View Full Version : Getting room mates to clean up
hawkboy772042
2010-12-28, 10:09 AM
My room mates are in the army and usually home on the weekend. When they do come over, they make a huge mess and don't clean up after themselves leaving me to have to clean it up.
One of them is two months behind on rent along with utilities. He is also starting to become very snotty with me, despite the fact that I'm the one covering his shares. (I don't want to cover his shares, but in Israel, I have to give the landlord post dated checks, which are all in my name).
It seems like they don't really want to listen to me and just party instead of getting the bills and the apartment in order first. Any ideas of how to get through to them without simply losing it?
factotum
2010-12-28, 12:24 PM
You could try not cleaning up after them! If they realise their mess doesn't magically clean itself up they might do something about it...
Eldonauran
2010-12-28, 01:19 PM
Time to look for new roommates. Tolerating this sort of behavior only reinforces it. Speaking from experience, they will only get more and more disrespectful and 'snotty-er'.
Look into local tenant laws and get an eviction notice with some stipulations on what they need to do in order to stay. Also, start keeping track of how much you are paying for their share.
hawkboy772042
2010-12-28, 01:29 PM
You could try not cleaning up after them! If they realise their mess doesn't magically clean itself up they might do something about it...
Yeah, did that. The funny thing is that the room mate who is behind, has a room so filthy the cockroaches won't even enter! All jokes aside, it is time to look for new room mates. Luckily, the lease is going to be up in March and I don't think the landlord would dare let any of us renew the lease.
thorgrim29
2010-12-28, 01:38 PM
Try this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qy_mIEnnlF4
WarKitty
2010-12-28, 01:41 PM
In the meantime, get a shovel and one of those portable screens. Shovel all their stuff into a corner and put the screen up.
Gwyn chan 'r Gwyll
2010-12-28, 02:40 PM
Anecdote:
My mum had a roommate who would CLAIM he did his share of the dishwashing, but would really never do any.
So she made a plan.
She made a HUUUUUGE pot of hot and sour soup.
And she took one bowl.
And one spoon.
And she ate that for... a long time. Until the pot of soup was gone. The whole while, just cleaning the one bowl and spoon.
At the end of that... long time, there was a huge pile of dishes. So she took her roommate, pointed, and said "For the last... long time, I have used only one bowl and one spoon. These here? These are all your dishes. Get cleaning".
Justice was served.
There's also the time when she tried to make a vegetable garden, but her mexican roommate didn't understand that, while in mexico you put sod or woodchips on top of the plants to shield them from the sun, in Canada they hardly get ENOUGH sun as it is, and so they all died.
Change the locks. They can get the keys when they pay up and clean up. Until then, they can find somewhere else to stay. Top it off by leaving all their personal crap out on the front lawn. Put your foot down and don't let these turds walk all over you.
WarKitty
2010-12-28, 04:36 PM
Change the locks. They can get the keys when they pay up and clean up. Until then, they can find somewhere else to stay. Top it off by leaving all their personal crap out on the front lawn. Put your foot down and don't let these turds walk all over you.
If their names are on the lease that can get him in trouble.
If their names are on the lease that can get him in trouble.
Lol, putting roomates names on the lease is bad news. I never did it. I certainly hope the OP's roomates aren't on it. Life lesson I suppose.
Eldonauran
2010-12-28, 06:09 PM
If their names are on the lease that can get him in trouble.
You can get into a lot more trouble even if their names are NOT on the lease. I don't know about Israel, but where I live, if you let someone stay over for a week, they are considered a tenant (even without paying bills) and have to be served with a 30 day notice of eviction if they refuse to leave.
Cutting off power, utilities and even changing the locks can get you into trouble.
Stupid tenant laws. :smallmad:
Dr.Epic
2010-12-28, 07:06 PM
If their into gaming sims, tell them it's a simulation. It's based on a dorktower strip (I wish I could remember which one and link it, but I don't feel like searching the archives).
You can get into a lot more trouble even if their names are NOT on the lease. I don't know about Israel, but where I live, if you let someone stay over for a week, they are considered a tenant (even without paying bills) and have to be served with a 30 day notice of eviction if they refuse to leave.
Cutting off power, utilities and even changing the locks can get you into trouble.
Stupid tenant laws. :smallmad:
Where are you from by chance? We have no such laws here.
WarKitty
2010-12-28, 10:02 PM
Where are you from by chance? We have no such laws here.
