Is two weeks reasonable notice to give our lodger?

[ni-cad]

Hi, my girlfriend and I took on a couple of lodgers however almost immediatly things went very sour between us, now after six months of enduring this situation we've decided to ask them to leave.

 

They've paid us up untill the end of this month which is fine, but from there on in it's a bit of a grey area. . . We'd previously all agreed that notice pieriods should be between 1 & 2 months, but it's since become apparent that we're not going to be able to live comfortably with one other over such a long period of time, tension is running high in the house, they've been very difficult to deal with, ideally we'd like them to leave at the end of this month however this short a notice pieriod is a little unrealistic and we've decided that we should still extend them a reasonble amount of time in wich to find somewhere else and to move their belongings, something like 2 weeks.

 

You have to understand that this is very much my home, my girlfriend and I have put our lives in to this house, it's our dream come true, we've been living here for two years and managed to hang on to it through all kinds of financial problems, we've had to borrow many thousands of pounds to keep this place a float and a decent roof over our heads, the lodgers are making it a complete nightmare for us and ruining all the hard work we've put in to the place, they've been extreemly intimidating, they're basically trashing the place and are making living here very uncomfortable for us, wheel spinning their car in our drive, slamming doors in the house and trying to start argument's etc, they've given us no indication that they will be co-operative in moving. I've even considered giving up on this place and leaving myself.

 

What can I do, can I give them 2 weeks notice at the end of the month?

 

If so once I've given them this notice, can I change the locks on my propperty after these two weeks are up to stop them from gaining access, also if the situation arises that they haven't moved their blongings what do I do about them, they have a disused van in our garage and a lot of junk that I'm pretty cirtain they're going to try and dump here.

[jackieandwayne]

If you are sure they are lodgers (from what you have said I'm sure they are) they have very few rights indeed. Technically, you can ask them to leave in the morning, you could then give them back to left over rent. Not nice to do that though.

 

Two weeks is perfectly reasonable notice in this case. When they leave, make sure you are at home and have someone with you, and then once gone (with only their own belongings) have all the locks changed immediately (including outbuildings); any alarms, change them.

 

Good luck - you must be totally peed off.

[clocloclo]

Just thinking aloud here...

 

Ok...you could say 'go' in the morning-no good you'll have mayhem!

Or be gone in 2 weeks-sounds fair!

 

However, although I'd be very firm about the 2 weeks, plus even put it in writing etc...If they could not move out till say a week later or something I'd not push it too much. From what you say that would create a situation where they will be unbearable and could cause you far more stress, so you may need to be(alhough do not tell them!) a little more flexible at the end, to save your sanity

[ni-cad]

Thanks for your replies, I am really p#*$% off but your right, avoiding stress is a very high priority, I don't actually want to cause them any stress either really, not out of spite at anyrate. But if I extend the peiriod to 2 weeks, then 3 weeks or even a month (Which I can see happening) and they still havn't budged then what can I do? I suspect that they won't actually leave until they're forced too by one means or another and the only way I can do that as far as I'm aware is by changing the locks whilst their still living here! It's a really worrying situation.

 

That would also mean, I would have their bellongings and I'd technically be denying them access to their own propperty, surely thats theft? I can't do that can I? I have no wish to steel from them, or keep them from their belllongings but locking them out is going to be the only option left open to me soon. I supose I could warn them that this is what will happen, but is this really my only option? Also how would I then get their bellongings back to them, it's a lot of stuff - a van, furniture etc etc I can't move it for them. . . meh. .

 

Any advice would be welcome.

[Bookworm]

You give them notice, and warn them that if they haven't removed all their belongings by then, you will dispose of them. If they ask you to keep some stuff there "a bit longer", you say no. There are plenty of storage places for rental these days. If they haven't complied by the set date, you change the locks, put everything that doesn't belong to you outside, it is no longer your concern whether they collect it or not.

[ni-cad]

Thanks, this is what I thought.

 

This has been my expierience too, indeed there is no shortage of storage facilities, there are also plenty of other types of accomodation open to them even at short notice, hostels b&b's etc, god I lived in a tent for six months they'll get very little simpathy from me with regards to their housing needs.

 

I am reasonable though, and I will give them a maximum of 1 month, I just hope that's enough, I know I'd be happy with that.

 

Thanks everyone.

[ni-cad]

This is an old thread but I thought I'd post how it turned out. . .

 

I gave them one months notice, believe it or not they started behaving themselves towards the end of the month, but when the end of the month came they just disappeared!!! they left our flat exactly as it was (wrecked!!) plates unwashed up in the sink, clothes strewn all over the place, all their furniture still exactly as it was, laundry in the washing machine, litter all over the floors, stains in the carpets the place was filthy and still full of all their junk, they took their van, dog, laptop and some clothes and just vanished, I mean . . . . ?

 

My girlfriend and I had to clear an entire flat full of furniture, clothes and rubbish, we bagged it all and lugged it all up in to the garage, it was a ton of stuff, sofas, chairs, beds, tables, a fridge, loads of clothes, photo's pictures and the place stank, there was rotting food still in the oven and stacks of unwashed dinner plates covered in mould on every surface in the kitchen. After we had cleared it all out and had re decorated the whole place from top to bottom all was well again, later we started getting very apologetic phone calls from them and we agreed that they pay storage costs for the garage of £50 per month, eventually they got ****ed off with having to pay the £50 a month (which they actually did pay) and after 4 months they came and cleared it all out and even gave us a box of chocolates lol.

[Turk]

I'm glad that I have read this thread, my GF and I were thinking about getting a lodger (one of her friends) but this was one of our concerns. We too have put alot into the house to get it to the standard that it is today and I would hate to see it ill treated. That sort of thing instantly gets my p*ss boiling.

 

Anyway, although a bit of a chew and a big mess to clear, I'm glad that it all worked out ok in the end.

 

 

Turk.

[ni-cad]

Our mistake was we didn't take a deposit, if we had properly assessed the value of the flat and then asked for a deposit that reflected this, it in turn would have made them more aware from the start what the flat was actually worth, they would have also acted more responsibly. The prospect of financial loss is a good motivator, if it's an expensive let (ours is) as the property is worth about half a million and a personal investment then the deposit should reflect this also and certainly be much higher than the usual "couple of weeks" in advance you would ask of a friend etc.

[389shell]

There are some right weirdos' out there, wonder where they went the dossers'.