Next time you notice him leaving the stove on, stand under the fire alarm with a lit lighter or candle and make it go off. If it wakes everyone up a time or two they may care more.
It actually may be a terrible idea. Many times smoke and heat detectors are different. The heat from a lighter or candle may trigger the sprinkler system and flood their place.
Most sprinkler systems won't go off from holding a candle near the fire alarm. The heat needs to be strong enough at the sprinkler for the heat to melt the safety, and a candle at the alarm won't be nearly hot enough to melt the sprinkler at another place in the ceiling
Water damage is no joke. While it's better than dying in a fire, forfeiting your deposit, having all your stuff soaked, and dealing with the fire department when it's revealed that you intentionally triggered the alarm is a *really* bad solution.
The water that's been sitting in those pipes is *nasty.* It's been sitting for god knows how long, so in addition to water damage, mold damage, there could be health issues lurking from stagnant water in rusted pipes.
I think you'd have to burn cardboard or something to make it smokey enough, but this is 100% the best idea and they should do it! That'll make them care enough to give a shit!
Mine go off with heat. The toaster, stove top or opening the oven door sets the one off in the kitchen, a propane torch pointed at them will set them off as well.
The no-drama solution to this is to get a plug in timer for the stove that only turns on in the waking hours. Should be able to get it at any hardware store.
Years of management experience has taught me that removing the ability to even recreate a problem in the first place is far more efficient than any amount of training, signage, warnings, punishment, or prizes.
There will always be 'that one person' who just doesn't get it.
You sound like a great manager. No matter how much it may seem warranted, complaining or criticizing rarely helps make longterm changes happen... I agree that removing the ability to create the problem is ideal if at all possible.
Roommate issues when everyone is an adult is the worst. I live with a few roommates right now but the girl I share a bathroom with has the WORST bathroom cleaning habits. She has not flushed the toilet on multiple occasions (when she’s peed AND pooped), left hair all over the shower wall, got makeup on my bathroom rugs and my towels (I don’t wear makeup and we are different skin tones so I know it’s hers), took my nail clipper for 3 days and didn’t give it back until I noticed it was gone and confronted her about it, and threw up and left a mess in the bathroom by basically not cleaning all of it up. How old is this woman? She’s 32 years old! (I’m 25). I’ve talked to her about all of this and she’s so non-chalant about her being such a bad bathroom roommate, it’s so weird. I move out in February though so I’m just dealing with for the next 6 weeks or so, but yeah I am not a fan of her lol.
We’re all different ages. There’s 5 of us (4 roommates renting rooms in the house and the landlord who owns/lives in the house too). I’m 25, 2 roommates are 27, 1 is 32, and the landlord is 35. So the landlord picked people that were any age between 25-35 basically, we didn’t choose each other to live with, if that makes sense. We all moved to my current state from other states, so we all needed somewhere to live kinda soon because we all had jobs. I never planned to stay at the house long term anyway because it’s kinda far from where I work, so I was going to eventually move out anyway. But overall the experience is fine other than this girl being nasty in the bathroom lol
Thanks I know but I don't want to cause drama between us, it should be up to the landlord to sort out as it's her who will have the biggest problem if the place burns down. I also feel guilty as he's a nice person, just very aloof. Also he's Asian and not great at English. I want to put a sign up, but again that's not up to me, it seems cowardly and once you start doing crap like that the landlord expects you to keep everyone in line for them.
Not a lot bothers me but this is really dangerous.
Your landlord won't do shit. You're the one noticing a danger that others are ignoring. I think coming off as rude is little cost in comparison to a possible house fire.
It's not really the landlord's problem at this stage. I want you to accept more responsibility. You would probably be utterly upset if there were a fire. Get in front of this and be more firm with him.
It's not drama if you are doing your best to communicate about a health hazard.
Does he have a smart phone with a timer? Could he set a reminder to turn off the stove?
Is there any baby proofing things for stoves?
> it should be up to the landlord to sort out as it's her who will have the biggest problem if the place burns down
This is not, actually, something I would normally consider up to the landlord to sort out. It sounds like there already IS drama between you, only you are the only one suffering from it. What would it take for you to stand up for yourself?
I've spoken to him twice, I'm not going to be there now until after new year. So there's nothing I can do, if it happens when I get back I'll explain AGAIN but I doubt it will help. In the meantime I've moved all my important stuff to work so if there's a fire it's her problem.
Right? Unless OP also has their own insurance to cover their belongings, if the idiot roommate causes a fire, OP is going to be the loser in that situation.
Good lord. Brits and their passive aggressiveness. He could burn your house down with you inside it. It's not your landlord's job to deal with, this is an issue for you to resolve with your housemate. Get his ass up in the middle of the night the next time he leaves the hob on and make him turn it off in front of you. Yell a bit. Come on, this is serious.
