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The Annoying Housemate
Former Member
Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
Situation is this: I move into a furnished house last year, renting one of the rooms (3 rooms total, bills included). Given the fact it was just me, I got permission from the landlord to set up a desk in the dining room for my PC, and set up my TV and surround sound equipment (pretty expensive kit, around £1k in total). I've done a tidy job of both, making sure it doesn't take up too much space - and in return I said I'm happy for housemates who join to watch my TV. I've set up Sky, TV license, BT phone line and Sky broadband - all out of my own pocket, and of course other housemates wanting to use these extra services pay their share. I also add other furnishings to the house, such as a microwave, extra cutlery, glasses, hoover, coffee table - you know, the little bits and pieces. Most of these came from my last house, so no problem there.
First housemate moves in for 6 months (meaning he left Feb 07) - a really nice guy, here on an internship. We got along well, I explained he's welcome to watch my TV, use my kitchen / cleaning / general stuff (except PC). No problems at all - he paid his share of the internet, phone and TV, and all is fine.
Second housemate moves in (meaning his contract ends April 07) - he's twice our age (we're both 21). Again, I explained he's welcome to watch my TV, use my kitchen / cleaning / general stuff (except PC). He says he doesn't have a PC, doesn't use the internet, doesn't watch TV, doesn't make phone calls. He also said he uses his own stuff that he's brought with him. No problem at all.
I think communication's pretty important in a houseshare, especially when you don't particularly know people - it can be a right laugh, but of course some things need doing - cleaning and the like. We all agreed a rota, and stuck to it - no problems.
Now here's the problem. Since my friend has left in Feb, the other housemate has turned into plain annoying (or I'm noticing these things more) And here's why:
* He says he uses his own stuff, yet uses my cleaning products and general bits and bobs I've bought for the house, such as light bulbs, hoover bags, toilet rolls and so on - the essential small bits really. We're only talking around £20 at most here for replacements which he's used, but he doesn't offer nor make an effort to do this. So I ask him to buy these items, seeing as I bought them the first time and he has been using them. He doesn't deny using them, but says that "it's not his problem", along with a funny look. So muggins here ends up buying the replacement bits and bobs. I try again by giving him the receipt saying what I've replaced, and there's a non committal grunt of a response. Suffice to say, payment never arised.
* He smells. Sorry, but we're talking like a BO smell here. Clearly he doesn't shower or clean that often, and it's quite sickening.
* He asks if I'm watching the TV if we should both be sat in the living room and I'm perhaps reading bits of the paper, or surfing the web on my laptop. I say yes thanks, but clearly he doesn't like the TV on (hang on: it was always there in the corner, we always used to watch it and if it's such a problem you've got the dining room or your room!). On a side note, sometimes he'll watch the TV too - ironic seeing as he said he didn't, and never pays for it - but I don't mind on that one.
* For cleaning last time, all three of us agreed a rota. Since there are now only two of us, my housemate has taken it upon himself to do a rota - great. Shame he didn't tell me about it, and it's a joke simply because he does like 1 room in the house, and I have to do the rest (that's no exaggeration!
). He says he doesn't use all of the rooms in the house, so shouldn't have to clean them ("they're not his problem" - a phrase he likes to use a lot!). Now he's probably being honest here - he probably doesn't use the bathroom, but he uses the toilet, and why should I clean up his shit (pretty much literally there!). And the point is he does use all of the rooms - he'll sit in the living room, dining room, use the kitchen, toilet and bathroom. I don't expect him to clean my TV bits or PC bits, because he doesn't use them and they're mine.
* He'll interfere with my stuff. This isn't as bad as it was, but I used to come downstairs in the morning to find my PC and TV / media PC combo switched off AT THE WALL. I ask if he'd switched them off, and he said yes "because he was trying to sleep in the living room and the fumes were getting to him". WHAT THE FUCK?! Why would you sleep in the living room? I pointed out that computers don't emit fumes, and I normally leave my equipment on overnight. I took some (expensive) steps to quiten my PC's, so the rooms are quiet for him yet I can leave my PCs on (for example, I quite like to record some TV overnight on Sky, or might be downloading something overnight on the PC rather than use up the bandwidth when my first housemate was here using the internet as well). About £100 spent later, this seems to have worked, and most of the times my equipment is left uninterfered.
* He sleeps downstairs at night - quite regularly. There's a problem with the smell in his room (then talk to the estate agent, I said, whilst standing in his room trying to smell something that isn't there). No problem if you crash in late from a night out and hit the sofa, but to get to the living room downstairs, he walls along the hall past my room - and I can hear him.
Now I've been polite and communicated these issues with him over time (not all at once, as I didn't want to seem like I was going on
). He's not budged on any of them, and is just a stubborn housemate, in my opinion.
The bottom line is he doesn't communicate - if he just bloody asked half the time, I wouldn't have an issue (e.g. no problem switching things off). But then he just uses stuff, which is fine, but fails to replace it, which isn't fine. For a 42 year old man who's still renting (and has been for some time in other properties), he should know how the fuck to houseshare.
I'm in the property until mid June, when I have the option to either find somewhere else, or deal direct with the landlord and get a good deal on what is a pretty nice place. He's here until end of April, when he will have the same option. If he stays, I'm off in mid June (then he will realise that there's nothing left in the house for him to use, which will be fun for him!).
