Negotiating with Housemates

Tomi6
Level 1
Denver, CO

Negotiating with Housemates

Hi All!

 

I am not sure if this is the right place for this question, but I'll give it a go...

 

I rent a house with three other people. There is a separate two bedroom apartment in the basement with its own entrance, kitchen, bathroom, etc. I have an agreement with the landlord to manage an the apartment as an Airbnb and pay him rent for that space. The other housemates are not involved in the operation (they had the option to be involved but opted out). There is a small part of the back yard fenced off for the apartment entrance, and the laundry room is shared between the main house and the apartment. We have a formula to determine payment of the utilities since there are not separate meters.

 

My housemates have requested that 5% of the income from the Airbnb is paid back into the main house. This is for possible inconvenience, noise, and the fact that part of the back yard is now being used for the Airbnb. I am trying to determine if this proposal is reasonable.

 

I'm curious what people's experience is with this kind of situation, and what other hosts think of this proposed arrangment?

 

Thanks for your input!

4 Replies 4
Farah1
Level 10
Seattle, WA

@Tomi6 are you the only person on the lease with the landlord, or they are also on the lease?

We are all on the lease, however there is a separate addendum to the lease regarding the Airbnb that is only between myself and the landlord. 

Helen3
Level 10
Bristol, United Kingdom

Was the back yard only fenced off because you want to Airbnb the basement?

 

What sort of installation have you and the landlord thought of to minimise noise for your housemates?

 

My inclinication is to stay yes to your housemates 5% - it keeps your relations good with those who you need on side. Why wouldn't you want to do this? It's a small amount to keep them sweet. And you are inconveniencing them.

 

No to offering guests access to laundry facilities (short term guests don't need them. long term can use local laundry faciliiites).

 

Make sure you have very clear rules on noise (include a quiet time period).

 

Make sure it is crystal clear to your guests that you are the host and other housemates aren't so they need to contact you directly by phone/email rather than knocking on the door, unless there is an emergency.

 

I am sure you have thought of this but what are you going to do if your housemates want to party  or have late night noise - you can't tell them not to, because you are running a commercial enterprise in the basement.

 

 

 

A

The fence was built because of the airbnb, yes, though it is a benefit for the house as well. First off, we have dogs and we don't want the dogs to have to interact with the guests. We also agreed that we didn't want to share the back yard with guests, so the fence provides some privacy from the guests.

 

I do have quiet hours set. I am not sure how to create more of a noise barrier - that could take some major construction (adding insulation to the basement ceiling). I may buy a noise machine for guests to use.

 

The only reason that the request threw me off is because it wasn't part of the original agreement and felt a bit like a "little red hen" thing (fairy tale reference - I can explain if needed). I'm doing the research because I recognize my inclination to refuse may not be the most useful way to deal with it!