Would you Dare Give Your Tenants Rules Like This?

Some landlords like to control what goes on in their properties. From asking tenants not to make noise after a certain time to banning sub-letting, many demands are not unreasonable. After all, anti-social behaviour and property damage are a landlord’s worst nightmare. But one landlord in the US takes things to a whole new level.

Landlord from Hell

A tenant posted the list of requirements given by their landlord on a Facebook group. The terms and conditions were so onerous that most people couldn’t work out why she was staying in her rental house. In fact, some even commented that it was the equivalent of living at home under a strict parent’s curfew, with extra rental payments thrown in!

The landlord had a few reasonable demands in his T&Cs, such as keeping the noise down and making sure the property was kept clean and tidy. So far so good. He also asked that tenants were respectful to one another and didn’t snoop in each other’s rooms. But then it all started to get a bit weird.

No Guests

No guests were permitted at the property. If a tenant caught a ride home from a friend or date, then that person had to drop them at the end of the drive. If they happened to step foot on the property, they would be trespassing in the eyes of the landlord. And just to make sure this rule wasn’t contravened the landlord had installed CCTV.

No Cooking

Cooking wasn’t allowed between certain hours. So, if you woke up early on a Saturday morning and fancied a Full English, tough. The kitchen couldn’t be used before 09:30 on weekends. Same goes for cooking after 21:30 on any day of the week, which is bad news for anyone working a late shift.

No Heating

Heating was clearly an issue. The landlord didn’t want tenants to run up any big heating bills, so the thermostat was strictly off-limits. If 68 degrees wasn’t warm enough for you, bad luck, buy a blanket or put some extra clothes on. Tenants were banned from using space heaters too. The landlord felt they are dangerous, and the landlord’s insurance apparently didn’t cover the use of heaters or electric fires.

Other items covered included breakages (tenant pays), no opening windows when the heating or air-con is on, and tenants were responsible for their own toiletries.

No Late Rent

Finally, if any tenant was daft enough to forget to pay their rent, they would incur a $10 late payment fee. Interestingly, since this was against the landlord’s T&Cs, not only would the tenant be charged the late payment fee, but they would also be evicted at the same time.