My neck of the woods over in Delaware has something similar. Not sure what the exact rules are, but if someone's primary residence is in a particular place, even if they don't have their name on the lease or deed, they have to be formally evicted.
thubby
2010-12-28, 11:31 PM
do they have any official claim to the property? if not, give them the boot. if they do, there has to be legal recourse, look into it.
Moff Chumley
2010-12-29, 03:07 AM
In the meantime, get a shovel and one of those portable screens. Shovel all their stuff into a corner and put the screen up.
I like this plan. Has a certain zen about it, in a manner.
You can get into a lot more trouble even if their names are NOT on the lease. I don't know about Israel, but where I live, if you let someone stay over for a week, they are considered a tenant (even without paying bills) and have to be served with a 30 day notice of eviction if they refuse to leave.
Cutting off power, utilities and even changing the locks can get you into trouble.
Stupid tenant laws. :smallmad:
Well actually, if he really is just trying to get some kind of payback he isn't the landlord. He can make some excuse for some reason or another of why he had to change the locks cause they didn't match the carpet or something. Thing is he could only afford ONE key because he's been paying their rent. Landlord didn't change the locks he isn't liable. Tenant isn't subjected to same rules as landlord and doesn't face any repercussions. Just saying...
Honestly there are plenty of legal ways to make someone else's life a living hell, but I'd hope you'd go through diplomatic channels first. :smalltongue:
Where are you from by chance? We have no such laws here.
Most states in the US have some form of a "Squatter's Rights" law.
In the meantime, get a shovel and one of those portable screens. Shovel all their stuff into a corner and put the screen up.
Crude, but effective!
Also, if it falls to you to clean up their mess all the time, you could simply throw away all of it. That includes stuff your roommates want to keep. If they spread their junk all over the place, how are you supposed to know what is garbage and what is not?
Of course that won't work if all they leave behind really is junk, though. :smallannoyed:
Moonshadow
2010-12-29, 06:54 AM
I'm actually kinda surprised that army guys would be such slobs :smallconfused:
Have you tried ordering them around like a drill sargeant? :smalltongue:
Quincunx
2010-12-29, 07:35 AM
They would be doing mandatory army service, not the type that goes into the army because they're dedicated to it, and in my limited experience none of the lessons of army cleanliness follow home the guys who are in the army only because they had to be.
*****
I've found it MUCH easier (from both sides of the equation) to get the slob to give up something in repayment than to get the slob to clean, and it also means the cleaning is done up to the standard of the clean one. Get some valuable possession from him now as a gesture of good faith that he will pay you back. If he doesn't. . .
Eldonauran
2010-12-29, 12:53 PM
Where are you from by chance? We have no such laws here.
Oregon, USA.
Be thankful you don't have such laws. It means you don't have the kind of dirt bags living there that make a need for such laws to exist. :smallsigh:
Oregon, USA.
Be thankful you don't have such laws. It means you don't have the kind of dirt bags living there that make a need for such laws to exist. :smallsigh:
I live in California. As one of the posters above said, if I'm not the landlord, I can do whatever the hell I want as the tenant. Otherwise, every fool with a dirtbag live-in boyfriend would be stuck with him for a month once they got fed up and split.
Eldonauran
2010-12-29, 02:00 PM
I live in California. As one of the posters above said, if I'm not the landlord, I can do whatever the hell I want as the tenant. Otherwise, every fool with a dirtbag live-in boyfriend would be stuck with him for a month once they got fed up and split.
Yeah, if you aren't the landlord, you can get away with more things. I own my home and wasn't aware of what kind of laws go with it. I am much more knowledgable now. Be forwarned. They don't tell you this kind of stuff when you become a homeowner. :smallmad:
What really makes me upset is that the 'tenant' can simply walk away with 'common property' in the home (such as a television) that they were given access to and not be charged as though it was theft. You have to take it up in civil court. :smallfurious:
Rob Roy
2010-12-29, 06:35 PM
Move the houses mess into their room instead of cleaning up after them. Once they see it all in one area they should start cleaning up, if not then at least you wont have to look at the mess.
I live in California.
I'm so sorry. My sympathies are with you.
Moff Chumley
2010-12-29, 08:40 PM
I'm so sorry. My sympathies are with you.
http://www.hatersgoingtohate.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/haters-gonna-hate-koopa.jpg
:smallamused:
First of all make sure you aren't asking for something unreasonable. I've seen roommates insist that only their stuff should occupy common areas and that others' stuff should be put away in their rooms. Obviously this is messed up and isn't fair to the other roommates. So long as you are not asking them to give you concessions that you are not making yourself you should be fine.
