out or you engage the landlord, by either asking them to step in and help or you follow Bronte's advice....
I hope you get it sorted, it's so stressfull living with someone unpleasant.
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Unless the landlord actually has issues with him, he may be weary to get involved, at the risk of a spurious claim to PRTB.
 
Re: How do we get a fellow tenant to leave?

I was thinking maybe they could sign a lease and then the leaseholder could tell the person to leave. Or they could ask the landlord to tell them to move out. If there is no lease I assume the landlord can give notice whenever he likes?
 
Re: How do we get a fellow tenant to leave?

Petal said:
I was thinking maybe they could sign a lease and then the leaseholder could tell the person to leave. Or they could ask the landlord to tell them to move out. If there is no lease I assume the landlord can give notice whenever he likes?
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You would assume wrong, not having a lease leaves the landlord more open to abuse than anything, tenants are protected by law and have rights even if the landlord doesn't do things exactly by the book. If the landlord has a rent book for the tenancy that counts instead of a lease anyway. I would think that the landlord would only get involved if the actions of the troublesome tenant were serious i.e theft, anti-social behaviour, but if it is a case of using you r butter from time to time or having BO then I wouldn't see how he could intervene.
 
Re: How do we get a fellow tenant to leave?

The "Problem tenant" has no issue with the Landlord.

We dont really want to go down the "Please leave" route. Asking somebody to leave is a very cold thing to do, and ideally we would really prefer not to do this. But we do need to know where we stand at the minute.

Our problems are more serious than using Butter / bread / Milk or shampoo. We don't have arguments like that here.
 
Re: How do we get a fellow tenant to leave?

CluelessBob said:
The "Problem tenant" has no issue with the Landlord.

We dont really want to go down the "Please leave" route. Asking somebody to leave is a very cold thing to do, and ideally we would really prefer not to do this. But we do need to know where we stand at the minute.

Our problems are more serious than using Butter / bread / Milk or shampoo. We don't have arguments like that here.
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Can you reveal what type of problems you are encountering so that adequate advice can be given
 
Re: How do we get a fellow tenant to leave?

CluelessBob said:
We dont really want to go down the "Please leave" route.
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I don't understand. You want someone else to ask/force the tenant to leave on your behalf? Is the tenant "aware" of the situation?
 
Re: How do we get a fellow tenant to leave?

tell the landlord you will all leave if this fella doesn't
 
Re: How do we get a fellow tenant to leave?

tiger said:
I don't understand. You want someone else to ask/force the tenant to leave on your behalf? Is the tenant "aware" of the situation?
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The tenant is aware that we're not happy, but doesnt care what we think. And no we don't want somebody else to ask them to leave.

The Problem is to do with house security. This tenant has a stranger staying over ( 3 to 4 nights per week on average ). We've had this stranger coming and going from the house for 4 months, without a mention of this persons existance. It was only when the rest of us got talking recently, that we realised how long and how often this person is actually in the house. As we don't all be around together that much due to our jobs.

Last year a different person was staying over and it was only after 2 - 3 months when i found them in our kitchen at 7am one morning that the tenant came down and made a very brief introduction before leaving. This introduction was just a first name, and a week or 2 later i found the stranger letting themselves into the house at 1:30am.

Girlfriends / Boyfriends staying over ( Any number of nights )are not a issue at all with us. But considering we all keep a lot of valuable items in the house, its important that we know who has access to the house.

Anytime its been mentioned, the tenants phone goes off or they have to head out.

I'm sure the stranger is of good character, but we are still concerned about somebody coming and going from the house. We're concerned with the fact that the tenant thinks we don't need to know who is coming and going.
 
Re: How do we get a fellow tenant to leave?

This is crazy. Surely all these strangers use up hot water, etc, so maybe you should tell your housemate that he has to pay more rent or a higher share of the utilities if he's having someone staying more or less all the time. That might solve the problem.
 
Re: How do we get a fellow tenant to leave?

I take it you've satisfied yourselves that this isn't some cross dresser / multiple personalities type scenario?
 
Re: How do we get a fellow tenant to leave?

CluelessBob said:
The tenant is aware that we're not happy, but doesnt care what we think. And no we don't want somebody else to ask them to leave.

