renting a room from my grandfather

[relative problems]

I have been renting a room from my grandfather in Mississippi for over ten years. The room is in his house and the rent and one-half the utilities are what I can really afford at the moment. He has recently started complaining that I have too much stuff in the room and saying things like he can not get to my dresser drawers, that the floor is going to cave-in, that I am bringing in cockroaches whenever I buy something from a yardsale just to name a few things. He, most recently, had me rent a storage unit to put some of the stuff that I have in the room that I am renting and he is still complaining even though he saw how much stuff that I moved to the storage unit. My question is this: What legal rights do I have since the room that I am renting is in his house to stop him from telling me what things or stuff I can have or not have in the room and to stop invading my privacy by wanting to snoop through my stuff if I am not doing any thing illegal? He also most recently told me that I had too much clothes and books and that I should get rid of some of them. Thank you for any help you can give me since the area of Mississippi live in, the apartment rates have almost double in the past few years but my paycheck has not really increased that much.

 

[HomeGuru]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by relative problems:
I have been renting a room from my grandfather in Mississippi for over ten years. The room is in his house and the rent and one-half the utilities are what I can really afford at the moment. He has recently started complaining that I have too much stuff in the room and saying things like he can not get to my dresser drawers, that the floor is going to cave-in, that I am bringing in cockroaches whenever I buy something from a yardsale just to name a few things. He, most recently, had me rent a storage unit to put some of the stuff that I have in the room that I am renting and he is still complaining even though he saw how much stuff that I moved to the storage unit. My question is this: What legal rights do I have since the room that I am renting is in his house to stop him from telling me what things or stuff I can have or not have in the room and to stop invading my privacy by wanting to snoop through my stuff if I am not doing any thing illegal? He also most recently told me that I had too much clothes and books and that I should get rid of some of them. Thank you for any help you can give me since the area of Mississippi live in, the apartment rates have almost double in the past few years but my paycheck has not really increased that much. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

You probably have no written lease agreement and you probably are being charged under market rent. Since it is his house, he can tell you what to do. Try putting a lock on the door and tell him since you are paying rent you need the privacy. Either accept the problems, work out an agreement with grandpa or move out. He probably knows he has you over a barrel so can demand things he would not normally ask an unrelated tenant to do. Maybe he is sick of you (has had to live with you for 10 years) or mabe he is getting senile.

Anyway, you already know that you are at a tremendous disadvantage:
1. you should respect your elders
2. you are getting below market rent
3. you can not afford to move
4. you should clean your room some more
5. grandpa is getting old, maybe senile

I feel that your issues are not legal as much as it is family stuff to contend with.