As to the cleanliness talk to them about it civilly first. Explain to them what you'd like to see done. See how far you get with that at first. Perhaps you can all come to a compromise. If you are the clean one in the house likely you'll have to accept a certain level below your threshhold. Decide what's reasonable for you. If you don't bend a bit why should they?
If that doesn't work then up-shift to shoveling their leftover common area mess into just one of their rooms - all of it from both roommates right inside the door of one of their rooms in a nice pile for them to deal with - their mess is their problem. Which thing belongs to which roommate is their problem to sort out. Switch rooms each week. This should at least give them an indication of what a pain it is to clean up after someone.
As to the rent, tell them you cannot cover them any longer and that, in fact, you expect them to cover a portion of what they owe you on the next rent check or you're selling their stuff while they are away to cover their missing rent - starting with their bed and their most expensive items. Make this very clear. Write up the ad if you have to ahead of time and show it to them asking if they think what you've marked stuff at is a fair price? If they object then tell them it's their responsibility to sell their stuff to cover the rent then (or however they plan to raise the money) and that you expect them to do so and set up a reasonable plan for them to pay you back what they already owe you within their means. Insist that they must cover their own costs and what they owe you or you will have to take action.
If they don't do it, cover the rent to cover your ass and sell their crap to make up what they owe you.
Rob Roy
2010-12-29, 09:08 PM
http://www.hatersgoingtohate.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/haters-gonna-hate-koopa.jpg
:smallamused:
So I don't have a high opinion of California and feel sorry for people that are stuck living their, that makes me a hater? California may have some beautiful geography, but everything else s just bad. I know I'd be much happier if I could leave that state for good. IN fact, I make sure every vacation I take isn't in that state.
Moff Chumley
2010-12-29, 11:33 PM
It's not that so much as I abuse the Haters Gonna Hate meme as much as possible. And I, for one, love California, at least the part I'm in. The Bay Area.
To be fair, everywhere else is rather meh. :smalltongue:
Sneak
2010-12-29, 11:34 PM
http://images2.memegenerator.net/ImageMacro/4026053/Taters-gonna-Tate.jpg?imageSize=Medium&generatorName=Potato
Moff Chumley
2010-12-29, 11:37 PM
The obvious next move would be "hatters gonna hat", but I'd rather we not go down that road.
Rob Roy
2010-12-29, 11:41 PM
The obvious next move would be "hatters gonna hat", but I'd rather we not go down that road.
Gators gonna gate?
Deth Muncher
2010-12-29, 11:42 PM
The obvious next move would be "hatters gonna hat", but I'd rather we not go down that road.
Why, because then thread derailers gonna thread derail?
Moff Chumley
2010-12-29, 11:45 PM
Yes.
I still like the "shovel everything into a corner and put up curtains" plan. :smallbiggrin:
WarKitty
2010-12-30, 11:21 AM
Yes.
I still like the "shovel everything into a corner and put up curtains" plan. :smallbiggrin:
This was actually something two of my friends used as a compromise. One of them liked to just drop her stuff when she got back. The other hated dealing with the mess. So they put up a screen, and the one just dropped her stuff back there and dealt with it later.
The_Admiral
2010-12-30, 11:42 AM
Here's a trick my parents used to stop us from throwing stuff on the floor take everything on the floor that does not belong there and throw it away but before you do that tell them that you are going to do that first (Or not*Evil Laugh*)
Rob Roy
2010-12-30, 02:31 PM
I stand by "put the houses entire mess into their rooms".
hawkboy772042
2010-12-30, 04:04 PM
I stand by "put the houses entire mess into their rooms".
Too bad that doesn't work with all the dirty dishes... I do need to eat from those same plates, ya know.
As for the money issues, let's just say that it's going to be a very weird situation since neither are Israeli citizens, but rather Americans serving in the Israeli army. I don't know what authorities could actually go after them and then, what power they actually have. Only options I really have as far as I know are non-court options.
Jimorian
2010-12-30, 04:18 PM
Talk to somebody at the army base. Sometimes they have a liaison that deals with issues with the local community. Obviously, cleaning up isn't going to be something they'll deal with, but an outstanding debt might be. Start it anonymously at first in case the military folks aren't sympathetic. But generally, commanders HATE when their people make the military look like asses to the locals.
hawkboy772042
2010-12-30, 04:33 PM
Talk to somebody at the army base. Sometimes they have a liaison that deals with issues with the local community. Obviously, cleaning up isn't going to be something they'll deal with, but an outstanding debt might be. Start it anonymously at first in case the military folks aren't sympathetic. But generally, commanders HATE when their people make the military look like asses to the locals.
Thanks, that sounds like a good solution.
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