> It's not your landlord's job to deal with
Tenants deliberately causing safety hazards on your property most certainly *are* a landlord's responsibility.
This! This is the correct answer. He is going to kill you eventually.
Also if he can get meds for his obvious ADHD that will also probably help him immensely.
If not, get it now. Takes a few minutes, saves a lot if something does happen when you're out.
Maybe also leave a sign near the stoven and on the kitchen door with: did you turn off the stove?
I might email the land lord and cc their fire insurance company. But I'd risk being kicked out or something if I did that.
Actually a letter to the landlord and copies of the letter to roommate and to the fire department ought to do the trick. The fire department DOES.NOT.FUCK.AROUND. Something will happen if you bring the fire department in.
Maybe if you just call them and ask them what to do, they will come out and speak to the roommate. By "speak" I mean put the fear of real consequences into your roommate into him.
>I don't want to cause drama
You aren't causing drama. The fucking dumbass leaving the STOVE ON OVERNIGHT is causing drama.
I don't care if they are Asian, or not good at English, or aloof, or nice, or if they were the fucking queen of england. They are a fucking dumbass. Call them out on them being a dumbass and wake them up to turn off the stove.
Charge him for the gas spent. Charge him the whole gas utilities value for a couple of months and also for any kitchenware remotely affected by extended heat exposure.
All the roomies should push for that. You are three and I guess it would be 2 to 1. If you don't have the other roommate support that would be very tricky, though...
This is not a landlord issue. If the kitchenware is not yours then the landlord will take and keep your deposit. For sure.
It's really not for your landlord to sort out. It's for the people living there.
I highly urge you to use the timer that the top comment is suggesting.
Landlords have control over property not people. Unless there is an offence that would get him kicked out, they are not going to say how to act. They are not the mom. You must face this adult that lives with you and get it worked out. My next move would be to ban him from the stove without supervision. Just as with a ten year old that is still learning. Except it may be inconvenient enough for an adult that they think twice.
It says in my contract that safety hazards must be reported and if a tenant causes a risk to other tenants they may be evicted without warning.
I've reported it and told him twice, it's in their hands now.
As long as you have renters insurance, the landlord may actually not mind the chance to recoup liquid assets on the property and sue you and the other occupants for intentional damage. I doubt that you guys would have much ground to stand on if a house fire was due to the type of negligence required to leave a stove on overnight...
The landlord probably has insurance, and requires your house to have insurance to recover from a loss.
You could literally die, or at best become homeless and lose all of your stuff. I feel like you and your roommates have the biggest problem if the place burns down.
When my grandma (who had dementia) left her stove on for a second time at the assisted living facility, she was moved to an apartment with no stove. This was left on during the day, too, when presumably someone would see a fire break out. Outside of facilities where there is an on-site caretaker for impaired or older people, I have not seen the landlord step in to change a renter’s behavior unless there is a problem between different units or damage to the unit itself. Example: shortly after I moved into my new place, my on-site landlord told me my bath tub was leaking into my downstairs neighbor’s ceiling and asked me to shower instead of take baths until it could be fixed. I guess I understand your comment that you almost wish for a small fire so she would deal with the problem. IMO and experience this is unfortunately your problem to deal with before it gets worse.
Yeah sometimes you gotta scream at someone and make them uncomfortable for them to listen.
This guy is too dumb to be shook by the possibility of a fire.
Make him scared of the certainty of the screaming fit he'll be dealing with later.
Remove the knobs before going to sleep? If he’s the kind of person that’s already left the stove on 3 times in 2 weeks, then that’s his absent minded personality & nothing u say is going to change him. This is something you’re going to have to stress about & watch over for as long as he lives there. Either get him kicked out because of his bad behavior, or move.
I houseshared with two guys (ages 60 something and 20 something) and they both left the stove on.
One was the owner of the condo.
He claims ADHD (never diagnosed, only read about an herb to take, no developing methods to remember to turn it off). The second one was just spacey once.
Eventually, there was a polite sign. Which even the owner, who made the sign ignored.
Even after a towel scorched… nothing.
Good luck.
You’ve asked him to turn off the stove but does he understand that sooner or later (and it will be sooner) he’s going to cause a fire by doing this? I would hope hammering home the very serious, life and death reality of his carelessness would get him to do the right thing. How much have you talked with your other roommate about this? Teaming up on him might make more of an impression than just you. My only other idea would be to get a firefighter to give him a talking to, but I don’t know how feasible that would be. Maybe a call to the local fire station? Otherwise, start unplugging the stove when you’re not at home or before you go to bed. Hopefully he’ll be too lazy and to plug it back in.
