Most landlords have rules that they expect their tenants to adhere to, especially if you are a live-in landlord who doesn’t want their daily life disrupted by an inconsiderate new roommate. However in an article published by the Daily Mail yesterday a woman revealed a list of thirty one rules that the landlord had given her – and she hadn’t even agreed to move in!
The live-in landlord provided the list to the young woman when she came to view the property, and she was surprised at how extreme some of the rules were. For instance, one rule said “No visitors can stay over (Unless discussed with me 2 weeks in advance and I will decide) if I catch anyone sneaking in deposit will be lost and you will need to vacate premises immediately.” Other rules included fines for leaving dishes unwashed in the sink, and that if the landlord decides the tenant is abusing heating or electricity he can charge them “as I feel.”
After receiving the bizarre list, Laura Evelyn posted a picture of it on the social media website Twitter, which then went viral with over one thousand retweets and four thousand comments on Reddit. She said to the Daily Mail that the landlord “Seemed intelligent and friendly. He only gave me the list as I was leaving. It made for amusing Tube reading.”
Many users of the Reddit website have commented on the story and said that they have had similar experiences, with one even saying that “I once had a roommate that had all these rules and more (i.e.: no dirty dishes in the dishwasher; that appliance is only to be used as a built-in drying rack for hand-washed dishes) but she failed to communicate them to me in advance. Rather she left a trail of post-it notes around the house.”
Whilst live-in landlords may have certain rules they expect tenants to adhere to, giving them a list usually strains relations before they even move in. It is probably wiser to have your stipulations entered into your tenancy agreement so if there are any disputes you can contact your landlord insurance provider and get them to advise you on legal proceedings.