Is my landlord being unreasonable?

[slugg]

This is the first time I've ever rented a house. I've rented apartments in the past.

We have a two car garage. The land lord keeps up the lawn himself, but he kept all the yard stuff in the garage. Before moving in, we agreed that he would get a shed and put all the yard stuff in the shed because we didn't want people coming in and out of our garage/house, plus we want space for our cars and belongings.

When we moved in, the landlord only put the "big" stuff in that shed. All the rakes, pitchforks, etc, were left in the garage, as well as a wheelbarrow. I removed the wheelbarrow from the garage and put it on the side of the house behind our fence.

I got home today and I found the wheelbarrow in my garage. I checked my phone - I had a voicemail from Wednesday that I never checked. I checked the voicemail - it was him telling me that he's going to do some maintenance and that we need to keep the wheelbarrow in the garage.

I called him, said I don't feel comfortable with people coming in and out of my garage, and that it was my understanding that the purpose of the shed out back was to remove the need to enter the garage. He told me it was just him, so it wasn't a problem.

I don't know what to do. I don't want to store his shit in the garage I'm paying for, nor do I trust anyone entering the premises so casually. I understand that land lords do have the right to enter the house with reasonable notice, but since he claims he needs to enter the garage to do the lawn, that means he's entering my home casually. And seriously - the whole purpose of the shed was to eliminate the need for this.

What should I do? I've been in this lease for less than a month...

 

[glenn1]

Yes, he's being less than accommodating about the garage. But he's also doing the lawn for you. Sounds like a fair trade to me.

 

[JEDI]

your over reacting.
its the garage not your bedroom (ie: not INSIDE the actual house)

calm down

so why does it need to be in the garage? is there no room in the shed?

 

[Rumpltzer]

It's strange that he's coming in and out of the garage especially with the shed available. The shed is pretty generous to begin with; you're renting the yard too, right?

I thought it was standard verbage that landlords need to give some amount of notice before they come into your place (except in case of emergency).

 

[Drako]

First off, it's not "your garage". Secondly, you should be happy the guy is doing maintenance for you. Renters are such a pain in the ass

 

[Sluggo]

As a landlord I can say that we, as a group, are never unreasonable.

 

[SheHateMe]

He gave you proper notice that he would be coming over. You should have checked your messages.

 

[Drako]

As a landlord I can say that we, as a group, are never unreasonable.

Slugg, meet Sluggo

As a slumlord, I mean landlord, I agree with Sluggo.

 

[PieIsAwesome]

Landlord sounds like a nice guy. I like him.

I do not like you OP.

 

[drebo]

I let our landlord keep his yard stuff in our garage. He's a very nice guy and it's not taking up that much space.

 

[Blackjack200]

OP, what does the lease say? The lease should explicitly delineate which areas are for your use.

First off, it's not "your garage". Secondly, you should be happy the guy is doing maintenance for you. Renters are such a pain in the ass

It effectively "his" garage if it's in the lease.

 

[SparkyJJO]

At least you have a garage.

 

[Jumpem]

People really need to make changing the locks on a rental property a day one activity.

 

[OCGuy]

People really need to make changing the locks on a rental property a day one activity.

You can do that, but all the leases I have people sign say they must make me a copy of the new keys.

OP, you need to refer to your lease. It should have been spelled out explicitly what the terms are, and what/where the landlord can and cannot store materials.

I cannot stress this enough: Get everything in writing on the lease. That is the only document that the judge will look at in court. I have sat through many a hearing.

 

[Markbnj]

First off, it's not "your garage". Secondly, you should be happy the guy is doing maintenance for you. Renters are such a pain in the ass

The heck it's not. If he has a lease then for all intents and purposes he's the owner for the duration, as long as he keeps up his end of the bargain. Personally I wouldn't mind, but OP has a right to his privacy, period. The landlord has some verbiage in the lease about access on reasonable notice for maintenance and inspection purposes, and he could use that to justify entering the property occasionally, but unless it was set forth in the lease he doesn't have the right to deprive his tenant of a portion of the garage. I assume the OP is paying to rent the whole property, not just the portion the landlord doesn't need.

