Landlord Stress

[lovesjoyajm]

The guy my flatmate and I are subletting our apartment from just informed us that he wants us to increase our rent to pay for increased costs on his part. The increase isn't that much, but the fact is we agreed on one price and it was already kind of an outrageous price for the apartment. We're both paying almost 50% of our incomes. But the guy is a friend of mine, and he was saving me from a very stressful apartment search.

My flatmate is willing to cough up the money if need be because he has an Erasmus grant in addition to his stipend. I am not. I am already having a hard time keeping to my budget, and as much as I HATE the idea of leaving my flatmate and having to move again, I am even more repulsed by the idea of paying any more for this flat than I'm already paying.

Any suggestions? I'm SO frustrated.

[The_bobb]

Start looking for a new place... Tell your landlord you just can't do it, You appreciate his help, but if you can't pay him, you can't pay him... So pay him what he wants while your looking around, but let him know you ARE looking for another place...

Ask your roomate (flatmate) if he wouldn't mind coming with? Tell him you just can't afford the hike in price

[doppelgaenger]

What does the contract say?

[Indignant]

is there some sort of rent control where you live at? have you read the tenant's right yet?

[lovesjoyajm]

We don't have a contract. (I know, I know...) He's not actually the landlord, he's renting the apartment from the landlord and we are subletting from him - and we were informed from the get-go that the guy would be making a profit off of us. Which is why this is extremely aggravating - he told us there are extra costs that he doesn't want to be stuck with, but I can't imagine the extra costs are coming to 50 euros a month which is what he wants us to pay - and even if that is the case, he's got that window of profit that absorbs it.

Oh, the other annoying consideration is: We're only here through JUNE. It's 4 months. I just really don't want to have to "settle in" to a new place for 4 months. We're talking to the guy tomorrow when he comes to collect this month's rent.

[Indignant]

We don't have a contract. (I know, I know...) He's not actually the landlord, he's renting the apartment from the landlord and we are subletting from him - and we were informed from the get-go that the guy would be making a profit off of us. Which is why this is extremely aggravating - he told us there are extra costs that he doesn't want to be stuck with, but I can't imagine the extra costs are coming to 50 euros a month which is what he wants us to pay - and even if that is the case, he's got that window of profit that absorbs it.

wait, so if this is a sublease, why don't you try talking to the landlord directly?

[Gribble]

What can you do? Tell him good luck finding another tenant and suggest your current roommate refuse to pick up your slack. I have a feeling this greedy guy will drop the whole thing if he realizes he's going to have to find someone else to share the apartment or start paying your end of the rent. There goes that profit right out the window.

[doppelgaenger]

You should have had a contract written out. I didn't lease my apartment until every verbal agreement the realtor and I made was amended to the contract. This is because the contract protects my righteous ass from any changes to the negotiations stated in the contract.

Also you mention Euro, so are you in Germany, or somewhere else? You should check up the law and see if there are any protecting you. Maybe you should suggest a contract be written up. I wouldn't do any such business without a contract of some sort.

I suppose you could always do what Gribble suggested, but suppose that backfires on you? I know how hard it is to find an apartment over there, and they are quickly rented out. Dunno if I'd risk doing that.

[Gigabitch]

Did he tell you what these extra expenses are?

[Lipp]

After moving 3 times within this year I know pretty well that a contract is pretty much a must, at the first place we had a completely unexpected "move out within a week", at the second the landlord gnawed his way to get the entire bond when I moved out, but at least the place I'm in now is pretty great.

As suggested I'd say that having the both of you telling him that you'd have to move out with the increase should work, don't forget to remind him that 4 months of lower rent will definitely beat, say, if he has to spend a few weeks to find new tenants and that hassle. Can also ask him what his "increases" are. If he has started gambling or something it's a flat out no.

And as with all places, you must expect something like one month's notice if you move out (thus normal rent for that month, otherwise they could chuck the price up 100% and expect you to pay). So make it 3 months, and spend some time looking for renting temporarily if moving out is the only option.

[lovesjoyajm]

Doppel - I'm in Germany. I don't think finding a new flat or a room, depending on whether we move together or separately, would be that big of an issue, at least not right now when demand isn't as high as it was in, say, September, when tens of thousands of students flooded the city and needed apartments.

I think it's perfectly reasonable to threaten to move out, because in my case, it isn't a bluff. I could pay the extra money, but then I would have literally no money left for anything besides rent and an occasional meal. That's about what I can afford now. Unfortunately my flatmate doesn't want to do that for various reasons. He said we should offer to pay for half of the asked-for increases and he would pay them and I would pay what I've been paying... I just don't really feel comfortable with that.

I don't want to live with someone else... my flatmate and I get on SO well and he's literally my best friend here. But I'm big on the "principle" of this thing and I don't think it's fair of our landlord to do this when he's making a lot more than he should be:
- my flatmate moved in 2 months earlier than planned - I was supposed to have the apartment to myself which meant the landlord would only have been getting rent from one person instead of two, and
- he's charging my flatmate 50 euros a month more than he told me he was going to. I have the bigger room in the apartment and he told me if I took the smaller room he would've charged me 50 euros less, but I took the bigger one he apparently decided not to let my flatmate in on this little secret and is getting the same from both of us.

He told us what the increases were - gas, heating, general rent increase, and then extra fees for trash removal and "gardening". I just don't think they add up to as much as he's saying.

[Gribble]

The ball's in your court. Like you said, finding an apartment wouldn't be difficult right now. Finding a new tenant, however, would.

[lovesjoyajm]

Maybe I'll move anyway. I love my apartment, but I could REALLY use the extra 100 euros a month or so that I could save.

What do you think the chances are that he'd actually LOWER the rent if I start getting ready to move out?

[Gribble]

Depends largely on his financial situation. Can he afford to pay his landlord your portion of the rent until he finds someone new? I don't know what it's like in Germany, but one of my friends moved out of his place a couple months back and tried to find someone else to sublet to. Nobody wants to rent right now. He's had a hell of a time and it's possible he'll be stuck with that room until his lease expires, anyway.

[lovesjoyajm]

So, I talked it over with Flatmate and explained to him my position: I will not pay more than what I am paying now, and if it comes to me having to move out, I will. He says that he is willing to pay half of what the landlord wants. I don't think he should but I can't do anything about that. I don't think he is willing to move out, which gives us a lot less bargaining room.

I do think he agrees not to pay any extra for March. The guy told us YESTERDAY. Usually he would have picked up our rent the month before, so it seems like he's been waiting to decide how much to raise it before he collects it. Is there not a certain amount of notice - if not legally, in the absence of a contract - one must give before raising rent?