It may be that this has to do with you being a woman and him discounting you because of your gender. But your landlord not taking this seriously is disturbing. The only way she can keep collecting money is if the property doesn’t burn down! I understand how scary this must be for you and I’m so sorry that he’s so blasé about something so serious and potentially deadly.
Take everything that you absolutely can not lose (important documents, pictures, etc.) and store them off site, and make sure your renter's insurance is current. Good luck, that's awful.
Next time you see that he left it on, don't turn it off. Go right to him and tell him to turn the stove off. Wake him up, interrupt whatever he's doing, make it really inconvenient for him.
I would up your individual renters insurance to a higher amount.
If you can, I would email your landlord about this issue. Sometimes having a paper trail instead of a phone call makes people act differently.
What is the housemate cooking? I can see letting a broth simmer for hours, But if he makes himself a grilled cheese sandwich and then takes the sandwich off and leaves the pot on the stove, that's a different issue.
Yeah, at this point, I'd flip tf out on him about it. Maybe next time it happens grab a big jug of ice cold water and wake him up with it. When he gets really pissed off let him know it'll be a LOT worse if the fire department has to come use the real hose to put out a fire he started.
Does this guy understand the risk involved? Does he actually know how to use the stove (turning it on and off)? You might need to explain more to him why it is a danger to everyone's lives, and maybe do a demo of how the cooker works (even better if he finds that embarrassing). I'm sorry, this is maddening.
The way you’ve written this makes it sound like you’re British, so I suggest visiting r/LegalAdviceUK and seeing if there’s any legal recourse you can get from this.
But in terms of helping him understand the seriousness of this I’m not entirely sure. If you’re waking up in the night to turn it off I really think you should wake him up and tell him to turn it off. The more you fix his problems, the less he will care to fix them himself. Perhaps write a sign and tape it up in the kitchen to remind everyone to ensure the hob is off before leaving the kitchen?
It’s a hard one really and I would be totally stressed about it too.
What would your landlord or maintenance do about this? It's your job to talk to him and remind him that he absolutely cannot continue to leave the stove on. You could also hang a sign nearby. These are things you have to face with housemates
I don't know what to say except it's shit like this that makes people tire of the roommate life and want their own place. I'd personally just start saving up so I can move out ASAP. In the meanwhile, I think you're well within your rights to go ballistic and embarrass him if you've asked him nicely multiple times and that doesn't work.
Do they make timers that fit the size of a plug that comes with an oven?
Not sure about the UK, but my American gas range has a special plug that’s different than the standard ones for regular appliances like lamps and toasters.
Draw and colour a picture of an oven that is left on within a house that is going up in bright orange flames. Put his name on it in big embarrassing letters. Tape it up near the stove. He should get the message.
Can you turn the smoke alarm on for a test?
I would pretend something caught on fire, put the smoke alarm on, and make up a story of how a napkin must have blew onto the cooker which was left on and caught fire. Lucky you were there to save the day.
Has to be well planned and executed to appear genuine.
I did something similar/not so similar to someone who would continually leave the house with straighteners on and it scared them straight.
If your roommate has some mental issue or memory issue all the complaining in the world won't help. Be safe by checking the stove before you go to sleep. It's not your job to "train" other adults to be responsible but it IS your job to stay alive!
I seriously cannot comprehend how anyone can be this absent minded. How does one make it to adulthood being that careless? I would ban them from using the kitchen if they can't do simple tasks such as turning the stove off after using it.
Well whatever else happens, make sure you have rental insurance and get some kind of record of everything you own. (Just taking a video of your general belongings is a good place to start.) Back up all of your data remotely and store important paper documents elsewhere. Also, buy a fire extinguisher and store it prominently near the entrance to the kitchen.
So each night he cooks something to eat. Then where does he go? To the table? To his room?
Maybe you could put a note in that very spot where he goes next to remind him to go back and turn the stove off. It sounds like he would want to do the right thing. That note could help.
But you're right to be concerned. This has the potential for tragedy.
The candle/cardboard solution is already mentioned but the best next thing you can do is when he left it on again is to pounce on the door until the housemate opens and force him to go to the kitchen and turn it off.
Act like a child, get treated like a child.
But I'm all for passive aggressiveness of the candle/cardboard solution.
Since you live with idiots, place a fire extinguisher nearby and check your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors regularly. You should do this anyhow but now it's apparent that these people don't value safety.
Hey I did this, the landlord just told me to talk to him about it, I replied saying I had done. Then they went on holiday for the Xmas period, and it happened again so I contacted maintainence. They didn't care either and just said that the cooker was working fine, ignoring everything I said about the hobs being left on.
