It isn't my responsibility to find housemates! Is it?!?

yuppie1985 · Joined: 31 Aug 2009 Posts: 1

My landlord has recently decorated additional rooms in the house i'm renting and wantsto rent them out. I'm fine with his but he's left the looking down to me, saying he doesn't want to get anyone we [me and my girlfriend] don't like, as much as I appreciate this it can't be our responsibility to find them tenants.

Also the tenancy is due for renewal, and the new one will include the other rooms, my landlord insists on a shared tenancy meaning the total rent will be around £800pcm, at the moment I'm only paying £300pcm, I won't be usingthe other rooms as obviously they are for prospective tenants, but if I can't find someone to move in that makes me responsible for the entire rent, which I can't afford, especially after council tax (band f) and bills ( both of which are on top)!

Where do I stand?

montyzuma · Community Moderator Joined: 25 Jul 2007 Posts: 7556

i wouldnt have said so

but if you know anyone who is looking and you think you'll get on with, you could suggest them.

under the new rules coming the landlord is going to have to be registered as a " home in multiple occupancy"

best to check with citizens advice

mutley1 · Joined: 19 Dec 2008 Posts: 434 Location: wacky races

Bluey · Community Moderator Joined: 21 Mar 2006 Posts: 5644

Your landlord cannot force you to agree to a new contract but he can ask you to leave at the end of your current notice period.

Therefore, if you aren't comfortable with the fairly standard commitments of a joint tenancy for a shared property, then you should notifiy him that you intend to leave or you can expect him to serve notice on you. It's a big change for you but a fairly normal arrangement for a shared property to be on a joint tenancy excluding bills (just that this is normally the set up from the start).

Obviously, there is no chance of him accepting the status quo and he evidently has no desire to manage the rooms as individual tenancies which is a big administrative and management burden and can easily lead to personality clashes if the other tenants aren't consulted on the choice of co-occupants.

In a way, it was nice of him to consider your fit with the other tenants instead of forcing you to accept his choices. But evidently, you would prefer to have a single tenancy which isn't on the cards now. Find yourself a new place with an arrangement that suits you as the landlord is going to lose £500 pcm to keep you happy.

Montyzuma - there is a difference between the definition of a HMO and the requirement to register for a licence. Essentially, any property with 2+ unrelated households are a HMO BUT the only mandatory licencing requirement with the local council is for properties of 5+ tenants formed of multiple households of 3+ habitable storeys. This relates to a very tiny percentage of rented accommodation.