Do you feel like you have any privacy if LL's live on site? (apartments, tenants)

[Me 82]

I don't. This is the second place I have rented in a two family home where the landlord's live upstairs. First time around was a very nice, yet nosey, cheap couple, who for the first year would randomly ring my bell when there were no emergencies or calls for repairs at all hours on the weekend. I would just not answer the door and after a year, they got the hint. I used to see the wife peeking from her window and once when my mother was over and I ran out for a minute, the wife actually came up to my door, put her face against the glass and my mother screamed out hi and waved back. Guess she sorta felt stupid.
Late at night, if someone in their house went to the bathroom, I could actually hear them peeing. After my husband and I got married, we couldn't wait to leave bc from one room we could hear their word for word convos through the vents, so I could imagine they could hear us too, or our bickering lol.

Fast forward to our current place, while the walls aren't as thin, if someone talks loud enough or yells, you can still here it. And at night, I can hear them peeing as well. I hate that there is someone always knowing our coming and goings. I also feel really bad since our toddler who has sleep issues, I KNOW, has woken our new landlords up and caused them to sleep in the living room. We've apologized many times about it and they have always been understanding. They don't walk though, they stomp over my head all day, so you know when they are moving to room to room.

I'm not a fan of apartment buildings personally, and in our area, there are only maybe 5-6 in a 15 mile radius and most are in neighborhoods we aren't interested in living in. Any apartment we ever went to look at, with the exception of one, all were in private home and had landlords who lived in the same house

Anyway, I hate feeling like we have 0 privacy and can't wait until we own our own home, hopefully DETACHED lol, home. What about everyone else?

[sware2cod]

FYI...you can live in a single family home without waiting to be a home owner. You can rent a home.

[MrRational]

Originally Posted by Me 82

This is the second place I have rented in a two family home where the landlord's live upstairs.

Patient: Hey Doc! It hurts when I do this.
Doctor: Then don't do that!

As said... you can rent a house too.

[Me 82]

No really? There is a reason we are not renting a house. We pay a mortage payment already to live here and don't plan on paying double that to live in a house, which is what is would cost in our area.

[karen_in_nh_2012]

Originally Posted by Me 82

No really? There is a reason we are not renting a house. We pay a mortage payment already to live here and don't plan on paying double that to live in a house, which is what is would cost in our area.

Um ... so if there is nothing you can do, not sure what your question is? Or were you just venting? (No problem with that, but it sounded like you wanted some advice, then when you got it, you got a little sarcastic.)

[beth98]

Two rentals ago, my landlords daughter and bf lived below me. There are a few advantages, but mostly it was nothing but a pain. Of course, it might have just been that she was a pain and knew nothing about being a landlord and her father was trying to have her handle everything.

The snow got cleared off the walk right away, where as my current place I have to wait until my landlord snow plows his place and then drives to mine to plow. Also, there is no way for the landlord avoid you if you have a repair.

I didn't feel like I lacked privacy, but I definitely felt the need to establish more boundaries, like don't knock and ask to come in, notify me by email as outlined in the lease. I would prefer an offsite landlord, but all take a good landlord (on site or off) over a crappy one no matter what.

If you can hear your neighbors conversations and them pee, I'd say you have thin walls. That would annoy me more than the landlord being onsite. I can hear my neighbors TV (he plays video games a lot) and can sometime here talking, but I can't make out words and I certainly can't hear anyone pee. That would be a deal breaker for me.

[auntieannie68]

living in the same place as the landlord is always a problem especially when the child is more mobile---my advice--keep looking for a single house--this will take awhile(have the same too expensive problem)---as to apt buildings---if you are in pa check their bedbug status---the complexes here seem to have constant bedbug issues

[Sally_Sparrow]

I will choose a somewhat crappy rental if there is no landlord or manager on site over the alternative. I always chuckle when I see ads for rentals where they mention "Management lives on-site" as if it is a bonus or a benefit. LOL, maybe for some but not for ME!

In fact, I am hunting for a place right now and there is one set of apartments, duplex/townhome style, no pool or fitness center or any of that and in a less than pretty area, and I am considering it OVER the fancier/prettier apartments with management on site and a pool and so forth because I want to be left alone. That is my biggest desire in renting.. to be left alone!

That may sound extreme, but I have dealt with some certifiably insane landlords so I am gun shy I guess. The worst offender didn't even live on-site but she lived in town and had nothing to do all day but drive to and from her various rentals scattered through the city, harassing tenants. I even had to call the cops on her...twice! Ugh.

I feel like renting is a crapshoot and you never know what you'll end up with as far as landlords. I wish there were private landlord "rating sites" like the apartment sites!