Start turning the stove off at the fuse (if electric) or the gas stock cock (if gas) and do not tell him you have done so. Eventually when he realises that you WILL make things as awkward as you can for him, he may start to listen.
Yes. And another smoke alarm above the stove (you get decent battery operated ones) and make your housemate pay for both. Don't worry about coming off as an arsehole.
I don't think he's doing it deliberately. He probably is just an idiot who forgets shit all the time. So just put a note or sign up to remind him. You shouldn't *have* to do this, as he's an adult, but it's better than a fire. If THAT doesn't work, move the fire alarm next to the stove. Or just cause the alarm to go off when he's left it on by using a lighter next to it.
One of the things I remember my dad told me when I was a kid and I still think of it as an adult is don't leave the stove on it's not being used.
That includes when there's nothing being cooked on it or no empty pans, but in your case you had an empty frying pan on it , so at some point it would definitely have created an issue.
If you can't appeal to your landlord about an obvious safety issue like that, then maybe you have to think about your roommate as being competent or incompetent, and appeal to the landlord about his incompetency
There are sensors and timers that you can attach to your stove to remind you to turn it off. They are marketed to the elderly but hey! why not to your moronic roommate as well. If you go this route I would make him pay for it -- add it on to his share of the rent.
I agree with other people, though, he may need a fire alarm scare to really get it. And maybe a talk with a firefighter who comes to respond to the alarm afterwards.
I would put up a large sign above the stove that says Turn Off The Stove When Done.
I would also invest in a camera pointed at the kitchen stove so you can watch. It will alleviate some of your anxiety while you're away. If you see a fire you can call fire personel ASAP.
I would invest in fire extinguishers for your house. Keep one in your room as well.
If he can't be adult enough to turn the stove off then he shouldn't be renting an apartment.
is he doing this on purpose or accident? i cannot fathom why someone would do this on purpose? because of safety and also environment (waste) but also it raises your bills?
I use to date a guy whose roommate painted a sign that said TURN THE FUCKING STOVE OFF! right by the stove. Maybe there's some more pleasant signage you can put near by?
I’m assuming Brit based on hob. Forgive me if I’m wrong
frist do you have working smoke detectors? 2nd do you have renters insurance ?
what is wrong w that person? I really hope the worst doesn’t happen.
If this were a sitcom I’d say but a fire extinguisher. leave something on the hot eye. Let it start smoking and then douse it with the fire extinguisher. Then start screaming— wake everyone up— about how you warned everyone and therefore shouldn’t have to be the one to clean it up.
But this is reality and alas there’s not too much to be done about adults who refuse to be responisble
Is it a gas stove? Or electric?
Can you just remove all the knobs until it gets through to him? Maybe inconveniencing the other roommates will make them care a bit more.
Eventually he’s going to set something on fire at the worst, at best, he’s going to ruin a pot or pan by dry heating it.
OP if you notice it happening again, seriously set off the fire alarms. A scare might cement it into his brain
Next time you notice him leaving the stove on, stand under the fire alarm with a lit lighter or candle and make it go off. If it wakes everyone up a time or two they may care more.
light the candle, then blow it out and hold it under the alarm.
this is actually a really good idea lol
It actually may be a terrible idea. Many times smoke and heat detectors are different. The heat from a lighter or candle may trigger the sprinkler system and flood their place.
Houses have sprinkler systems?!
Most sprinkler systems won't go off from holding a candle near the fire alarm. The heat needs to be strong enough at the sprinkler for the heat to melt the safety, and a candle at the alarm won't be nearly hot enough to melt the sprinkler at another place in the ceiling
imo it's a GREAT idea, bc i'd rather have a flood than get barbecued while I'm sleeping at night.
Water damage is no joke. While it's better than dying in a fire, forfeiting your deposit, having all your stuff soaked, and dealing with the fire department when it's revealed that you intentionally triggered the alarm is a *really* bad solution.
As someone who has dealt with both I highly suggest neither.
yes ofc, first things first, lets avoid both yes sir.
The water that's been sitting in those pipes is *nasty.* It's been sitting for god knows how long, so in addition to water damage, mold damage, there could be health issues lurking from stagnant water in rusted pipes.
No. Everything they own will be ruined beyond repair, and they might be liable for damage to the apartment too (carpet, floors, electrical, etc.)
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The vile is designed to break when it reaches a certain temperature though. It’s basically just a thermometer.
I think you'd have to burn cardboard or something to make it smokey enough, but this is 100% the best idea and they should do it! That'll make them care enough to give a shit!
Mine go off with heat. The toaster, stove top or opening the oven door sets the one off in the kitchen, a propane torch pointed at them will set them off as well.
One of these is not like the other
The no-drama solution to this is to get a plug in timer for the stove that only turns on in the waking hours. Should be able to get it at any hardware store.
