Just moved into a new place... renting a single room with three other guys each renting their own rooms. Ive been here a month; they've been here for significantly longer.
The landlord spends far too much time here. She doesnt live here. She isnt working on anything, she isnt doing paperwork regarding the property or tenants, not doing maintenance, etc. In fact, all she does is yoga, read, takes up space. She consumers utilities - which she doesnt contribute paying to.
She rigidly dictates the common areas, furniture, storage, etc; we've basically been exiled to the bedrooms. We cant even cook in the kitchen because she's always using the oven and stove at the most inopportune times of day, yet is willing to criticize us for our microwave and canned food diets we've been forced into.
And she comes over 3 or 4 days out of the week, for 6+ hours a day. Just loitering. In a place Im paying her rent to have access to, to make my home. I wonder if she'd do this if we four tenants were a single party and family of four renting the house.
Cant bring guests over because either she'd be in their faces in the living room (which Ive never been able to make my space and wouldnt feel comfortable in anyway), or she'd be spying on me outside my bedroom door "cleaning" and hounding me about overnight guests.
I know she technically owns the place.. but this is uncomfortable. And I feel like Im paying way, way too much in rent for what Im getting. No real house space. She wont let us use the empty garage for storage. She has keys to all of our bedrooms which Id be more or less fine with if she werent always here looking over my shoulder. I dont trust her to respect the sanctity of my bedroom, ie my privacy while Im away. Its like she doesnt trust her own tenants.
Is there anything I can do? Id be willing to breach my rental contract even and argue these points in court if I had to. How do I approach someone about this disturbing behavior? I feel like the landlord has breached contract by treating us this way, depriving us of the basic amenities that comes with renting a home, consuming resources without contributing to the bills, etc.