Landlord Wants Higher Rent After Learning I Work From Home – Is This Even Legal?
When I moved into my flat 11 months ago, I was working full time in a local hair salon. In my spare hours I wrote a small blog, just for fun.
The blog unexpectedly took off and within a year it is now making enough money for me to leave the salon and focus on it full time. I can work from anywhere, sometimes from the flat, sometimes from cafés, parks, or even the beach. No clients ever visit the property.
My landlord recently found out about my blog’s success and sent me a string of text messages demanding either higher rent or a percentage of my earnings. I’ve always been a reliable tenant, paid my rent on time, looked after the flat, and never had a single complaint from neighbours.
Here’s how the conversation went:
Landlord: Hi. Heard you quit the salon. The blog’s your job now?
Me: Yeah, it’s been going well
Me: Why?
Landlord: Means you’re running a business from my flat. Rent needs to go up
Me: I’m not running a business from here. I just live here
Me: I write anywhere, cafés, beach, park, wherever I feel like
Me: No clients come here
Landlord: Yes but it still counts. It’s business use. Extra wear and tear
Me: What do you mean, I still just live here
Me: I’ve always paid rent on time. Never had complaints from neighbours.
Me: I look after this place better than most people would
Landlord: Yes true, but you are at home a lot more now. You work from home, you should pay more or give me a cut of your profits
Me: Are you serious or deluded?!!!
Me: Living here doesn’t make me more money
Landlord: Ok I’ll find someone who goes to work every day.
Me: So you’re kicking me out for doing well?
Landlord: I’m saying agree new terms or I’ll serve notice.
I honestly feel like I’m being punished for doing well. I’ve paid my rent on time every single month. I’ve looked after this place better than most owners look after their own homes. Never a single complaint.
And now, because my blog’s taken off, my landlord thinks I should hand over more money, or even a cut of my profits. For what? Just for living here?
What about all my friends who’ve been working from home since Covid? Still on the same salaries, doing the same jobs, barely go into the office. Their landlords aren’t chasing them for more rent.
Is it just because I’m visible online that I’m an easy target?
Is this even legal? Does working from home magically turn your flat into “business use”? And if it does, does that mean every remote worker in the country should be paying more?
Honestly, I’d love to hear what other tenants think, and landlords too. Is this fair game or just greedy?
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Member Since January 2011 - Comments: 12193 - Articles: 1395
8:54 AM, 15th August 2025, About 8 months ago
Reply to the comment left by NewYorkie at 15/08/2025 – 08:46
I completely agree. We created Property118 to facilitate the sharing of best practice, but sometimes that means calling out stupidity too. That’s why I decided to post this.
I have to say that I’m very proud of many of our members comments.
In this instance there may well have been a good reason to increase rent at the end of the 12 months, but working from home is a terrible excuse and the communication skills of this landlord were pitiful.
So long as the landlord uses the correct procedure to increase the rent, no reason is needed. If the Tenant is unhappy they can apply to the tribunal for the rent to be assessed.
Member Since August 2017 - Comments: 149
1:08 PM, 15th August 2025, About 8 months ago
Dear blogger
I’m very sorry to hear about your experience and I’ve no reason to doubt the veracity of your comments. I don’t think many landlords on this site would raise doubts about a story from another landlord in the way they have with you.
Your landlord is unreasonable and unpleasant. If you can find better value accommodation elsewhere, leave and show him your power as a consumer to make a choice.
I see my tenants as my customers and always try to be as flexible as possible. It wouldn’t cross my mind to charge more for someone working from home in the way you are.
Maybe this is why I have a successful business often with returning tenants. It pays to treat your customers well.
Member Since May 2022 - Comments: 108
9:36 AM, 16th August 2025, About 8 months ago
Reply to the comment left by Ian Cognito at 14/08/2025 – 10:34
That’s a little unkind thing to say???
Member Since May 2022 - Comments: 108
9:37 AM, 16th August 2025, About 8 months ago
That’s a little unkind thing to say??? Re Ian’s comment about “Cider”
Member Since April 2024 - Comments: 8
11:02 AM, 16th August 2025, About 8 months ago
Sorry to be a party pooper but is you working from home even legal? Is it a leasehold flat? Have you seen the lease? I expect not because why would you. You’re a tenant and the lease is a legal agreement between the landlord and the freeholder, many of which do not allow for the premises to be used as a place of business so unless your business has a separate business address you are positioning the landlord in beach of his lease conditions which, unfortunately for you equals eviction
Member Since January 2011 - Comments: 12193 - Articles: 1395
11:16 AM, 16th August 2025, About 8 months ago
Reply to the comment left by John Grefe at 16/08/2025 – 09:37
I think it was a joke. He calls himself “Cider Drinker”
Member Since July 2013 - Comments: 754
12:46 PM, 16th August 2025, About 8 months ago
Reply to the comment left by Elo at 16/08/2025 – 11:02
Hardly relevant – the featured LL wanted more rent, rather then compliance with the headlease terms, if there is a headlease.
Member Since June 2021 - Comments: 51
6:03 PM, 16th August 2025, About 8 months ago
Reply to the comment left by Disgrunteld Landlady at 15/08/2025 – 03:56
The debt is passed to debt collection companies. If the first company can not recover the money, it gets passed to a second company, and then a third! Because the debt is against the company, they keep going to the companies address.
Member Since December 2013 - Comments: 179
12:35 AM, 17th August 2025, About 8 months ago
Sorry. Just cannot for a single minute see this as being a genuine story. And if by chance it is, then my sympathy is there, but there are more than enough tenants rights forums for it to appear and plenty of representation is available without it appearing here. I pay my 118 subscriptions to assist the demonised and downtrodden landlords.
Member Since July 2023 - Comments: 12
9:10 AM, 17th August 2025, About 8 months ago
Your landlords name isn’t R. Reeves is it??? Sounds exactly what Labour are doing to the rest of the hard working people of this country!!! Shame on that landlord!