Lilly25 Posted May 26, 2019 Share Posted May 26, 2019 My husband and I and our 2 kids have been renting to own a shared house with a family member for 3 years. Every month we pay a large fixed sum of rent for the lower level of the house which includes its own living space, kitchen, bathroom, laundry, and bedrooms. The family member we rent from lives upper level with their own separate space. We maintain the back deck and mow the back yard and most of the time they maintain the front and mow the front yard though my husband and I have done some landscaping and mowing there as well. The said family member planned to only live with us for a year before selling and moving into a smaller home out of the country, but the family memwber has stayed due to their own financial hardship. The upstairs has had water leaks that have greatly effected us down stairs. The water leak from an upstairs refrigerator completely destroyed the living room ceiling and dry wall. We are somehow on our own to get it fixed even though we pay a large amount of rent to this family member and the leak had absolutely nothing to do with us. Aside from this, there are no other places in our town big enough for our family size to rent that allow pets. We have no place to go and we have poured so much money into rent were we are under the impression that we would be able to buy the home and property. Also facing the issue of everytime the said persons favorite daughter and her family come into town from 4 hours away, we are expected to drop our plans and my husband is ALWAYS expected to be the one to cook for EVERYONE. We never know when it’s going to be and though it’s not often, every time I just have to decide if I want to zone out on antianxiety medicine or join the fun begrudgingly. I just really hate feeling trapped with boundaryless people. Link to post Share on other sites
Mr. Lucky Posted May 27, 2019 Share Posted May 27, 2019 we are under the impression that we would be able to buy the home and property It's unclear from your post who the current owner of the house is? And assuming you'd pay fair market value (if it would be for sale, also unclear), why wouldn't they sell it to you? One possible hang-up would be an assumption by you that your rent constitutes some sort of down payment or investment in the house. Unless clearly spelled out in your lease (assuming you have one), not normally the case... Mr. Lucky 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Miss Clavel Posted May 28, 2019 Share Posted May 28, 2019 ya, you better have the "rent to own" clearly spelled out in a legal document. the next tine anyone comes to visit the man upstairs, follow them up and get to the bottom of the "leak". it HAS GOT TO BE FIXED. you will soon have black mold and the place could be condemned. get going. get that leak fixed, pronto. long term repeatedly breathing black mold can be fatal. if the house is condemned you can't buy it and i'm pretty sure the upstairs "owner" ain't gonna give you a refund, esp without proof. get all your receipts and documents in order before they get wet. good luck Link to post Share on other sites
d0nnivain Posted May 28, 2019 Share Posted May 28, 2019 If you don't have this rent to own agreement clearly spelled out in writing approved by lawyers, it's time to get a document in place spelling everything out. When the cousins come into town, simply say you are busy. Do find some time to visit with them but not every meal. Link to post Share on other sites
Gaeta Posted June 1, 2019 Share Posted June 1, 2019 Most rent to own agreement you only become owner after having paid 50% of it..in your case depends what's in your contract. If you are in the 'owner' part of your contract then call your insurance and let your insurance company claim the repair to your upstairs family's insurance. If you are in the 'tenant' part of your contract then I beleive if you are in the US you have the Fair Housing Act to protect you, contact them. Link to post Share on other sites
anika99 Posted June 1, 2019 Share Posted June 1, 2019 Agree with everyone else. If this is a rent to own situation then you need legal documents spelling out the terms of that agreement, otherwise you are just a renter. Whomever owns the house right now is responsible for fixing water damage and faulty appliances. As for your husband cooking for visitors, well that's just dumb. Nobody can force him to cook. Tell him to stop being a doormat. You say your family members upstairs lack boundaries but actually it's you and your husband's responsiblity to establish and enforce your own boundaries. Link to post Share on other sites
Rockdad Posted June 3, 2019 Share Posted June 3, 2019 (edited) Whomever owns the house right now is responsible for fixing water damage and faulty appliances. Not necessarily. Here in the States it's common in some rent to own agreements that all maintenance and upgrades is the purchasers responsibility. My company works for a couple property owners that have made large money in the rent to own market. Here's how it works, the owner has a property that is rented out and bare no maintenance cost. Should the rent to buy person falls behind or has a situation arise and needs to default the original property owner gets the house back and then repeats the process. This is a particularly attractive method for Trailer Home Park owners in my area. Edited June 3, 2019 by Rockdad Link to post Share on other sites
Recommended Posts