How to Handle Unauthorized Roommates

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@Dennis Day yeah but the tenant said there is no one living there. There is a fine line between constant visits and living there. I agree you have the right to all of the above and no one can or should live in your building without you having them leased up... but, there is almost no way to police this unless you have a specification in your lease on when a constant visitor or boyfriend becomes a tenant. Therefore, the most practical solution is to make sure rent is on time, and keep an eye on it.

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Well, the issues are many. First, as another user mentioned, there is the issue of whether I can trust the original tenant. Plus, if someone has moved in, I have a right to know who is living in my buildings. To that end, I owe it to the other tenants in the same building to know who is in my buildings, and, more to the point, have them pass a background check- the same as any other applicant.Then there is the issue of parking. This possible new move-in has a vehicle that must now be accounted for, and room made for.Add to all that that this possible new tenant is now using water, and, more to the point, hot water, which I am paying for. These are added expenses that I did not factor in to the original lease. Will this new tenant run the spigot in the driveway for three hours washing his car? Who knows. The point is, unless this new tenant never washes his car or takes a shower, there are going to be added costs involved with this possible new tenant. And these are just the factors I've come up with off the top of my head. I am sure there are plenty of others. Here are a few more worries: a new person in the building only adds to the likelihood of one more body possibly tripping and falling down the steps, or slipping in the bathtub and resulting in an ambulance trip to the ER.So, the added worries are many. I think it is only sound policy to know who is in the building, living full time. I can't be the only one who would raise an eyebrow upon seeing a new, hitherto unknown person who has suddenly become attached to the building in some unknown, quasi-manner.

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To Mathew's point about what's the big deal if the tenant is paying rent: My wife says the same thing to me. I think it just sticks in my gullet in a bad way. I had a similar issue. I want to know that I can trust the tenant to not cause difficulty for other tenants in the building. If someone moves in without a background screening I can't screen these people out with my imperfect system. This guy who had been living with his GF on and off had some issues with another tenant in the building and apparently this led to police involvement one evening with allegations of someone shooting at him (the boyfriend of the other tenant is the alleged perp). This has been one of the quietest rental spaces in town up to that point and it wouldn't have happened if I had been able to screen him out. Honestly, unless you know for sure there is nothing that you can really do about it. At best you can decide not to renew the lease. If the tenant is on a month-to-month lease you can decide, without cause, not to renew as long as you give due notice here in Florida. I did that with one tenant and he was ticked off, let me tell you. LOL, but it all worked out and I was happier for it. In the meantime, place your cameras in some sort of protective barrier to prevent access to the memory card. Double up your cameras so you can see who is interfering with your equipment. Get a professional to help you do it right. Ensure that data goes to the cloud and you won't have to worry about memory cards. I know this is difficult, but you can tie it into someone's utilities as it is not going to raise their bill and you can give them a $10 discount on the rent as a result. Lots of options to resolve this as an issue. A little money spent up front will pay you back in peace of mind later.

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I would first ask you about what types of things would change if the tenant added a roommate? Is there a utility fee per occupant? Is there anything else? The current tenant might not realize that it would only cost a little extra each month to add the roommate to the lease. We state in our lease that guests can only stay 14 calendar days per year. Anything over that is considered a tenant and they must qualify and be added to the lease. You could serve a 24 hour notice for a safety inspection and check the smoke and CO detectors and take note of how it looks and whether it seems like someone else is living there. Cameras would be a good option if you can prevent the theft from happening. Having multiple first hand witnesses to seeing someone staying overnight helps, but it's hard to enforce anything based on that alone. You could talk to the tenant and explain the changes that need to happen to add a roommate. If it continues, you could serve a notice and see what happens, but that's often more trouble than it's worth. You don't want to create a hostile relationship over something that might not be creating any real issues. The inspection would give you a good idea to start though. This is always a rough situation and never fun. Good luck!

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@Dennis Day if rent is on time, and he swears up and down he does not have a roommate... What is the issue?