A landlord has sparked outrage after trying to charge her tenant $50 per night for having his girlfriend stay over.
British property strategist Jack Rooke read out the shocking email exchange between homeowner Rita and her renter Cameron.
Rita had emailed Cameron to inform him of a little-known ‘house rule’ that imposes additional charges for overnight guests.
‘It’s been brought to my attention that your girlfriend has stayed overnight on multiple occasions this month. As outlined in the House Rules, overnight guests must be pre-approved and are limited to two nights per calendar month,’ Rita’s email read.
‘Beyond that, a £25 ($A52.50) per night charge applies to cover shared space use and utilities. This will be included in your next invoice.’
However, Cameron pointed out that his tenancy agreement included no mention of guest charges or pre-approvals – as he slammed Rita for ‘running a guest policy like a boutique hotel’.
‘Who exactly is keeping tabs on my bedroom?’ Cameron replied.
The landlord insisted the rules were shared in his ‘welcome email’ and are ‘clearly displayed on the hallway noticeboard’.
British property strategist Jack Rooke read out the shocking email exchange between landlord Rita and her renter Cameron
‘Excessive overnight visits put pressure on the household. I’ve had complaints. If you want to avoid future charges, please limit stays or register guests in the log book provided,’ Rita responded.
Furious, Cameron fired back: ‘Let me get this straight. You’re charging me £25 ($A52.50) per night because my girlfriend stays over a couple of times a week? That’s £200 ($A420) a month… for someone sitting on a sofa and using the kettle.
‘You’ve made up some “guest log” system that isn’t in the tenancy. There’s no approval process in the contract. No mention of fees,’ Cameron replied.
‘I live here because it’s what I can afford. Now you’re trying to backdoor in hotel charges? No. I won’t be paying.’
He added that if the charge appears on his invoice, he will submit a formal complaint.
While Rita understood his frustration, she warned him not to ‘speak to me like that’.
‘These rules are there to keep things fair,’ she said.
‘Other tenants manage their guests without issues, but I’ve had complaints in your case. This isn’t personal. If you need me to resend the house rules, I will. If you can’t follow them, I’ll have to review whether this tenancy is still working.’
Landlord Rita emailed tenant Cameron to inform him of a little-known ‘house rule’ that imposes additional charges for having his girlfriend stay over (file image)
However, Cameron refused to back down as he called on the landlord to ‘review’ his tenancy agreement as he feels this arrangement won’t work for him.
‘You know what? Review it. Go ahead. If you genuinely think having my girlfriend stay over three nights in a month is causing long-term impact to your kettle and your precious hallway, then this probably isn’t the right place for me either,’ he said.
‘You’ve decided you’re running a guest policy like this is some boutique hotel. You’re billing tenants for having a personal life, and then acting shocked when someone pushes back. “House rules were made clear”? No, they weren’t.
‘You sent a welcome email with your preferences. That’s not legally binding. The tenancy agreement says nothing about guest logs, pre-approvals or £25-a-night fines. You’re trying to invent policies mid-tenancy and dress them up as boundaries.
‘It’s not professional. It’s not legal. It’s you overreacting. So yeah – review the arrangement. And while you’re at it, review your understanding of landlord responsibilities.’
It’s unclear what happened next – but Jack disagreed with the landlord’s move.
‘She sounds like she’s got control problems, we don’t like people with control problems,’ he said.
The video has been viewed 540,000 – with many divided over the situation.
‘If this is a shared house and he’s renting a room, I’m actually with the landlord. It’s not fair to his other room mates to pay extra for his girlfriend. If he’s renting the place solo, he’s in the right to invite anyone he likes over as often as he pleases,’ one said.
‘I’m on the landlord’s side, other than it should be included in the tenancy agreement. If it’s not in the tenancy agreement, then it’s not a valid charge. But a charge for additional guests is reasonable,’ another suggested.
‘Well, first of all, a housemate snitched. Second, that’s actually mad. Third, I’ve had housemates whose girlfriend pretty much were there all the time. Still snitching on them for that is crazy,’ one explained.
‘Doesn’t matter if the landlord found out, they’re not allowed to police when you have guests,’ another added.