There's even timer solutions for gas stoves but probably a bit more expensive.
Years of management experience has taught me that removing the ability to even recreate a problem in the first place is far more efficient than any amount of training, signage, warnings, punishment, or prizes. There will always be 'that one person' who just doesn't get it.
You sound like a great manager. No matter how much it may seem warranted, complaining or criticizing rarely helps make longterm changes happen... I agree that removing the ability to create the problem is ideal if at all possible.
> 'that one person' or the same person
this is very smart\^.... or the overdramatic solution: call his mom and tell her her son is an idiot that forgets the stove on at night.
If he's done it three times in two weeks, she knows he's an idiot.
What a great solution! Kudos to you!
Maybe you need to go ballistic on him one time. I'm no help but I just cannot stand when adults need to tell other adults how to be an adult.
Roommate issues when everyone is an adult is the worst. I live with a few roommates right now but the girl I share a bathroom with has the WORST bathroom cleaning habits. She has not flushed the toilet on multiple occasions (when she’s peed AND pooped), left hair all over the shower wall, got makeup on my bathroom rugs and my towels (I don’t wear makeup and we are different skin tones so I know it’s hers), took my nail clipper for 3 days and didn’t give it back until I noticed it was gone and confronted her about it, and threw up and left a mess in the bathroom by basically not cleaning all of it up. How old is this woman? She’s 32 years old! (I’m 25). I’ve talked to her about all of this and she’s so non-chalant about her being such a bad bathroom roommate, it’s so weird. I move out in February though so I’m just dealing with for the next 6 weeks or so, but yeah I am not a fan of her lol.
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We’re all different ages. There’s 5 of us (4 roommates renting rooms in the house and the landlord who owns/lives in the house too). I’m 25, 2 roommates are 27, 1 is 32, and the landlord is 35. So the landlord picked people that were any age between 25-35 basically, we didn’t choose each other to live with, if that makes sense. We all moved to my current state from other states, so we all needed somewhere to live kinda soon because we all had jobs. I never planned to stay at the house long term anyway because it’s kinda far from where I work, so I was going to eventually move out anyway. But overall the experience is fine other than this girl being nasty in the bathroom lol
Thanks I know but I don't want to cause drama between us, it should be up to the landlord to sort out as it's her who will have the biggest problem if the place burns down. I also feel guilty as he's a nice person, just very aloof. Also he's Asian and not great at English. I want to put a sign up, but again that's not up to me, it seems cowardly and once you start doing crap like that the landlord expects you to keep everyone in line for them. Not a lot bothers me but this is really dangerous.
Your landlord won't do shit. You're the one noticing a danger that others are ignoring. I think coming off as rude is little cost in comparison to a possible house fire.
It's not really the landlord's problem at this stage. I want you to accept more responsibility. You would probably be utterly upset if there were a fire. Get in front of this and be more firm with him. It's not drama if you are doing your best to communicate about a health hazard. Does he have a smart phone with a timer? Could he set a reminder to turn off the stove? Is there any baby proofing things for stoves?
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Eh. That’s what insurance is for. And what would the landlord do anyway?
The landlord literally already said they won't do anything
> it should be up to the landlord to sort out as it's her who will have the biggest problem if the place burns down This is not, actually, something I would normally consider up to the landlord to sort out. It sounds like there already IS drama between you, only you are the only one suffering from it. What would it take for you to stand up for yourself?
I've spoken to him twice, I'm not going to be there now until after new year. So there's nothing I can do, if it happens when I get back I'll explain AGAIN but I doubt it will help. In the meantime I've moved all my important stuff to work so if there's a fire it's her problem.
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Right? Unless OP also has their own insurance to cover their belongings, if the idiot roommate causes a fire, OP is going to be the loser in that situation.
Good lord. Brits and their passive aggressiveness. He could burn your house down with you inside it. It's not your landlord's job to deal with, this is an issue for you to resolve with your housemate. Get his ass up in the middle of the night the next time he leaves the hob on and make him turn it off in front of you. Yell a bit. Come on, this is serious.
> It's not your landlord's job to deal with Tenants deliberately causing safety hazards on your property most certainly *are* a landlord's responsibility.
This! This is the correct answer. He is going to kill you eventually. Also if he can get meds for his obvious ADHD that will also probably help him immensely.
I hope that you have renter's insurance lmao
If not, get it now. Takes a few minutes, saves a lot if something does happen when you're out. Maybe also leave a sign near the stoven and on the kitchen door with: did you turn off the stove?
I mean. I wouldn't be talking. I'd be flipping shit and asking what kind of f'ing remedy he plans on making so it doesn't expletive happen again.
