Thread: Renting

What area of which city do you live in?

Most jurisdictions have some sort of rules that govern landlord tenant issues but it really depends on where you are so post that detail and I'm sure someone will have some meaningful input.

That said, it does sound like this family is taking advantage of you and your mates. Paying for your own phone and splitting an internet connection makes sense but if the place was furnished when you moved in, you shouldn't be dinged for whatever they choose to add after that unless they talked to you about it. As for the water charge, talk about nickel and diming. The cleaning charge sounds like total bullshit.

Again, the rules where you live are what govern how the landlord treats you (hopefully), but it doesn't sound like a very nice owner at all. With the landlord's daughter living there it is even worse for you if this is their attitude. It's gonna get ugly there before long...

How much of a security deposit did you have to give them?

Okay, going by what I know from the NYC area..

-Charging for water use is ludicrous. Of all the bills, water is probably the cheapest, and I've never heard of it not being included in rent.
- It is extremely bad form to buy something randomly for the room and then expect everyone else to help you pay for it even if they didn't ask for it or want it. Thus, expecting you to help pay for the toaster is bad manners and you're within your rights to refuse to pay, though in this situation it'll obviously cause bad blood etc.
- It is the landlord's responsibility to take care of building maintenance. For example, your door should lock, your ceiling and windows shouldn't leak, etc. I'm not sure if that extends to furniture if the place is prefurnished. Furniture might just come with an "as is" agreement where the landlord doesn't have to do crap if furniture breaks.
- The landlord does have the right to request that rooms be kept reasonably clean, and to evict you if it becomes a fire hazard. Beyond that, I'm not sure how picky landlords are allowed to be when it comes to tenents' cleanliness.

As for the pricing, per week that would be an absolutely amazing price for NYC, but if you're in the middle of nowhere it could very well be a ripoff. Housing prices vary so much that it's impossible to say without knowing what general area you live in.

I know for NYC you can find a list of tenents' legal rights online. Perhaps you could do a google search for the same for where you live?

ah! australia! i hope i can help

i guess it depends on which area of brisbane you're in, it's actually hard for us to say whether you can find a cheaper place without you spelling out which suburb you're in, which you might not be comfortable with.

are you on the lease? how long is the lease for? if not, i think there is a standard 4 weeks notice that you can give to leave, but the rules vary for every state. i recommend you find a website which outlines tentant rights in QLD.

i would say re: the bed, that if it is broken then they should replace it. if they're charging you for it then it needs to be in reasonable condition. if they won't replace it and you have to buy another one, the rent should decrease.

in regards to living with the landlords daughter, i recommend that you bail as soon as possible. sometimes it can be okay, but it seems like she's already marking her territory and it could get a lot worse. charging you for a toaster is super lame and threats about rental increases if the place isn't clean is stupid. they can't charge you extra rent if you're a bit messy. i'm a landlord in ACT and i'm not allowed to put the rent up more than once a year without x weeks written notice. i still think that this situation sounds bad and you should probably try to find a new place, it seems like the daughter is going to be trouble. do a price comparison by looking on the Domain website, or try Gumtree? that's how i get all my tenants.

i just did a quick search of "tenant rights in queensland" and heaps of websites came up. this one, for example " Tenants' Union of Qld

good luck!