The Problem is to do with house security. This tenant has a stranger staying over ( 3 to 4 nights per week on average ). We've had this stranger coming and going from the house for 4 months, without a mention of this persons existance. It was only when the rest of us got talking recently, that we realised how long and how often this person is actually in the house. As we don't all be around together that much due to our jobs.

Last year a different person was staying over and it was only after 2 - 3 months when i found them in our kitchen at 7am one morning that the tenant came down and made a very brief introduction before leaving. This introduction was just a first name, and a week or 2 later i found the stranger letting themselves into the house at 1:30am.

Girlfriends / Boyfriends staying over ( Any number of nights )are not a issue at all with us. But considering we all keep a lot of valuable items in the house, its important that we know who has access to the house.

Anytime its been mentioned, the tenants phone goes off or they have to head out.

I'm sure the stranger is of good character, but we are still concerned about somebody coming and going from the house. We're concerned with the fact that the tenant thinks we don't need to know who is coming and going.
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Well you've made me laugh - it that it, that's the only problem you have, I was expecting something horrendous. :D If you share with other people you have to expect these things.
 
totally agree with bronte. if that is the reason alone why you want this tenant out then you need to think again. i dont think it is that serious even though i do agree with the fact that the tenant should announce visitors when sharing a house with other people. in regards to the valuable items - don't have them lying around, full stop. what you're doing when somebody breaks into your house?

if the visitors of your tenant are going in and out on a regular basis i.e. staying for more than 2 weeks over night, then i would sit down with him/ her (the tenant) and inform him that bills need to be double paid on his behalf if this is ongoing. i'd say you would get back up on this one from the landlord. getting his lease/ renting the place actually terminated, i don't think you will, especially if there is no lease stating otherwise.
 
Why dont the rest of you just leave together (if you are all happy living together) and get a new place and leave this person behind?
 
truthseeker said:
Why dont the rest of you just leave together (if you are all happy living together) and get a new place and leave this person behind?
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There are a few reasons we don't want to leave. Very cheap rent, excellent house and great parking. The area is quiet and the neighbours are great.

This tenant won't pay a dime extra towards utility bills.

None of us care about boyfriends / girlfriends staying over. Its not an issue with any of us. The rest of us never even discussed making the tenant pay extra towards the bills.

We just seem to be in a position where we can't ask the tenant to do anything. If we said to the tenant "Just let us know that your seeing somebody, and they will be around a few days a week". The following week a new stranger will likely walk into the kitchen at 7am while im making coffee. A thief could break into our house at the minute and we would think he was a guest.

We want to lay down some ground rules ( Very minor ones ), but can't as the tenant just won't comply. Thats why we want to know if we can turn around and say "Get your act together or get somewhere else to live". Hopefully the threat would be enough to change things.
 
CluelessBob - Reading this whole thread makes me think that no one wants to be the one to make the confrontation.
If you seem to be in a position where you cant ask the tenant to do anything then I suggest that you change this.
What makes him so difficult to approach? Is it just that he doesnt listen or change after something has been said?
If so the rest of you need to agree a consistent set of behaviours - so you (for example) say 'The rest of us dont appreciate encountering a stranger in the kitchen at 7am, if youre going to have someone over can you let us know/introduce person?'. The following week a different stranger appears and someone else encounters them, they say 'CluelessBob already expressed to you that we dont appreciate finding stranger in kitchen and asked you to let us know/introduce person'. Then ask tenant to remove person until house discussion has taken place at which point you gather everyone and let him know to the face that this is not acceptable behaviour - oh and while on subject itd be better to have house rules to keep everyone happy.
Ultimately if everyone stands together, stays calm and just continues to be consistent I cant see tenant not complying - unless he wants to be moaned at everytime he sets foot inside the door.

If that does not work then house meeting where everyone expresses that they would like him to leave.
 
'House rules' in this situation are entirely voluntary and not 'enforceable' if one of the tenants decided not to comply - particularly if you won't involve the landlord.

Even if there's 20 of you and there's a 19 / 1 majority, what will make the 1 comply if he can't be bothered?
 
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