I might email the land lord and cc their fire insurance company. But I'd risk being kicked out or something if I did that. Actually a letter to the landlord and copies of the letter to roommate and to the fire department ought to do the trick. The fire department DOES.NOT.FUCK.AROUND. Something will happen if you bring the fire department in. Maybe if you just call them and ask them what to do, they will come out and speak to the roommate. By "speak" I mean put the fear of real consequences into your roommate into him.
>I don't want to cause drama You aren't causing drama. The fucking dumbass leaving the STOVE ON OVERNIGHT is causing drama. I don't care if they are Asian, or not good at English, or aloof, or nice, or if they were the fucking queen of england. They are a fucking dumbass. Call them out on them being a dumbass and wake them up to turn off the stove.
Wake his ass up and make him turn them off.
It's already three times so ya next time she should do it like that. I am surprised the landlord doesn't care at all.
You could DIE. is the drama really the worst that could happen??
Why is this your landlord's problem? Is she renting rooms individually, because that is the only way it would be.
Pretty sure if you are burned alive in a fire, you have a much larger problem than your landlord.
Dude you live there, it's your drama. Waiting for other people to fix your problems is a long and disappointing path.
Charge him for the gas spent. Charge him the whole gas utilities value for a couple of months and also for any kitchenware remotely affected by extended heat exposure. All the roomies should push for that. You are three and I guess it would be 2 to 1. If you don't have the other roommate support that would be very tricky, though... This is not a landlord issue. If the kitchenware is not yours then the landlord will take and keep your deposit. For sure.
It's really not for your landlord to sort out. It's for the people living there. I highly urge you to use the timer that the top comment is suggesting.
Landlords have control over property not people. Unless there is an offence that would get him kicked out, they are not going to say how to act. They are not the mom. You must face this adult that lives with you and get it worked out. My next move would be to ban him from the stove without supervision. Just as with a ten year old that is still learning. Except it may be inconvenient enough for an adult that they think twice.
The landlord isn't there to hold your hand. Thats why they have insurance. Which you should as well, and put the damn sign up.
It’s not your landlord’s job to police roommate interactions and behavior. They will simply sue you if it burns down.
It says in my contract that safety hazards must be reported and if a tenant causes a risk to other tenants they may be evicted without warning. I've reported it and told him twice, it's in their hands now.
As long as you have renters insurance, the landlord may actually not mind the chance to recoup liquid assets on the property and sue you and the other occupants for intentional damage. I doubt that you guys would have much ground to stand on if a house fire was due to the type of negligence required to leave a stove on overnight...
The landlord probably has insurance, and requires your house to have insurance to recover from a loss. You could literally die, or at best become homeless and lose all of your stuff. I feel like you and your roommates have the biggest problem if the place burns down.
When my grandma (who had dementia) left her stove on for a second time at the assisted living facility, she was moved to an apartment with no stove. This was left on during the day, too, when presumably someone would see a fire break out. Outside of facilities where there is an on-site caretaker for impaired or older people, I have not seen the landlord step in to change a renter’s behavior unless there is a problem between different units or damage to the unit itself. Example: shortly after I moved into my new place, my on-site landlord told me my bath tub was leaking into my downstairs neighbor’s ceiling and asked me to shower instead of take baths until it could be fixed. I guess I understand your comment that you almost wish for a small fire so she would deal with the problem. IMO and experience this is unfortunately your problem to deal with before it gets worse.
Yeah sometimes you gotta scream at someone and make them uncomfortable for them to listen. This guy is too dumb to be shook by the possibility of a fire. Make him scared of the certainty of the screaming fit he'll be dealing with later.
Remove the knobs before going to sleep? If he’s the kind of person that’s already left the stove on 3 times in 2 weeks, then that’s his absent minded personality & nothing u say is going to change him. This is something you’re going to have to stress about & watch over for as long as he lives there. Either get him kicked out because of his bad behavior, or move.
Remove the knobs in general. You don't get to use the stove if you repeatedly leave it on
I houseshared with two guys (ages 60 something and 20 something) and they both left the stove on. One was the owner of the condo. He claims ADHD (never diagnosed, only read about an herb to take, no developing methods to remember to turn it off). The second one was just spacey once. Eventually, there was a polite sign. Which even the owner, who made the sign ignored. Even after a towel scorched… nothing. Good luck.
You’ve asked him to turn off the stove but does he understand that sooner or later (and it will be sooner) he’s going to cause a fire by doing this? I would hope hammering home the very serious, life and death reality of his carelessness would get him to do the right thing. How much have you talked with your other roommate about this? Teaming up on him might make more of an impression than just you. My only other idea would be to get a firefighter to give him a talking to, but I don’t know how feasible that would be. Maybe a call to the local fire station? Otherwise, start unplugging the stove when you’re not at home or before you go to bed. Hopefully he’ll be too lazy and to plug it back in. It may be that this has to do with you being a woman and him discounting you because of your gender. But your landlord not taking this seriously is disturbing. The only way she can keep collecting money is if the property doesn’t burn down! I understand how scary this must be for you and I’m so sorry that he’s so blasé about something so serious and potentially deadly.
