Landlord Question and Answer Forum

We have a home that lease out (3) rooms. There are (4) housemates totals: (1) female in one room/ 3mos, (1) female in another room/almost 2yrs.  A married couple occupies the large master bedroom/12 yrs. When I lived at the home before I got married I lived with the husband of this couple. it began w adding a flat rate for utilities so she wouldnt have to deal w fluctuating utility bills that the household has always split among the occupants then it progressed to a room temp complaint so we bought her an a/c unit. Now the newest housemate feels she is being poisoned by imaginary smells of the toxins when the (2) other female housemates are home and feels the need to use surveillance a camera when she is in the home. We asked her not to use a surveillance camera in the house but she continually uses the excuse of safety & health. Since we have owned the property back in 2002, in the bedroom community , we have never had any theft, vandalism, trespassing, burglary, fire, drugs etc to warrant surveillance cameras. She even when so far as to suggest we install cameras to monitor the tenants!   We are happy to end her contract early w a full refund of deposit, and let her go but she insists she's happy there yet fights constantly w each of the housemates & we had to ask her to not treat her room like a dorm (she cooks there w a hotplate) because she's avoiding people in the kitchen. She constantly calls/txts/emails us to tattle on the others on an almost weekly basis.

Give her a fix or quit notice for the hot plate. It's a fire hazard. If the security camera is in her room then I'd let it go. She can't have one in the common area tell her it's a violation of the other tenant's right to privacy. Everytime she calls/txts/emails if it's about the other tenants tell her that you do not get involved with tenant personal issues and offer her to leave early. Make sure your other tenants know that she will be leaving as soon as her lease is up or she violates it. you don't what them leaving to get away from her.

Posted by Scott H, VA on Friday, October 9, 2020