 

[Kyle]

The heck it's not. If he has a lease then for all intents and purposes he's the owner for the duration, as long as he keeps up his end of the bargain. Personally I wouldn't mind, but OP has a right to his privacy, period. The landlord has some verbiage in the lease about access on reasonable notice for maintenance and inspection purposes, and he could use that to justify entering the property occasionally, but unless it was set forth in the lease he doesn't have the right to deprive his tenant of a portion of the garage. I assume the OP is paying to rent the whole property, not just the portion the landlord doesn't need.

Exactly...the whole "you're renting- it's not really yours" shit bothers me...probably because I've had landlords in the past that viewed their property as "theirs" even when I was renting it - would show up whenever etc.

As for the OP - that wouldn't bother me unless I had a reason to distrust the landlord- if he was coming in to the house, that'd be a totally different thing...But if OP is uncomfortable w/ it then I think the landlord should respect that.

 

[Drako]

The heck it's not.

Interesting that you edited my smiley face out of your quote. I edited out all of your drivel :sneaky:

 

[Jumpem]

You can do that, but all the leases I have people sign say they must make me a copy of the new keys.

I don't think I would be willing to do that. The last time I rented the maintenance people would end in our apartment while we were gone. Later on they would make comments about our belongings. If I ever rent again, the locks are being changed on day one. I will consider it my home while I am paying rent, and the landlord or maintenance can arrange a time with me to be allowed in.

 

[OCGuy]

I don't think I would be willing to do that. The last time I rented the maintenance people would end in our apartment while we were gone. Later on they would make comments about our belongings. If I ever rent again, the locks are being changed on day one. I will consider it my home while I am paying rent, and the landlord or maintenance can arrange a time with me to be allowed in.

That is your right to not sign the lease.

We collect the new keys not because we have some plan to invade privacy. Here in California, I have to lay out specific guidelines as far as reasonable notice for entry. Nobody shows up unannounced and wants to come in. In fact I specifically instruct them that if they did not get proper notice and someone knocks on the door saying they are from X property management and can they come in, to call the police.

We have had to break doors due to home abandonment, emergencies while the tenants are out of town (flooding), but it is rare. But we do require a copy.

Now that isnt to say some unscrupulous owner may not abuse something like that. And by all means, dont sign the lease if you don't feel right about it. But a reputable property management company has too much to lose, and they really have no interest in your belongings or spying on you.

I have seen my share of bad tenants. But I have seen bad owners as well. That is why a property management company is a good buffer for both.

 

[JEDI]

I don't think I would be willing to do that. The last time I rented the maintenance people would end in our apartment while we were gone. Later on they would make comments about our belongings. If I ever rent again, the locks are being changed on day one. I will consider it my home while I am paying rent, and the landlord or maintenance can arrange a time with me to be allowed in.

and u'll be out on your ass the next week because u just broke the lease, idiot

 

[Number1]

You have a point. The landlord needs your permission if he want's to access your garage on a regular basis and a message on the answering machine just does not cut it.
Things to consider
Now, is there anything in the lease agreement about this. There might not be enough room in the new shed. If you piss him off you might end up having to do the lawn yourself.

 

[5150Joker]

Landlord is reasonable, you are not.

 

[Black Octagon]

What does the lease say?
What does the law say?

The answers to these 2 questions carry so much more weight than the opinion of a bunch of people writing any old crap on an internet forum...

 

[Austin8868]

Just keep the door to your house locked. You will never even know he was in the garage.

Or tell him to move the rest of his stuff to the shed so you can put your things there.

 

[slugg]

1. It is in my lease that the landlord is to maintain the lawn and landscaping.
2. I am renting the entire house, including the garage. I'm not renting a room.
3. Him keeping the wheelbarrow and all these other tools in the garage makes it impossible for me to work on my car; not enough space.
4. There is a list of items on the lease for which I've agreed to be responsible for (appliances, mainly). None of the lawn care stuff or anything else he has in the garage is listed.
5. He keeps other crap in the garage, too. A massive toolbox that's taller than me being one of them.

What to do?