All Forum Posts by: Allison Panila

@Dan Heuschele I agree. I don’t have much more to come back with at this point except, I agree. I think she and I have both lived in situations before that were much more laid back than this and I wish everyone understood that the boyfriend legitimately didn’t live there, spend a ton of time there and may have been there a few times (3-5 I’m guessing before the landlord went for more money). I absolutely appreciate everyone bringing up the vetting of guests, that makes sense. I think again, I’m just lucky that I’m not friends with drug dealers or pedophiles or psycho killers, so those aren’t even things that come on my radar! Additionally, I find it enjoyable that I think I mentioned the landlord was a “She” and lots of people have said “he.” So interesting! I think also that maybe people think this situation is far more extreme than it is. She’s living there, paying the $50 a month, doing school and visiting her boyfriend whenever she wants. There’s no bad blood. I think the landlord may see it as a misunderstanding and there was no standoff when the landlord presented additional options in the first place. I simply wanted to know if it was legal/something that landlords do. And I guess I’m lucky I own my own house so no one but the bank can evict me! :)

@Matt K. Nope! I just want to see the lease so I can decide what I’d like to do in the future. Man oh man you all must’ve been burned hard in the past, cause wow, the reactions to this are insane! (My opinion only) I can read a lease and not seek further action, right? That’s allowable? I thought so...until today! Why is everyone against me educating myself? :)

@Matt K. I'm down with that.  Those postings say no visitors, and that makes sense.  I've been texting her since this whole thread started and she literally just said to me "I know my boyfriend can't live there, that would be breaking the lease!"  She truly just wants to have friends over to visit :)  I told her I need her lease now cause I'm just so interested in the situation...

@Dan R. thanks for taking the educational point from this.  I think this whole thing got lost on people assuming that "having her boyfriend over" means he was living there or wanting to live there.  I'm saddened by most of this thread, honestly.  But yes, she and the landlord had what she thought was a "good" relationship, and I don't even think she'd consider it "bad" now.  I think she wanted to understand why she can't have friends over :)  (so she asked me since she knows I listen to the podcast and such).  

I just responded to someone else explaining this, but this isn't just about her boyfriend...it's about anyone visiting (for 5 minutes or 5 hours).  THAT'S the part that feels weird to me as a person.  And no, she's not leaving.  She made the decision to pay the $50 and work with it.  Again, just trying to hash this out.  I didn't even ever consider a landlord could put that expectation on you...I wanted to kick her for even signing a lease that did (too bad she didn't talk to me BEFORE signing).  Fortunately, what many people seem to think on this thread is that I'm trying to help her take advantage of the situation, when in fact, she's said yes to the $50 and he's not even going to be there that much anyway!  It just covers her if he does want to stay over after a night out or visit after playing golf.  I have been making my list of things to be explicitly clear about as a landlord one day, and now I'll have to really process whether or not this is a battle I want to fight with tenants!  It's too bad so many landlords seem to get taken advantage of.

@Matt K. I'm sorry if I am coming off as trying to "get around it," from my perspective I see it as trying to "understand it".  I think the relationship with the landlord was fine and dandy and then this came as a surprise addition (the "no friends/guests without extra pay" part...forget boyfriend...this holds true for her sister, mom, dad, ME! just stopping by to visit).  I don't think there was ever talk of wanting a single person specifically, the landlord mentioned charging more for multiple people living down there.  I can't wait to get my hands on the lease, but all in all, she knows she agreed to something and is fine with it, I was just trying to understand (and this seemed like a place that could give me good insight!)...

@Dennis M. you are absolutely right IF the boyfriend was living/staying there.  I AGREE with that.  I think you totally missed the part where I said he's NOT LIVING THERE.  Sorry for the caps, it's just clear when I don't write in caps, key information is missed.   I'm hoping I can pull this thread down because it's clear people are responding to other people and not reading my original post.  I get it.  I get that people are bad.  I get it.  It's too bad I think otherwise, maybe I'll become jaded and write posts like this one day, but I sure hope not.  I'm so sad that everyone assumes everyone else is so willing to take advantage, it really says something about the world we live in.  

I also find it funny that everyone would want to evict my friend when she's totally fine paying the extra money and understands, but is just confused, about what rights a landlord has! 

@Dennis M. I’m very confused by everyone thinking the boyfriend is taking advantage. When you sign a lease, do you truly sign a lease to never ever have anyone come to your location? Think “we just grabbed dinner and are going to watch a movie afterward”. To me that seems pretty normal. just have never been in a situation myself or heard that the expectation is that a landlord would never expect anyone other than the tenant to ever step foot in the apartment. I think that’s what baffles me most! Maybe I seem defensive, but I think I’m just baffled and surprised! Again, it probably goes back to me thinking people are good until proven bad.

@Matt K. I appreciate your feedback. I don’t know what I wrote wrong in the original post that makes everyone get fired up about going against the landlord. She’s not doing anything, at all. I just wanted to know if it was legal for someone to make those stipulations and then add money after the lease was signed. $50 does sound reasonable to me, it just also sounds like she was squeezing her for more money. Also, I think it just took my friend by surprise before at the beginning of the lease she didn’t feel like the landlord was going to be in her business. She’s literally the most tame, responsible, quiet human being ever, so it’s funny to think that this post is getting responses from the perspective of someone who wants to take advantage or is wanting to break the rules. I think helping my friend be informed because I do know about this community is about the best thing I can do! Honestly, we already shrugged our shoulders and said “cool, just make it to the end of the lease” and that’s what she’s going to do. But it never hurts to ask people in a forum if it feels correct, right?

@Jim K. Such a different tone in round 2. Like I mentioned before, I agree with many of your points, but I don’t appreciate many of your assumptions...that‘s where you lost me. What came across from you (from my perspective) was “all people are bad, entitled and trying to take advantage of the system therefore rules are in place for a reason” and my personal perspective is “not all people are bad, some people are misinformed and need to learn the hard way and want to make sure they don’t get them self in the same situation again, but is it legal?” So thanks for your insight and your poem, and Ill keep enjoying my armpit of America that helps me to be able to handle people‘s opinions like you in the world. My last note was that of community. I am fine with bluntness and many other people may be as well, but I don’t (personally) think that’s what we’re here for in the way that you came across the first time around. May your renters never have to deal with your wrath. And maybe I’m just fortunate to know good people.

@Joel Owens thanks for your response! Understood that no legal advice is given :) I understand where you’re coming from and appreciate it. Sadly, I think $975 a month is a steal in our area, so it is what it is. My friend is a reasonable person, so she’ll just visit her boyfriend and family more rather than them coming to her, but I said to let me read her leases in the future! I never imagined something like that would be written in, maybe because I think most people are good and wouldn’t take advantage (clearly I’m wrong).