Landlord on premises

Scenario: you are thinking about renting a 3 bed house with a finished basement - 2 bed and 1 bath downstairs. The landlord wants to have full use of the basement year round so it would be off limits to you. You would be paying full utilities so when landlord would be using the house on the weekends in the winter time you would be paying essentially for their heat and utilities etc. Landlord has two kids - 9 and 6 who would be in the house on weekends and playing in yard.

Would you rent the upstairs of this house under these circumstances?

TIA

Landlord on premises

No

Re: Landlord on premises

Is there a separate entrance?

If so then I would if this house met my needs.

Landlord on premises

Is the house separated so he would not be entering where you live? Are you allowed to use the yard. If yes, will he give you notice if he wants to use the yard? What happens if your having people over outside or have a party planned and he wants to use it? If he is using the premises on a frequent basis then I would tell him to split the utilities 2/3 and 1/3. If all that was worked out then I wouldn't have an issue renting there. Just make sure you have all your questions answered before you sign.

Re: Landlord on premises

No - there is no way I would pay someone else's utilities or have a access to a yard and not be able to use it.

eta : no separate utilities means that the basement apartment is illegal. Doesn't matter tbat tbe LL uses it.

Message edited 3/2/2014 6:34:23 PM.

Landlord on premises

Never

Landlord on premises

No definitely not.

Landlord on premises

No, absolutely not.

Landlord on premises

No.
Here are some other things to take into consideration.
Who would be responsible for yard maintence? Snow removal? If there is a driveway, who gets it?

Landlord on premises

Absolutely NOT.

Re: Landlord on premises

No way in hell!

Landlord on premises

No. Sounds like too much of a headache. But if you do still want it strike a deal for utilities. You really aren't renting the whole house only part of it so you should only have to pay part of the utilities. And what would be the agreement on the yard? What happens if you want to have a party do you have to clear that with the landlord so his kids don't interfere?

Re: Landlord on premises

Thanks everyone. Its not for me its for a friend of mine and she has been checking out some places and called me today to tell me about this place and I just thought it sounded awful. The landlord lives in manhattan and works there so would definitely not be out during the week but for sure on the weekends. I had never thought about car parking - there is another issue..I also dont like the idea of the kids ( i have kids so not anti kids ) being there on the weekends banging around, playing loud etc etc..I think she would spend the weekends tiptoeing around her rental as the landlord would be downstairs.

I think I might persuade her to look at something else that is completely hers.

Re: Landlord on premises

The only thing that I don't feel right about is that your friend would be paying 100% utilities. If the she is getting a really good deal on the rent maybe it could be ok.
It really isn't much different then renting from a landlord who lives there all of the time, depending on the person sometimes it is fine, sometimes not.

Re: Landlord on premises

It sounds like this is the landlord's vacation home so I would definitely be wary. Rentals can become a nightmare if you have neighbors in that close of quarters.

Re: Landlord on premises

I asked a landlord of 4 homes and he said its not fair to renter.

Re: Landlord on premises

Absolutely not- no way.

Landlord on premises

Everything is up for negotiation for the right price. Utilities don't seem fair, but if it compensated by a lower rent, then it is fair.

Yard use.. again, plenty of apartments don't have yard use, if the rent is discounted to cover that fact, or priced appropriately, then the yard use during the week is a "Bonus"

Same with the basement.

The only thing I would be wary of is due to this being a part time thing for the landlord, and they're coming from an apartment in the city, I'd feel that the kids are going to somewhat run amok in the yard, parents are going to plan parties etc, and that they will be spending a lot of time in the yard, due to them being somewhat shoehorned into a space that is too small for them.

Re: Landlord on premises

Give me a few hundred off the rent every month and I would allow it. Utilities for random weekend visits won't cost that much.

Re: Landlord on premises

no way!!!