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As a landlord living with room renters, what am I legally allowed to enforce during COVID?
I consider myself to be a nice, reasonable person who doesn’t want to make anyone’s time at my house not fun or non-accommodating. At the same time, it has become not fun and non-accommodating for me.
I am the owner of a home and I am renting 2 rooms for 6 months. So far, one of the tenants has had his girlfriend stay in my house for a week without paying. A few weeks later, she “surprised” him and showed up again and stayed for a total of 8 days. I am paying for utilities. I do not charge for water, gas, electric, etc. Now my second tenant is asking if his THREE FRIENDS can stay in my house for free for TWO WEEKS. He came down to one week after I expressed that I was not exactly happy with this.
Is it legal for me to charge his guests for staying here, since it was NOT in the lease agreement for them to have overnight guests for this long? They are using my utilities that I am paying for, and I agreed to pay for the people who are on the lease, but NOT any more than that. I do not like the idea of having to work around FIVE other people in my house during COVID none the less (even though we are all vaccinated, there is still differing public opinion on what is and is not okay). My parents are not vaccinated. Friends. Etc. Do I have the right to tell my tenants that they cannot have overnight guests for more than 2 nights, otherwise I will charge prorated rent? This is severely affecting my time in my own home and costing me money.
This is in the lease they signed: “
The premises shall not be occupied by any person other than those designated above as TENANT with the exception of guests following COVID-conscious restrictions (ie, no more than 2-3 guests per person). If LANDLORD allows for additional persons to occupy the premises, the rent shall be increased by $1300 for each such person. Any person staying 14 days cumulative or longer, shall be considered as occupying the premises in violation of this agreement.”
One of my tenants has had a guest stay for more than 14 days. Not consecutively, but during the course of 1 week, and then another 8 days already. It’s sunny now here in CA, and I don’t want my house to become an Airbnb for free. I could have had another roommate, and I asked if they would be comfortable, and THEY are the ones that told me that they wanted “as little people as possible.”
Thank you, Donnie Porko! The number of days one of the tenants has had a guest stay so far is 15. I will start documenting the days guests stay.
I didn’t originally charge for utilities just to be nice. (I know. Stupid). I’m regretting it.
We allowed GUESTS in the lease... not weekly nights stays. My house isn’t meant to be a hotel and I asked them if they would be ok if I rented another room out and they said “the less people the better” so I didn’t. Weekly stays here routinely like it’s been is becoming a tenant situation I’ll allow 2 nights staying over but a WEEK in my space is not ok.
Also in the lease it says 14 days CUMULATIVE. they’ve already maxed that.
It says cumulative in the lease. Not consecutive. I also spoke with my aunt who is a lawyer and she agreed that no judge will agree that “guests” mean overnight. Remember: THIS IS COVID. Also, if you’re telling me I have absolutely no suhority to say no to guest who stay overnight for a week, then you’re saying my tenants can just have people sleep here in my spare rooms every week without paying? No.
At this point I’ll just rent the other rooms out.
This is becoming being taken advantage of
6 Answers
- Donnie PorkoLv 76 days agoFavorite Answer
Count the number of days the guests have stayed. The lease says after 14 days cumulative days they have to pay 1300 each. I hope you’re documenting the days that the guests stay.
Why don’t you charge them extra for utilities and stuff.
- sunshine_melLv 75 days ago
They're lodgers; the rules are as per the lease they've (presumably) signed with you.
You don't have to let them have any overnight guests, especially during a pandemic.
- Anonymous5 days ago
One week overnight guests is a lot. Especially regularly. Try talking it out?
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- Anonymous6 days ago
either you heard what you wanted to hear or your alleged lawyer aunt is INCOMPETENT and needs to be reported to the bar association for idiocy. sine the lease does NOT place a restriction on guest hours, guests are allowed 24/7
ignore the newer answers that didn't bother to read the details that they do in fact have a lease that allows guests
HEY ACE< YOUR LEASE THE WAY YOU WORDED IT DOES IN FACT ALLOW UP TO 3 GUESTS TO STAY OVERNIGHT FOR UP TO 14 DAYS TOTAL EVEN CONSECUTIVELY>..... YOUR LEASE DOES NOT RESTRICT IT TO DAY GUESTS ONLY OR TO A FEW DAYS AT A TIME....YOU WILL LOOSE IN COURT OF YOU ACT LIKE A BRAT NOW. A court is not likely to enforce any restrictions on day only guests as that would violate peaceful enjoyment.
YOU DO NOT HAVE THE RIGHT TO SAY NO FRIENDS/FAMILY SINCE YOU ALLOWED IT IN THE LEASE. you can try charging 1300 for the one staying 15 days..BUT PROVE IT..if you can't prove she was there 15 nights total, you can't charge. They will say it was only 14...and since 1300 is an unreasonable amount, judge will side with them. For a guest staying in the same room as tenant, an additional $10 per night (after the 14th day) would be reasonable. If the guest uses another bedroom in your house, yes you can charge for that. If a month rent is 1300, 50/night for the spare room would be fair.
you can require overnight guests to share the room with your tenant....
it is NOT IN THE LEASE AGREEMENT TO LIMIT OVER NIGHT GUESTS.
you CANNOT add or change a guest policy until the leases expire....you must allow reasonable guests at no extra cost....1 guest for 1 week is reasonable, 3 guests is not....BUT YOU ALLOWED IT AS PER THE LEASE....so you must allow the 3 guests for 2 weeks at no cost
$1300 per person, that is only reasonable in trollville....
- babyboomer1001Lv 76 days ago
You have the right to tell them NO FRIENDS, NO FAMILY - EVER. They are renting a room in YOUR house, not an independent apartment. Bill the one who has already treated you like a doormat and demand payment immediately. If money is more important to you than safety, then inform them that the charges for having a guest is $50 per week, whether they stay 1, 2 or 7 days, Sunday through Saturday, and whether they stay overnight or not. Never allow people to abuse you.
