A UK renter was shocked after receiving a text message from his landlord demanding payment for allowing his girlfriend to stay overnight.
“I would like to inform you about bringing a friend to stay overnight,” the landlord, identified as Nat, wrote in a message shared online.
She continued by explaining that while it was “okay” for the tenant to have guests, there would be a charge of £20 (AU$40) per night.
“You are welcome for everyone to bring a friend to stay overnight, but it will be a fee to pay £20/night,” she said.
Nat elaborated that the fee was divided between “£10 [for] electricity and gas” and another £10 “for maintenance.”
The renter, who had moved in only two weeks earlier under a six-month lease, posted a screenshot of the text to a Reddit rental forum asking for advice. Many questioned how the landlord had even known about the guest’s visit.
The tenant admitted he was also puzzled, noting that neither he nor his girlfriend had seen the landlady that day, but acknowledged there were “security cameras” around the house.
That revelation prompted strong reactions online, with users calling the cameras and fee “creepy” and “a major red flag.”
Many commenters, familiar with UK tenancy laws, said the charge was baseless and unenforceable.
“Even the renter himself agreed that the fee appeared to be baseless, explaining that he had re-checked the agreement and saw no clauses relating to fees charged for overnight guests,” one comment summarised.
Others ridiculed the justification for the £20 charge.
“Nothing but pure greed,” one person wrote.
“How could one person use £10 worth of electricity/gas and cause £10 of maintenance needs in a single night?”
Another quipped, “The ‘friend’ you are bringing over must really be blasting the A/C and cooking meals for the whole block for a 20-pound-a-night charge.”
Several users urged the tenant to report the matter to local authorities.
“In the UK, the short answer is that a landlord generally cannot charge you for having guests,” one commenter said.
“If it’s not in the lease then it doesn’t exist and there’s no legal way for them to force you to pay it,” another added.
Images: Shutterstock
