Referanse: 572362 Dato: 29.01.2025 Svartype: Med merknad ANOTHER FORM OF HOMELESSNESS - The real cost of renting Whilst there is a period of time in one´s life where renting is necessary and even provides a sense of freedom and less responsibility, if it becomes a much longer, undesired season (mostly due to economical limitations to buy one´s own home), it can become a form of homelessness. There is a loss and cost to renting which extends beyond the economical to that of one´s health, one´s identity, one´s community, one´s stability, one´s purpose, one´s creativity and much more. HE WHO HAS EARS LET HIM HEAR I am a single woman who holds permanent residency in Norway and I wish to remain anonymous in this statement. I have lived, worked and paid taxes in Norway for the past 20 plus years. There are a combination of emotional, mental, practical and physical issues I´ve experienced whilst renting for the past 2 decades in Norway as patterns that I would like to address in hope for future changes within the Norwegian Rental Act/Law/Agreement. This statement is long and written from a predominantly emotional standpoint which I hope will also be taking into consideration. I regard myself as honest, law abiding, clean, quiet, hospitable, respectful and honouring. I demonstrate to the best of my ability respect towards the Norwegian culture, land and people. I initiate connection within my neighbourhoods and believe I contribute to a safe and friendly community. Although I do speak/write Norwegian at an acceptable level, I prefer to write this in English as this constant stress of living situations and moving in Norway has affected my cognitive functions, communication skills and concentration. I have taken many days and hours to formulate this text. It has been a somewhat re traumatising experience. I hope once I´ve sent it in I will feel at least the release of finally expressing myself. I realise changes take time but without testimonies, feedback and suggestions these changes would perhaps not even be considered or acted upon. I thank you for hearing my story. This upcoming hearing in the parliamentary government is in fact very timely for me personally as I again face a new and challenging need to move and relocate which again I have not chosen. The traumas of past and present living situations have caused my brain to shut off and body to become paralysed to even be able to physically look for a new home just now. Moreover, there is the steep increase in rental prices which as a person now ´uført´ disabled struggle to afford. With each move, and with next to no, limited or costly assistance I often need to give away or try to sell in a short timeframe many of my belongings which causes both an economical loss and emotional sadness. I have had to do this for various reasons previously, one being so as to afford higher rental prices or to avoid high costs of removalists (Flyttebyrå) and /or storage units and/or because the next place I move to may also be partly or fully furnished or smaller and I can not take my furniture suited to my needs with me. I have rented more than 15 places in 20 years. Some of these have been in a single home dwelling whereby I rented a section of the landlord/ owners home with my own entrance and living quarters. Some of them have been in a shared home living situation known as ¨kollektiv¨ with flatmates (whom I did not know upon moving in) in an apartment dwelling. Landlords lived in a separate dwelling. These are the patterns I have repeatedly noticed. Few if any landlords have read/familiarised themselves with the Norwegian Rental Law and are therefore not updated on both their and the tenants rights. They often take it upon themselves to assume and demonstrate often strongly by forceful words and actions that they are the dominating party and make all the decisions/demands without collaboration or consideration of and with the tenant. Afterall, as I´ve been told repeatedly IT´S THEIR HOME. This creates fear and intimidation for the tenant and a sense of not being welcome or at home. I have spent more hours inside a home than I would like to have being too frightened to leave my room/apartment and meet my landlord on the path. I learnt to schedule my day around theirs so as I was safe to come and go from my dwelling without fear or intimation. There are often NO ANIMALS allowed in homes where owners themselves own animals. I understand there could be a conflict between different types of animals but it also seems one sided and hypocritical and I´ve seen they also have friends and family members visit or stay with pets/ animals and not once been asked if I have allergies or fears to their animals. People living alone for the most part would benefit mentally and emotionally from having a friendly, safe animal as a companion approved by the landlord and I would like this to be something everyone recognises and considers thoughtfully going forward. Some landlords even list the rental as including occassional babysitting, animal feeding and watering of plants whilst they are away as well as removing snow. I have felt manipulated during interviews that this would be nice if I did this and I felt if I said no I would not have been selected to have a home. I have often answered that it depends on my availability and capacity at the time and have been treated poorly when their vacation time arrived and I´ve said no or I can only do a few days or max a week. There seems to be a hidden agenda at times to not only receive a tax free income but a part time employee who is not paid for their services. I think its a healthy expectation to have a yearly or half yearly inspection and meeting between landlord and tenant which i think