Updating post from Reddit.
Hi all, I'm really hoping that you might have some knowledge or advice relating to my current circumstances.
I (23M) moved house in April. I am sharing this house with a colleague of mine (64M). We are both written into the tenancy: 6 months thereafter moving onto a monthly rolling contract.
This man is a nightmare to live with. Initially for noise disturbance and lack of cleaning, but now he has begun to threaten me with violence when I clean, and I have no doubt he would follow through as he is totally unstable (copious use of speed in the past) and has been in many physical altercations before. I have reported his threats to the police and they are in the process of attempting to give him a community resolution.
I have been the point of contact for the landlord. If I explain the situation to him, is it likely to result in my housemates eviction? If not, is it reasonable grounds to request that the landlord end this tenancy and allow me to resign on my own, so that my housemate may then be removed?
TIA
If its as bad as you are saying I would focus more on getting yourself out of there rather than getting him out of there.
I totally understand that, but the issue is I simply can't move without a great deal of help. I don't drive, and I have a large dog. This house is incredibly close to work so when I'm working odd hours -think being at work for 48hrs- I can bring my dog, whereas if I lived elsewhere I couldn't drive him, there is no public transport, and I can't really afford a sitter on such a frequent basis.
Im sorry for the lack of empathy youre receiving in some of these comments.
Well you are trapped
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I've no interest in hearing advice or condescension from individuals with an empathetic deficit such as yourself. Move along.
Better yet, you've got a dog and are concerned for your safety in the same building as that dog, whose sole purpose in life (in its own mind at least) is protecting you.
Ooof, Sorry you are in this situation.
I think your number 1 concern has to be your own physical safety, so if you have anywhere else to go, then I would get out asap and don't worry too much about the tenancy - your physical safety should always come first.
If you do report to the landlord and they begin eviction, it will take many months to come to pass (if the co-tenant is not co-operative), and those would be very uncomfortable months to live with! Is a better option to tell your housemate a lie and say that you are struggling to pay the rent / found a new partner that you want to move in with, anything that means you aren't renewing the lease at the end of 6 months.
If maths are correct you have 2 to 3 months left on the lease - this will go quickly in the big scheme of things. Be out of the house as much as possible. Don't push the cleaning angle - just keep your room clean and tidy & sleep there.
If you want to have a better chance of getting your deposit back at the end of the tenancy, you could contact the landlord once you have an agreed a move out date. Tell them that your housemate is a violent slob and ask if you can come back the day after moving out to clean. I would definitely agree to this as a landlord.
This is a really lovely and thought out reply, thank you so much. The one caveat to the situation is my dog. I don't drive, and work strange hours where I may be away two days at a time, and this place is close enough to work that I can walk him to and from. If I move, I can't afford to sit him overnight three or four times a month on top of paying for a whole house or flat. My odd hours occurred after I got my job and were made possible by the house's location, I didn't anticipate this may happen. Essentially I am trapped here until I pass my driving test in November, IF I pass. It's a mess! Thank you again for the thought and time you took
The landlord cannot evict early - he doesn't have the legal power to evict someone, nor will a court or the police do so whilst the tenancy hasn't been running for a year.
The landlord could speak to the other tenant and ask that he find another house - but in most cases that just makes everyone more pissed off and doesn't work.
> The landlord cannot evict Early
Section 8 does allow for eviction for Anti-Social Behaviour, but the OP would need to work with the police and the landlord to resolve this.
However, i'd leave. The saying "snitches get stitches" isn't; a joke, it's a reality, especially in domestic abuse.
You’re constraining yourself a lot here. You’re in potentially a situation where you may be attacked and incapacitated. What happens to your dog then? Find some, a friend,a relative to take the dog for sometime. Get yourself into safety.
Talk to your landlord as they won’t want a tenant like this and start looking for alternative accommodation nearby.
I fully appreciate that this would be the best course of action and I really appreciate the advice, but I find myself quite isolated at the moment. To say, I don't have many friends and my family lives much too far away to take my dog. I am relatively sure that my housemate will not assault me to a degree that leaves me unable to care for my dog, but even as I type that I am unsure. In terms of alternatives for myself, prior to moving here, I had been house searching for 18 months. The market for buying and renting here is absolutely insane, and with a dog, I am very low on the list of ideal tenants. Rehoming the dog for any length of time is simply not an option.
