Dear Harlan,

I was supposed to move in to a house with a couple of friends of mine. The house is owned by one of the roommate's father. At first it seemed great. My future roommate's dad (the landlord) said I had a whole month to move in before I had to pay rent or utilities. Then, one Sunday, he came in and said there's going to be a new rule. He's coming every morning at 6:30 to check to see if the house is clean. If we mess up once, he'll put the house on the market. Then I find out there's a curfew - no boys allowed after midnight. After that, I find out that he randomly pops in to check on the house and stuff without letting anyone know. I wrote to him telling him that this is unacceptable, at least to me, because I am of legal age and expect to be treated with respect and as an adult. He wrote back he was keeping the rules because the other tenants had been messy, and I was free to move out. I absolutely will, but I was wondering if there were any options for his daughter to pursue. She is paying all of her tuition on her own, and it is very expensive; therefore, she feels that she cannot pay rent, so she has to stay in the house. Is there an advocate or a mediator she can have talk to her father, and help all the tenants through their problems? If you were in her situation, what would you do?

Moving Out

Dear Moving Out,

Creeeeepy! No dad should think that he can just pop in on four college coeds living in his house. Glad you're moving out! As for your friend's problem, she's not a tenant - just living in her dad's house. As her friend, encourage her to get a job as a resident assistant and live on campus. I'd also look into getting a student loan and out of this house. If there is a lease in force, suggest she contact the legal services on campus. If you and your friends had a lease in force, see if you can take action or recoup moving costs. Yep, creepy!