is in the current law so as everything from miscommunication, unfair behaviour, things needing to be fixed and updated and miscellaneous are addressed. I have kept my home in military order and cleanliness waiting for this ´innkalling´call to a meeting which has never taken place in any of those 15 plus agreements. It seems when I have had the need and desire to be trained in using some part of the home or an appliance they have been too busy or unavailable. Being a foreigner without family or friends to help leaves me in need of their assistance at times. My current physical situation also leaves me vulnerable. I have never been shown how to use a fire extinguisher, alarms or even been asked where it would be best to park and store my electric mobility scooter to help me in my daily life. Handicap facilities could also be helpful in future building plans. It is like we move in and are ignored until we move out and are only addressed if we point things out. Bod /storage areas have often been full of the home owners private belongings and entrances mostly windows have been inaccessible in case of fire or ambulance from the outside sometimes inside too with heavy furnitures. Also cars and boats have been parked in front of windows restricting light and view and can cause claustrophobia. It is ideal that the bod within the rentals space be for them as I have had to be very available for letting landlords regularly in when they need their private belongings. When I have kindly and gently asked for any changes it has always come at a cost to my health and not without irritation from their side. I suggest all landlords need to supply proof of inspection by a construction company in their advertisement and be given a licence of approval of the standard before renting out. I have often had poor if not no heating and very little windows for natural light. Moisture has often been an issue and I have experienced mould, rats and spiders in my places. There needs to be some kind of pre approved mandatory inspections landlords must pay for prior to being able to rent out tax free luxury extra income. Its also necessary a tenant receives a list of inventory in the apartment upon moving in whereby all items they rent out inside the home are listed with any defects and/or markings so as this is not charged from the deposit account upon exiting the rental agreement and home. Proof of contents with both parties agreeing and signing on the condition and age of the appliance upon moving in I recommend. Photos too if necessary. This has never been done and down the track it is difficult to prove what damage is done from before moving in or after. I have never been shown how to use appliances so a brief training of how to use the home and wash it (floors etc) preferred by the landlord should be instructed. I have experienced 2 times a male landlord entering into my home with an extra key they kept for themselves in order to check or fix something. The first time was when I was at work and saw when I got home someone/they had been in my apartment, the other was when I was home and in the bathroom without any prior agreement or arrangement with me. I heard 1 single knock and then within 3 seconds I heard my door opening and someone entering. I believe there was an sms sent to me at the time of the knock as if to verify they had warned me. But there was no consent on my behalf and I did not read that sms until later. The first time was just disrespectul and illegal but the second time was also traumatising. Mostly because he ran out when I yelled I´m in the bathroom and when I confronted him he abused me verbally yelling so loud that it was HIS HOUSE. I was never apologised to and it was as if he was unaware or just ignorant to the fact that this is both illegal and a breach of privacy. Any other person breaking into someones home unless there was danger like a fire would be arrested. I approached him and other landlords after this one with the paragraph in the rental law about keys belonging to the tenant only and given only to a landlord with the consent of the tenant to which I have been ignored, bullied and later told they werent renting out anymore and I therefore had to move out. Confronting landlords respectfully to uphold the law has in several instances left me punished, verbally and emotionally abused and informed my contract was to be terminated, therefore HOMELESS. This leads me to my next point where I´ve experienced time and time again that landlords send an sms with NO REASON when they want to terminate a contract just saying they arent renting out anymore. I was never given a written reason which I understand is the law. Or in the situation I´m currently in whereby I have waited 1.5 years for an initial contract asking up to 3 times with witnesses aware I did so and encouraged me to ask them for one that an sms was sent that the contract was ready only to learn that it in fact it was a termination with no reason. I have since learnt after asking them the reason that they need to fix a structural defect in the foundation of the home and to then use it for casual family visits however it was done in such a way without apology for no contract that its taken months of stressful meetings with them guided by legal bodies like the norwegian consumer council, rental disputes and such to educate arrogant and powerful landlords of how they should do things correctly. The months I could have used packing or looking for a new home Ive used getting an initial correct contract then a written termination on grounds of constructual renovations needed. I used almost 1 month preparing researching and leading meetings to my landlord so as everything was done in an honest law