As for the worst case scenario, if the police intervention does not work, I am buying a small trailer from a friend who has lived in it for months at a time. It is not ideal, but I may have somewhere to store it, and can use that if I find that I am in serious danger.
Thank you so much for the time you took to help, though!
I am really sorry that you are in this situation and I empathise with the difficulties you are facing.
However, what does stand out to me as I read your replies, though, is that people are offering you concrete and sensible advice about how to protect yourself, and you are explaining why you cannot do that. Have you thought about exploring why you are essentially insisting you have no choice but to stay in a situation where you are potentially in physical danger? Have you been in situations like this in the past?
Please do whatever you can to get yourself out of there ASAP. Why can't you talk to your employer? Why are you working long shifts where you have to take a dog with you? Why are you in all these unusual situations that can cause you harm or which are detrimental to you, but you apparently cannot do anything about them? You are potentially in "serious danger" -- you need to do something about this and then figure out what led up to these situations. Your dangerous housemate is a colleague -- does your employer know? If not, why not? You are responsible for yourself.
You can ask to end the tenancy at the end of the fixed term or at the end of the next rental period if on a rolling tenancy. This will end it for both of you and you are free to request a new tenancy either in your own or with a different person.
No your landlord is under no obligation to do either so if he says no, you will have to move out in accordance with your tenancy agreement.
I respect he has no obligation, I was hoping to find opinions on whether yourselves as landlord may do so. Also, I assume I have no obligation to move out, provided I adhere to the agreement?
No if you decide you can continue living with him that's your choice. We can't guess what your landlord will say.
Move out of there. Moving him out of there may aggrevate the situation and he may harm you. It is a no brainer. Just move out.
Hi! Genuine thanks for your concern and advice, it really has been on my mind a lot and is the most ideal solution. However, I seem to have come across as inconsistent and reluctant to accept advice that mirrors yours, so I'll do a quick list to try and help people understand.
Firstly, I have a dog. My job means I work unusual hours inconsistently, and they are long hours too. Without a car, I cannot move somewhere alone without paying a great deal for a dog-sitter, not doable whilst running a house alone. My current town is the closest to my workplace and within walking distance, or else everyone passes through and can give us a lift. Moving to somewhere else in this town is impossible.
I need the extra money that these weird hours give me, and flexi time is not likely to be granted on grounds of animal care. I cannot and do not wish to change jobs, this is a promising start to the career I wanted, straight out of university.
I'm in a sticky situation and can't really see a way out. Logistically moving anywhere else is either financially unrealistic or just impossible. My best option is to have this other fellow out, but it looks like that is unlikely at best.
Thank you so much for your time, in any case!
In these circumstances I would leave at the earliest opportunity. It is not realistic to expect the landlord to evict. I think you need to look after number 1. I appreciate the difficulties but there will be an answer.
If you’re still in the fixed term, you’re at the mercy of the landlord’s decision.
If you’re not in the fixed term, I would ask the landlord if you pass affordability checks by yourself and if you do, serve notice to quit. That’ll end the contract for both of you and you can then sign a new one by yourself. The landlord will likely appreciate a seamless transition.
they are both on the tenancy agreement , the op work colleague will not call it quit , don't think will be that easy, those trouble people's act like that because they know nothing will happen to them. 'they have rights'. best advice of is to get himself out of there. not worth the hassle
He's 64, if he starts trouble just push him over and then call the police.
Get out now, seek help from Citizens’ Advice, speak to your employer.
You took it in April for 6 months then month to month thereafter, so you're paying for the flat til November at least.
Tell the LL the score, give your notice now and start looking for somewhere else - realise you might owe LL a month, and you might have to wait for your deposit. Start setting up your finances accordingly.
Spend as much time out of the house as you can in the meantime, and in your room away from him when at home. Install a lock on your bedroom door. Can you do overtime?
When at home, do not interact with him. Do not "trigger" him.
Have you anyone locally you and the dog can have an extended visit with for dinner etc on evenings/weekends when you cannot otherwise be away from him? Could you stay anywhere else at all - even for one or two nights on a couple of occassions? Have you friends or family you could house sit for?
If you can store things elsewhere start removing valuables bit by bit now. Is your employer aware that he is threatening you in this manner, has he started bringing his attitude to work? They have a duty of care to you too.
How much of a threat can he be at 64? The Beatles even have a song about how old that is.
Ask the children assaulted by grandad predators. Violence has no age limit.
Seems like a police issue, not tenancy issue.
I went through something like this before. It basically is a police issue.
Can you move?