Unfairly Occupying Common Spaces

The following FAQ page will list different forms of acceptable evidence in order to issue a formal leasing violation for unfairly occupying the common space.

Common Areas: Roommates are expected to take shared and equal responsibility for keeping the common areas of the dwelling clean, tidy, in good repair, and livable. Roommates are expected to clean up their own messes and expected to clean up after any guests, overnight or otherwise, that they may have. Failure to comply with the foregoing (in Landlord’s discretion) will result in assessment of a cleaning charge to be split equally among the roommates. Roommates must allow for mutual use of common areas, such as decks, garages, driveways, and yards, in an equitable manner. No roommate may claim exclusive use of any common spaces. (Page 3).

Soft Evidence	Description
General complaint	A formal complaint sent to Alcove directly from a roommate or landlord. This may be submitted in a support ticket or by emailing the support team. Must include a specific tenant responsible.
Messages	Screenshots of texts or messages indicating that a roommate or group of roommates are in violation of the lease, sent through texts or instant messaging apps. Must show the date and person responsible.
Landlord inspection	Details from a self-inspection report conducted by the landlord, indicating lease violations.
Hard Evidence	Description
Alcove inspection report	Alcove vendor has found clear evidence of the violation and has documented it in the report.
Photos and videos	Photos/videos submitted showing violations or evidence of such. Photos must be timed stamped.

FAQ: Common Space Violation Policy

Q: What should I do if I suspect a roommate is unfairly occupying the common spaces within the property?

Tenants should submit a complaint via email or support ticket to Alcove Support, providing details of the situation and any evidence available.

Q: What happens after I submit a complaint?

Alcove will respond promptly, categorizing the complaint as falling under the 'soft evidence' category. Alcove may request further details and evidence for the complaint.

Q: What does Alcove require as evidence?

Alcove will request additional hard evidence.
- Hard Evidence: Photos showing the misuse of common spaces.
- Soft Evidence: Screenshots of messages, regarding the common space.
- Basic Evidence: Multiple complaints regarding the common space.

The tenant should aim to provide a picture of the violation, along with the name of the lease violator.

Q: What happens once hard evidence is provided?

Alcove will conduct an investigation to gather further, hard evidence. This may include contacting other roommates for additional information and reaching out to the landlord. Depending on the severity and specifics of the case, we may also schedule an inspection on behalf of the landlord to conduct a walkthrough of the property to collect more evidence.
If sufficient evidence is collected, Alcove may issue a leasing violation warning to the offender and ask them to correct their actions.
Alcove will make the final determination on next steps based on the evidence

Q: What if the lease violator doesn't adhere to the warning?

If the lease violator persists, Alcove may issue a notice to quit and may impose fines.

Q: What if the tenant continues to unfairly occupy common spaces?

If the tenant fails to adhere, Alcove may continue to issue fines and may advise the landlord to take further action to ensure fair use of common spaces.