An Australian tenant has claimed their housemate is demanding extra payment because their partner stays at the property several nights each week.
The man posted on the AusPropertyChat Reddit group and said the “main tenant” contacted him via WhatsApp after noticing his partner had been spending more time in their shared home.
“Two-day rule for partners. The third day? You pay one week’s rent,” a screenshot of the message reads.
“Please pay the extra week’s rent. I hope you understand that it costs me money.”
The poster then asked the forum if “this is allowed?” before hundreds of people weighed in with their two cents.
One commenter said the man was being “inconsiderate” and “annoying” by holding his partner so regularly.
A second agreed that he was “getting more than (his) fair share”, and a third said it would be “unreasonable” to delay the request.
Australians who have lived in shared homes also took part in the discussion and theorized what prompted the message.
“It’s the higher utilities and the awkwardness of dealing with someone who doesn’t rent but lives there semi-permanently,” explained one. “Plus one more person on the shower rotation.”
“I didn’t sign up to live with other people’s partners,” added another user. “So if you want to sleep, sleep in their place. A week’s rent is about right.”
On the other hand, someone else thought it was “ridiculous to ask someone to pay a week’s rent because their partner stayed two nights in a row.”
Meanwhile, one commenter called it “steep” and suggested the partner should “donate some money”.
The question of whether a stay-in partner should contribute to the rent often depends on how much they contribute to the family as a whole, said property market expert Eric Wong of Lucca Property.
The frequency of overnight stays can affect utility bills and shared resources, but an equally important consideration is how much the partner contributes to household chores.
“If the partner consistently helps out – whether it’s pitching in with housework, grocery shopping or small repairs – it can create a balance that offsets some of the financial burden,” Mr Wong told news.com.au.
“If the partner neither pays the rent nor contributes to the household chores, this can create resentment, as the primary tenant may feel they are shouldering extra responsibility and may therefore want a financial contribution.”
Mr Wong said it is not unusual for tenants to expect a stay-in partner to contribute frequently, however, “the specifics vary greatly depending on the nature of the relationship”.
He encouraged tenants to have an open conversation to set clear expectations early on, which can prevent potential disputes down the road.
Regarding the question of legality in the scenario in question, the main tenant must ensure that the sublet situation does not cause a breach of the lease.
“If a lease is signed between the landlord and the tenant and the lease stipulates that only two adults can live in the property, if the subtenant has a partner who frequently stays at the property, they may be considered a resident, which may violate the tenant. of their rent as there would now be three residents instead of two,” said Jo Natoli from The Rental Specialists.
“I should add, however, that rents are not determined by the number of occupants in a property, so the landlord, if he chooses to allow the third person to stay on a more permanent basis, cannot increase the rent for that.”
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