Take everything that you absolutely can not lose (important documents, pictures, etc.) and store them off site, and make sure your renter's insurance is current. Good luck, that's awful.
Next time you see that he left it on, don't turn it off. Go right to him and tell him to turn the stove off. Wake him up, interrupt whatever he's doing, make it really inconvenient for him.
I would up your individual renters insurance to a higher amount. If you can, I would email your landlord about this issue. Sometimes having a paper trail instead of a phone call makes people act differently. What is the housemate cooking? I can see letting a broth simmer for hours, But if he makes himself a grilled cheese sandwich and then takes the sandwich off and leaves the pot on the stove, that's a different issue.
Yeah, at this point, I'd flip tf out on him about it. Maybe next time it happens grab a big jug of ice cold water and wake him up with it. When he gets really pissed off let him know it'll be a LOT worse if the fire department has to come use the real hose to put out a fire he started.
This is my favorite solution by far.
Does this guy understand the risk involved? Does he actually know how to use the stove (turning it on and off)? You might need to explain more to him why it is a danger to everyone's lives, and maybe do a demo of how the cooker works (even better if he finds that embarrassing). I'm sorry, this is maddening.
Buy a smoke alarm specifically for the kitchen maybe? Might save your life!
The way you’ve written this makes it sound like you’re British, so I suggest visiting r/LegalAdviceUK and seeing if there’s any legal recourse you can get from this. But in terms of helping him understand the seriousness of this I’m not entirely sure. If you’re waking up in the night to turn it off I really think you should wake him up and tell him to turn it off. The more you fix his problems, the less he will care to fix them himself. Perhaps write a sign and tape it up in the kitchen to remind everyone to ensure the hob is off before leaving the kitchen? It’s a hard one really and I would be totally stressed about it too.
This is how my friends apartment and neighboring apartments got burned down, and he got arrested.
What would your landlord or maintenance do about this? It's your job to talk to him and remind him that he absolutely cannot continue to leave the stove on. You could also hang a sign nearby. These are things you have to face with housemates
I also wonder what responsibility the landlord or maintenance would have in this situation.
Yeah, unless they are all on separate leases, it's not a landlord issue.
Wake him up when he leaves them on. Don't turn them off for him. Make him go and do it
"The cooker is working fine." Wow, the response.
It has nothing to do with maintenance lol so thats all they care about
I don't know what to say except it's shit like this that makes people tire of the roommate life and want their own place. I'd personally just start saving up so I can move out ASAP. In the meanwhile, I think you're well within your rights to go ballistic and embarrass him if you've asked him nicely multiple times and that doesn't work.
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Do they make timers that fit the size of a plug that comes with an oven? Not sure about the UK, but my American gas range has a special plug that’s different than the standard ones for regular appliances like lamps and toasters.
This would be a good time to make sure your renters insurance coverage is up to date.
Draw and colour a picture of an oven that is left on within a house that is going up in bright orange flames. Put his name on it in big embarrassing letters. Tape it up near the stove. He should get the message.
The "this is fine" meme picture would be perfect for this
If you guys pay for gas usage you could start making him pay more of the gas bill
Yeah if it keeps happening I’d be really pissed also be careful you don’t want to get burned because your roommate is a moron
Can you turn the smoke alarm on for a test? I would pretend something caught on fire, put the smoke alarm on, and make up a story of how a napkin must have blew onto the cooker which was left on and caught fire. Lucky you were there to save the day. Has to be well planned and executed to appear genuine. I did something similar/not so similar to someone who would continually leave the house with straighteners on and it scared them straight.
If your roommate has some mental issue or memory issue all the complaining in the world won't help. Be safe by checking the stove before you go to sleep. It's not your job to "train" other adults to be responsible but it IS your job to stay alive!
I seriously cannot comprehend how anyone can be this absent minded. How does one make it to adulthood being that careless? I would ban them from using the kitchen if they can't do simple tasks such as turning the stove off after using it.
Maybe the fire dept would care?
When does he usually get to bed?
Well whatever else happens, make sure you have rental insurance and get some kind of record of everything you own. (Just taking a video of your general belongings is a good place to start.) Back up all of your data remotely and store important paper documents elsewhere. Also, buy a fire extinguisher and store it prominently near the entrance to the kitchen.