abiding manner. I have experienced ´møblert´or ´fully møblert´ to at times mean babysitting their junk in most if not all the storage/furniture they provide and none of it to be empty and of use for the tenant. I have had to then pay extra rent in storage units because the cupboards in the apartment were full of their belongings and I also felt frightened to use any of the things. I recommend all apartments be emptied of all personal things including art and decorations and that if a tenant does not find a bed or another piece of furniture suitable that it need to be the landlords responsibility to remove it and store it elsewhere and at their own cost. A bed especially a mattress should be allowed to be chosen by the user.I also think its important a tenant be allowed to make a temporary home styling it to their taste and preferences. Personally I would like Norwegians to have to pay some kind of taxes on rentals and/or use some money per year to fix or make things fresh and renewed from time to time. They certainly use alot of rental income to renovate their own homes. I lived in a place for 7 years once and a sofa I asked politely if it could be removed as I wanted to buy a more suitable one and it was agreed upon that they would store never got removed for 7 years. I then had in 25 kvm 1 room home a sofa standing up sideways in my entrance to my bathroom. With regard to noise being made in the form of building and renovating this needs to be done within the law daily time frame so not at midnight and Saturday nights for eg. and warnings and requests/agreements need to be given in advance and agreed upon. I have often been told or asked on the day 5 minutes before the next project begins with no real intention of them accepting a NO. I was once asked what time that day it suited me for them to bang hammers for many hours. I had been ill and needed to rest. I could also have had invited guests but I said it didnt suit that day as I was unwell and I was yelled at told it was their home and so i had to get in my electri wheelchair scooter with no access to toilet or food for many hours and drive around in the cold outside. I know I could call husleietvistutvalget but you know to be completelty honest, these legal aid organisations may give us tools to confront conflict but its living in a home where one feels constantly undermined and ruled over that is the issue needed to be addressed. I see many advertisements on finn not wanting people using NAV only to find out that many wives of the landlords home is also on NAV or ufør but this is never mentioned in interviews. I think its necessary references are provided by both parties, that there is transparancy and equality on all levels and even police attests. I think its also important tenants have their own electricty measure /mål so we know what we are being charged for. I was told in 1 place I used the most electricity. I lived alone and they were a family. I washed my clothes 1 time per week and the dishes in the machine up to 3. I lived almost with no lights turned on or heating all winter. Just battery lights. I asked politely for a reading of my useage and I was terminated and again HOMELESS. They had 2 hybels and the other lady was almost never home, she worked then ate often at her parents. She got home late and she also was told he was going to increase her rent 2000 NOK per month to which I again started researcing was illegal as 1. a tenant needs to be given 6 months notice before increasing the rental price and it must be 2 in accordance with some index as a percentage. She had a contract that did not include electricity. Mine did so when he confronted me when electricity prices suddenly soared in Norway he couldnt raise the price due to electricity useage so he blamed me for alot of useage which was incorrect then threw me out. I have story after story of criminal behaviour renting in Norway a country I love and moved to free will. I have lived in kollektiv with strangers and learnt some are on drugs, have knives, have criminal records etc and all of this needs to be investigated. Im willing to be contacted for more input if required. I will fight for safe and secure dwellings - peaceful resting places to live in for human beings. I think my next point is emphasizing the need for clear communication and boundaries fro the beginning between all parties and establishing a style of communicating preferred. I started getting anxiety and hated to have a phone which i need for health and other reasons because I would get sms after sms of landlords needs to enter their bod in my apartment. I ended up having to tell them send email and i read between kl10 and kl20. if i havent replied there is probably a good reason and to be patient. I now finally can use my phone again with less anxiety. Inclusion in a neighbourhood is also important. That rental people also get invited to street gatherings such as summer party etc and are informed of all electricty and water outages at the same time as house owners. That people renting will be valued as much as home owners as integral parts of a community. I really think there will be things I have forgotten and if you are still reading this congratulations. You let me have a voice. I know it would have been easier to just put 10 points with 1 sentence to address but I felt this was an opportunity to heal so I kept writing. All the best. May all have safe and restful dwelling places here on earth. Kommunal- og distriktsdepartementet Til høringen Til toppen <div class="page-survey" data-page-survey="133" data-page-survey-api="/api/survey/SubmitPageSurveyAnswer" data-text-hidden-title="Tilbakemeldingsskjema" data-text-question="Fant du det du lette etter?"