My question is; is there anything I can do to ensure he doesn't want to renew his contract? It's a horrible tactic, but communicating with him obviously doesn't work, and he smells (that's the only thing I didn't bring up - how on earth do you go about dealing with that?!)
Thanks, rant over!
First housemate moves in for 6 months (meaning he left Feb 07) - a really nice guy, here on an internship. We got along well, I explained he's welcome to watch my TV, use my kitchen / cleaning / general stuff (except PC). No problems at all - he paid his share of the internet, phone and TV, and all is fine.
Second housemate moves in (meaning his contract ends April 07) - he's twice our age (we're both 21). Again, I explained he's welcome to watch my TV, use my kitchen / cleaning / general stuff (except PC). He says he doesn't have a PC, doesn't use the internet, doesn't watch TV, doesn't make phone calls. He also said he uses his own stuff that he's brought with him. No problem at all.
I think communication's pretty important in a houseshare, especially when you don't particularly know people - it can be a right laugh, but of course some things need doing - cleaning and the like. We all agreed a rota, and stuck to it - no problems.
Now here's the problem. Since my friend has left in Feb, the other housemate has turned into plain annoying (or I'm noticing these things more) And here's why:
* He says he uses his own stuff, yet uses my cleaning products and general bits and bobs I've bought for the house, such as light bulbs, hoover bags, toilet rolls and so on - the essential small bits really. We're only talking around £20 at most here for replacements which he's used, but he doesn't offer nor make an effort to do this. So I ask him to buy these items, seeing as I bought them the first time and he has been using them. He doesn't deny using them, but says that "it's not his problem", along with a funny look. So muggins here ends up buying the replacement bits and bobs. I try again by giving him the receipt saying what I've replaced, and there's a non committal grunt of a response. Suffice to say, payment never arised.
* He smells. Sorry, but we're talking like a BO smell here. Clearly he doesn't shower or clean that often, and it's quite sickening.
* He asks if I'm watching the TV if we should both be sat in the living room and I'm perhaps reading bits of the paper, or surfing the web on my laptop. I say yes thanks, but clearly he doesn't like the TV on (hang on: it was always there in the corner, we always used to watch it and if it's such a problem you've got the dining room or your room!). On a side note, sometimes he'll watch the TV too - ironic seeing as he said he didn't, and never pays for it - but I don't mind on that one.
* For cleaning last time, all three of us agreed a rota. Since there are now only two of us, my housemate has taken it upon himself to do a rota - great. Shame he didn't tell me about it, and it's a joke simply because he does like 1 room in the house, and I have to do the rest (that's no exaggeration!
). He says he doesn't use all of the rooms in the house, so shouldn't have to clean them ("they're not his problem" - a phrase he likes to use a lot!). Now he's probably being honest here - he probably doesn't use the bathroom, but he uses the toilet, and why should I clean up his shit (pretty much literally there!). And the point is he does use all of the rooms - he'll sit in the living room, dining room, use the kitchen, toilet and bathroom. I don't expect him to clean my TV bits or PC bits, because he doesn't use them and they're mine.* He'll interfere with my stuff. This isn't as bad as it was, but I used to come downstairs in the morning to find my PC and TV / media PC combo switched off AT THE WALL. I ask if he'd switched them off, and he said yes "because he was trying to sleep in the living room and the fumes were getting to him". WHAT THE FUCK?! Why would you sleep in the living room? I pointed out that computers don't emit fumes, and I normally leave my equipment on overnight. I took some (expensive) steps to quiten my PC's, so the rooms are quiet for him yet I can leave my PCs on (for example, I quite like to record some TV overnight on Sky, or might be downloading something overnight on the PC rather than use up the bandwidth when my first housemate was here using the internet as well). About £100 spent later, this seems to have worked, and most of the times my equipment is left uninterfered.
* He sleeps downstairs at night - quite regularly. There's a problem with the smell in his room (then talk to the estate agent, I said, whilst standing in his room trying to smell something that isn't there). No problem if you crash in late from a night out and hit the sofa, but to get to the living room downstairs, he walls along the hall past my room - and I can hear him.
Now I've been polite and communicated these issues with him over time (not all at once, as I didn't want to seem like I was going on
). He's not budged on any of them, and is just a stubborn housemate, in my opinion.The bottom line is he doesn't communicate - if he just bloody asked half the time, I wouldn't have an issue (e.g. no problem switching things off). But then he just uses stuff, which is fine, but fails to replace it, which isn't fine. For a 42 year old man who's still renting (and has been for some time in other properties), he should know how the fuck to houseshare.
I'm in the property until mid June, when I have the option to either find somewhere else, or deal direct with the landlord and get a good deal on what is a pretty nice place. He's here until end of April, when he will have the same option. If he stays, I'm off in mid June (then he will realise that there's nothing left in the house for him to use, which will be fun for him!).
My question is; is there anything I can do to ensure he doesn't want to renew his contract? It's a horrible tactic, but communicating with him obviously doesn't work, and he smells (that's the only thing I didn't bring up - how on earth do you go about dealing with that?!)
Thanks, rant over!
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