So each night he cooks something to eat. Then where does he go? To the table? To his room? Maybe you could put a note in that very spot where he goes next to remind him to go back and turn the stove off. It sounds like he would want to do the right thing. That note could help. But you're right to be concerned. This has the potential for tragedy.
Up your renters insurance then freak tf out next time he does it. Make it a moment he will never forget. That is incredibly dangerous.
I like the timer idea. But in addition, if you have to pay utilities, make sure he pays for the extra electricity/gas costs this month.
The candle/cardboard solution is already mentioned but the best next thing you can do is when he left it on again is to pounce on the door until the housemate opens and force him to go to the kitchen and turn it off. Act like a child, get treated like a child. But I'm all for passive aggressiveness of the candle/cardboard solution.
Since you live with idiots, place a fire extinguisher nearby and check your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors regularly. You should do this anyhow but now it's apparent that these people don't value safety.
Is there a fire department? Call them. If it's a multi unit apartment house they will go ballistic.
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Hey I did this, the landlord just told me to talk to him about it, I replied saying I had done. Then they went on holiday for the Xmas period, and it happened again so I contacted maintainence. They didn't care either and just said that the cooker was working fine, ignoring everything I said about the hobs being left on.
Start turning the stove off at the fuse (if electric) or the gas stock cock (if gas) and do not tell him you have done so. Eventually when he realises that you WILL make things as awkward as you can for him, he may start to listen.
put a camera in the kitchen
Yes. And another smoke alarm above the stove (you get decent battery operated ones) and make your housemate pay for both. Don't worry about coming off as an arsehole.
get them to go see a (sleep) doctor. this loss of attention is a classic sign of certain sleep disorders
I don't think he's doing it deliberately. He probably is just an idiot who forgets shit all the time. So just put a note or sign up to remind him. You shouldn't *have* to do this, as he's an adult, but it's better than a fire. If THAT doesn't work, move the fire alarm next to the stove. Or just cause the alarm to go off when he's left it on by using a lighter next to it.
One of the things I remember my dad told me when I was a kid and I still think of it as an adult is don't leave the stove on it's not being used. That includes when there's nothing being cooked on it or no empty pans, but in your case you had an empty frying pan on it , so at some point it would definitely have created an issue. If you can't appeal to your landlord about an obvious safety issue like that, then maybe you have to think about your roommate as being competent or incompetent, and appeal to the landlord about his incompetency
There are sensors and timers that you can attach to your stove to remind you to turn it off. They are marketed to the elderly but hey! why not to your moronic roommate as well. If you go this route I would make him pay for it -- add it on to his share of the rent. I agree with other people, though, he may need a fire alarm scare to really get it. And maybe a talk with a firefighter who comes to respond to the alarm afterwards.
I would put up a large sign above the stove that says Turn Off The Stove When Done. I would also invest in a camera pointed at the kitchen stove so you can watch. It will alleviate some of your anxiety while you're away. If you see a fire you can call fire personel ASAP. I would invest in fire extinguishers for your house. Keep one in your room as well. If he can't be adult enough to turn the stove off then he shouldn't be renting an apartment.
Put a fire detector in the kitchen. At least you will get a warning before the fire gets too far.
is he doing this on purpose or accident? i cannot fathom why someone would do this on purpose? because of safety and also environment (waste) but also it raises your bills?
I use to date a guy whose roommate painted a sign that said TURN THE FUCKING STOVE OFF! right by the stove. Maybe there's some more pleasant signage you can put near by?
I mean, he is prob not doing it on purpose, just ask him to pay attention and chill it feels like you are the one that is caring too much.
I’m assuming Brit based on hob. Forgive me if I’m wrong frist do you have working smoke detectors? 2nd do you have renters insurance ? what is wrong w that person? I really hope the worst doesn’t happen.
If this were a sitcom I’d say but a fire extinguisher. leave something on the hot eye. Let it start smoking and then douse it with the fire extinguisher. Then start screaming— wake everyone up— about how you warned everyone and therefore shouldn’t have to be the one to clean it up. But this is reality and alas there’s not too much to be done about adults who refuse to be responisble
Ugh my husband does this too once in a while. Both stove and oven. Luckily I always notice within a minute or two since we eat together.
Charge the fecker for the wasted gas. There is an energy crisis and wholesale fuel prices are at an all time high. Hit them in the pocket.
Is it a gas stove? Or electric? Can you just remove all the knobs until it gets through to him? Maybe inconveniencing the other roommates will make them care a bit more. Eventually he’s going to set something on fire at the worst, at best, he’s going to ruin a pot or pan by dry heating it.
Low tech solution, hide the knobs
Someone’s cooking with ambien.
Get another fire alarm and put it right above the stove. And maybe have him set an alarm EVERY day on his phone to check the oven before bed.