Oh, lordy!
Dear Jay-Jay,
My landlord lives close by and I often run into him at our local café or out walking his dog. He comments on things he notices, like visitors' cars in our drive, parcels left on our doorstep and even how long we leave the windows open for! I know it's harmless, but it still makes me uncomfortable. How do I tell him to stop being so nosy without annoying him?
Catherine, Auckland
Kia ora, Catherine!
Sorry, but I just got "creep vibes". I actually had a landlord similar to this a few years back and I felt uncomfortable like you do. Guess what I did? Nothing. I was gutless. But now I have the pleasure of hindsight and it's a lot easier to give advice than take it. Lol.
So here is my advice… Next time you see him, if he makes mention of something he's seen at your place, just jokingly say, "I'm glad you're keeping an eye on the place!" If he comes onto the property, that is against the law. Remind him he needs to give you 48 hours' notice if he wants to inspect the property.
If you don't have the courage to tell him to his face, you could send him an email telling him you appreciate that he has rented the place to you, but you feel uncomfortable knowing your landlord is watching you.
It is not his concern as to how you live in the house unless you are causing damage or disturbance to others. You could also send him a link to your rights and his role as a landlord from the Tenancy Services website. That should keep him at bay!
The upside of him noticing these things around your house is that you have a pretty good neighbourhood watch right there! But remember that if he steps onto the property without notice, he is in breach and you must do something about that. The website tenancy.govt.nz has some great advice.
Good luck, Jay-Jay
A problem shared is a problem halved! Send your sticky situations to Jay-Jay – email wdaynz@aremedia.co.nz.
