please tell me what you think, re: house rules

[smileyeagle1021]

OK, so I'm having roommate issues, I've prepared a 'coming to Jesus' letter for them and would like your input before posting it. Thank you in advance (obviously some formatting has been lost with copy and paste).



Attention
Date: 2 April 2009
To: All Concerned
From: Smiley
Re: House rules


Up until now, I have not really had any set house rules; this is something I have been meaning to do for a while now. For you consideration, here is what I have come up with;
• This should be obvious, but rent must be paid on time, I have expenses that need to be paid whether or not you have. Rocky Mountain Power does not care why I do not have the money; they will still shut off the power if not paid.
• As has been demonstrated many times the bottom lock is useless, please be sure to use the deadbolt. Remember, your belongings are in the condo too. I am assuming that you want your belongings to be safe just as I want my possessions to be safe. The deadbolt helps ensure this, use it.
• As of yet I have not been charging rent and utilities separately. For the most part, I have not seen many blatant abuses of this policy; however, I have seen quite a bit of waste that is starting to strain my ability to include utilities in rent. With that in mind, please do the following;
o Please turn of lights when you leave. Too often, I have come home to find lights on with no one there.
o Please keep the furnace at a reasonable temperature. I am not going to set a firm limit on this, but I think we can agree that 80 degrees is too high.
o Also please do turn down the furnace if you are the last to leave the condo, there is no need to heat empty space.
• I pay all Rent, Utilities, and Maintenance fees separately. What I have passed onto you only covers Rent and Utilities. The fee for the covered parking is included in the Maintenance fees. As it is that right now I am the only one paying towards the upkeep of covered parking, I believe that I should be guaranteed access to said covered parking.
• Marco has been kind enough to clean out the common area. While I admit I have much to improve in this myself, let us try to keep it that way.
If you feel any of these rules is unreasonable please let me know. If it is a minor change that you wish to have made, I will most likely be willing to work with you. If however, it is something major, I will remind you that I do not have any leases and you may end your contract at any time.
Thank you,


Smiley.

[SengaKitty]

-cheers- Keep me informed how it goes... And, might I ask why you're going to spend money on postage instead of leaving it somewhere they can find it? Like, on their chests while they're sleeping?

[smileyeagle1021]

why you're going to spend money on postage instead of leaving it somewhere they can find it?

accounting terms milady...
posting=entering/making official/putting in the records

[Aethian]

Looks good to me.

[One-Fang]

Looks a little fluffy to me. Do you want to be fluffy? Are these 'people' people whose feelings are tender and you don't want to step on them?

Eg the covered parking one... "...I believe...". Grow a pair - "Since I am the only one paying for the parking, I am the only one entitled to that space. Do not park in my space." You're absolutely right about it, be strong, be assertive.

As a letter, fluff and explanation works well, but I would also post a copy in the kitchen or something that is extremely cut down. Maybe three words per dot. Something like:

HOUSE RULES
• Rent must be paid on time.
• Use the deadbolt, not the bottom lock.
• Minimise energy wastage:
o Turn off lights when not using them
o Keep furnace below 80.
o Turn down furnace when leaving.
• The covered park is Smiley's only.
• Keep the common area clean.

[BookstoreEscapee]

What One-Fang said.

Also, you might consider getting a thermostat that automatically adjusts itself. You can set it to lower the temp at night (when everyone is in bed) and/or during the day (if you all have similar schedules and there are regular hours when no one is home). Set it to kick up the heat a bit a little while before everyone gets up/home. I don't know what they run pricewise or what is involved in installing them, but I imagine it would pay for itself in lower bills over time.

[SengaKitty]

I don't know what they run pricewise or what is involved in installing them, but I imagine it would pay for itself in lower bills over time.

They usually run about $30 - $40, if I remember correctly, and yes, they do pay for themselves in lower bills, usually within the first month or so. As for installing them, you might want to ask a maintenance person, or call someone who does HVAC work, as they can be a little tricky.

(My father has his own HVAC company and I worked for/with him for a while before going to job corps)

[draggar]

I bought one of those thermostats a few months ago for $20. It was easy to install (plug in the battery- attach 4 wires) and has probabaly been the best home improvement I've ever made.

[SengaKitty]

Heh, well it looked complicated to me :-p and it was about $30-$40 back in 2005, so yeah, no idea about now... I'd go with what Draggar says

ETA: I also agree with One-Fang. Be direct, and also be firm. I know you know how to be!

[smileyeagle1021]

ETA: I also agree with One-Fang. Be direct, and also be firm. I know you know how to be!

Red, you should know that underneath my soft and gooey exterior... is just more soft goo

[SengaKitty]

-grins- I know you know how to be firm... But I'm talking about personality! Go look at what you did to the customer and the bratty boy "Snow is so gay" C'mon... just pretend they're customers!

[Sliceanddice]

awww but we love ytour hard candy shell smiley not just the creamy nugget

[One-Fang]

Red, you should know that underneath my soft and gooey exterior... is just more soft goo

... and this may be why you are having trouble with house-mates.

[Akasa]

Throw in threat of towing if they park in your spot and be ready to act on it.

[Jester]

OK, so I'm having roommate issues, I've prepared a 'coming to Jesus' letter for them...

If you need a "Come to Jesus" thing, it should be in the form of a meeting, not a letter. I understand you are doing the letter for official reasons, but you should deliver the hard copy of the letter to them in a meeting BUT go over the details in person. And far more firmly than your letter, as has been stated. Taking your copy, I would change it (in the meeting at least) to the following Jesterspeak:

"I am now implementing some house rules.

--Rent must be paid on time. PERIOD.
--Use the deadbolt. Always.
--Stop leaving lights and other things on, turn the furnace down when you leave, and keep the furnace at a reasonable level, or utilities will no longer be included in rent.
--It's my place, therefore it's my covered parking spot. End of story.
--Keep the common area clean of your shit.
--If you have an issue, let me know. I am reasonable, but if this shit doesn't get addressed, I will toss your asses and replace you. None of you have leases!"

Simple. Firm. Direct.

This is not a democracy, this is a dictatorship. It is, after all, YOUR place.

If you need to make your points even more clear, see also my meat cleaver story from my deadbeat roommate thread.....