Living with landlords
I hate living with landlords. Now, this isn’t an entry bashing all landlords. In fact, I am sure that y’all are great people to know as friends, but I can’t stand sharing a house with the landlord living there at the same time. I am also not trying to make landlords seem like the ‘bad guys’; maybe I’m the douchebag, making their lives a living hell. Main point is, from the two instances where I was living in the same house as my landlords, I realized these living arrangements are not for me, at least as a student. Here are my reasons why:
- Obligations as a tenant are further reinforced.
I sound like an irresponsible bum when I say this, I know. But when you live with the landlord, who most likely finished school already, not only are you expected to clean dishes, rooms. etc, there is much more pressure to do so with the landlord using the same facilities and the same dishes/cutlery. As a student, there are days where I am too stressed juggling schoolwork and a part-time job. Bending your responsibilities is much harder especially when it feels like your landlord is always watching. The last thing I want to be thinking about is cleaning to make sure the landlord is satisfied. But I also don’t want to be homeless. Needless to say, I should follow through with my responsibilities, and I do feel bad when I don’t meet someone’s expectations.
2. The relationship dynamic is weirder and awkward.
It could be just me, but I find it difficult to build a good, purely friendly relationship with someone if they are reminding you to clean dishes, to pay the rent and for other shared items. This won’t be the last time this will happen, so it’s probably on me to learn how to deal with this. I wish I can see a friend in them, but all I see is pending rent, failed responsibilities, and the passive-aggressiveness that follows.
“…Ha, ha, ha! Sounds like you had a great time!”
“I definitely did…By the way, you have left your dishes there for a week, please do them”
Not to mention there can be really awkward times occasionally. Do I mind my own business, completely ignoring the landlord; or know everything there is to know about this person, and try to become his/her best friend? I find it difficult to find a good balance.
3. Speaking of Awkward…
Awkward moments between roommates can be cringeworthy, but sharing these moments with your landlord is a little too much for me. One time, in a house in Kitchener, I left my wet laundry in the washing machine for a while. Before I had the chance to take my wet laundry and hang them up myself (yes, I said ‘hang them up’, since my last landlord said that using the dryer would break it), my landlord took all my clothes and hung them up himself. This also includes my underwear and bras. Yes, I said HIMself. It made me feel very uncomfortable with him doing this, and I told him just that. However, I do acknowledge that it was my fault for not taking out my wet clothes of the washer on time so other people can use it.
4. You can’t truly be yourself at home
Your home (temporary, if you’re a student in Waterloo living off-campus) should be your safe haven, where you are comfortable to be yourself. In my case, I want to be able to eat lettuce with ketchup whenever I want, sing out loud to cheesy Disney songs, and do other stupid things. With roommates around the same age, I find it easier to get comfortable around them, with older landlords, it doesn’t seem like the wisest idea. If I have to restrain myself from any of these things around my landlord, I won’t be enjoying myself for the rest of the term.
