having some problems in our house.

[YoreyC]

landlord lives in the basement and does not agree with the standard of cleanliness the 3 of us keep.

suffice to say, he is an admitted obsessive-compulsive, and it is also his property, so his standards are higher than ours and borderline unreasonable.

but, on the positive side, the house remains very clean because of his polishing efforts, and the house is very nice, and the rent is comparatively low.

he grumbles and complains, but then he does the hard work himself of cleaning. so, he has skin in the game, and i am personally incentivized to make him happy, and i do not want him to feel taken advantage of.

I told him I would pray and brainstorm a solution that might work for everyone.

I am thinking that I will ask the other 2 if we can simply pool an extra $100 per month, or $33 each, as a "touch-up" fee for the landlord. That would equate to about a 3% increase in monthly rent, which I consider negligible. It would be a token of appreciation for his work, but also not so much that it is an inhibitive expense.

prayers and advice please

 

[YoreyC]

his sister just died. send some prayers up for him please.

 

[MeganC]

he is an admitted obsessive-compulsive, and it is also his property, so his standards are higher than ours and borderline unreasonable.

He has mental issues. OCD people can be unreasonable to you because they are unreasonable to themselves. The problem is that their obsessions can lead them to doing very bad things.

I recommend pooling your money and finding a safer place to live.

 

[MrB]

Not all people that like things clean and tidy are ocd or have a mental disorder.
I tell people I’m ocd but really I’m not I just like things in order and disciplined.
It is possible that your standards are a little low and there is an opportunity to lift your game.
Unreasonable to you could be more than reasonable to someone else couldn’t it.
The reality is that you enjoy a clean and tidy low rent home due to your Landloard.

Fifteen years back I took in a boarder, he suggested we (my wife and I) were not healthy people because I mowed the lawn once a week and liked the house clean and tidy. The truth was he had no self discipline didn’t know how to save money and struggled to look after himself. He made a lot of money but never managed to hold onto any of it.
The issues he had ,he refused to address. He stayed with us for a little under a year before moving on.
He acknowledge some of his shortfalls but refused to make any changes , it was always somebody else’s problem not his ,he moved from place to place with the same issues that followed him before things got to much for him. We heard sadly he ended his life several years later at age thirty something.
Maybe this is not relevant

Ultimately the golden rule applies
He who has the gold makes the rules
Take the opportunity to learn and improve or …..
If you don’t like the rules, go somewhere else , pay more ,make your own rules.

 

[Bartato]

I'm in shock about $100 being only a 3% bump in rent. That means your rent is somewhere in the ballpark of $3300!

I haven't rented for the last 16 years, but dang!
We use to pay like $500-600 a month for rent back in the first decade of the 2000s.

Wages have probably gone up by about 60% over the last 16 years, but rent (and real estate in general) has gone up several hundred percent.

That's terrible!

Paying $3300, and you still have someone else living downstairs! Wow!

This isn't Manhattan, Honolulu, San Francisco, London, or Singapore is it?

 

[Maddog]

or Seattle....

 

[Mark C]

...pick a cesspool...

 

[ASyers41]

I know places that are studio apartments going for 1600 a month without utilities in the United States. I have a friend in Thailand paying 350 US Dollars a month for what equals a Penthouse Apartment in New York with Wi-Fi and Utilities included. The United States is one of the most expensive countries to live in.

 

[Bartato]

or Seattle....

Honestly, even in run of the mill places (like here in Eastern Washington) rent now frequently runs that high.

 

[theleastofthese]

I know places that are studio apartments going for 1600 a month without utilities in the United States. I have a friend in Thailand paying 350 US Dollars a month for what equals a Penthouse Apartment in New York with Wi-Fi and Utilities included. The United States is one of the most expensive countries to live in.

Yup. My cousin pays 1k rent to live in a camper/trailer in one of the most dangerous cities in Louisiana. Rent in our area went for at least $1,500 for a studio and people were doing drive-bys a block over. Just ridiculous.

 

[Bartato]

landlord lives in the basement and does not agree with the standard of cleanliness the 3 of us keep.

@YoreyC
I don't remember the details of your life and family, but when you refer to the 3 of you, that means you and your wife/wives/family right? We aren't talking about you and your two male roommate buddies or anything right?

suffice to say, he is an admitted obsessive-compulsive, and it is also his property, so his standards are higher than ours and borderline unreasonable.

but, on the positive side, the house remains very clean because of his polishing efforts, and the house is very nice, and the rent is comparatively low.

he grumbles and complains, but then he does the hard work himself of cleaning. so, he has skin in the game, and i am personally incentivized to make him happy, and i do not want him to feel taken advantage of.

I told him I would pray and brainstorm a solution that might work for everyone.

I think your idea of offering your landlord another $100 a month might be a good idea. It isn't a lot of money, but it shows that you appreciate his cleaning work.

The way you worded it however was strange.

I am thinking that I will ask the other 2 if we can simply pool an extra $100 per month, or $33 each, as a "touch-up" fee for the landlord. That would equate to about a 3% increase in monthly rent, which I consider negligible. It would be a token of appreciation for his work, but also not so much that it is an inhibitive expense.

prayers and advice please

If we are talking about roommates, this might work. I we are talking about a proper Christian family this seems off.

As husband and/or father you have to lead your family. You make the final decision. You ask your wife/wives for their thoughts and input on the topic. You take their thoughts under careful consideration, and then you make the final decision for the family.
You use family resources to provide for the family. That means $100 for the three of you (not pitching in $33 each).

Brother, you are the leader of this Biblical family.

 

[Bartato]

 

[YoreyC]

I'm in shock about $100 being only a 3% bump in rent. That means your rent is somewhere in the ballpark of $3300!

no... i mean $33 is about 3% of my rent

@YoreyC
I don't remember the details of your life and family, but when you refer to the 3 of you, that means you and your wife/wives/family right? We aren't talking about you and your two male roommate buddies or anything right?

it is shared living in a house. me and 4 other people, including the landlord, have our own rooms/sections. only 3 of us use the kitchen, so it is us 3 who are responsible for it

He has mental issues. OCD people can be unreasonable to you because they are unreasonable to themselves. The problem is that their obsessions can lead them to doing very bad things.

I recommend pooling your money and finding a safer place to live.

i dont see anything in what i said or you said to indicate i am unsafe

Not all people that like things clean and tidy are ocd or have a mental disorder.

he does

He who has the gold makes the rules
Take the opportunity to learn and improve or …..
If you don’t like the rules, go somewhere else , pay more ,make your own rules.

thanks but those arent the only options. if they were he wouldnt be so stressed out. im not stressed out. i want to help him.

 

[Bartato]

no... i mean $33 is about 3% of my rent

it is shared living in a house. me and 4 other people, including the landlord, have our own rooms/sections. only 3 of us use the kitchen, so it is us 3 who are responsible for it

i dont see anything in what i said or you said to indicate i am unsafe

he does

thanks but those arent the only options. if they were he wouldnt be so stressed out. im not stressed out. i want to help him.

Thanks for the clarification.
So...my previous advice doesn't apply.

 

[MrB]

thanks but those arent the only options. if they were he wouldnt be so stressed out. im not stressed out. i want to help him.

Those words sound so familiar. I too was told I was stressed out but he wasn’t and he wanted to help me.
Even if I didn’t want or need his help he was going to give it.

Seems like you already know what you want to do.
I hope it works out for you.