Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To be apoplectic with rage over this?

163 replies

BenedictsCumberbitch · 03/08/2012 13:44

Myself and Mr BC own a house that we used to live in that we now rent out. I'd say we are decent landlords, attending to any problems quickly as possible and availing ourselves to him 24 hours a day 7 days a week in case of emergency, despite also paying a letting agent do the leg work in such matters. Anyway there was a problem with the boiler which the tenant decided not to inform us about and get fixed himself (which is another thread altogether) and then asked to be reimbursed , for the sake of harmony we agreed to refund him the money based on the understanding this would not happen again. I went to the house today to collect the receipt and hand over the cash only to see that on the front door of MY PROPERTY he had stuck several National Front stickers with slogans such as 'Pensioners before Immigrants' and 'Proud to be British and White'. He wasn't in so I left the property after taking a photo on my phone and ringing the letting agent.

AIBU to consider giving him his notice over this, I'm raging that he thinks this is an acceptable way to behave and that he would deface our property in this way?

OP posts:
Sastra · 03/08/2012 13:46

Sweet Jesus!

Olympia2012 · 03/08/2012 13:46

Calm down. They ate stickers? So can be removed

Giving notice? Well what's on his contract about this kind of thing? What does your DH think?

Olympia2012 · 03/08/2012 13:46

*are

HKat · 03/08/2012 13:47

YANBU. What an aresehole. Give him his notice!

geegee888 · 03/08/2012 13:47

Is this a spoof thread?

pjmama · 03/08/2012 13:48

Unfortunately it's not illegal to be a complete twat in this country. Unless he's actually caused damage to the property by sticking stuff on it, I'm not sure where you'd stand legally giving him notice because you don't agree with his opinions?

Sparkletastic · 03/08/2012 13:48

Evict him.

MoaningMingeWhingesAgain · 03/08/2012 13:48

I would be raging too. If someone (rightly)takes huge offence and vandalises the house? Or smashes a window? Because the tenant is a racist twat?

nickelbarapasaurus · 03/08/2012 13:48

I think you should order them to remove them.

explain that they are offensive and that you give them 48 hours to remove them and make good the door.

gordyslovesheep · 03/08/2012 13:48

Oh lordy that's a tricky on - every bone in my lefty body is shrieking EVICT THE BASTARD ...BUT if I had a Tory landlord and I displayed my usual Vote Labour poster would that be grounds to evict me?

Oh I don;t know but you are damn well NOT BU to be raging about it

sabbby82 · 03/08/2012 13:48

I'd be pissed off too. If it breaks contract serve them sect 8 and get them out.

2to3 · 03/08/2012 13:48

He's within his rights to do the sticker thing, although obviously not great. Free speech and all that. But it sounds like you really aren't getting along that well, so just give him notice and be done with it.

ViviPru · 03/08/2012 13:49

Hmm as someone in a very similar position as you, I can see the concern. But while it's YOUR PROPERTY, it's his home and I assume you have a contract with him that states he has the right to quiet enjoyment of his home, and while I agree these stickers are offensive and undesirable, I'm not sure they would be classed in a court of law as defacing of your property.

You have every right to serve him notice as per the terms of the contract, and I can see why you'd want to. But would it be worth going through the hassle of re-advertising, finding new tenants, a possible rental income void etc etc?

A tough one, I sympathise. YANBU to be raging.

JumpingThroughHoops · 03/08/2012 13:50

Hmm BNP are a legal political party and those are BNP mantras. Whilst I dont like BNP sentiments, I accept they are legitimate.

Would have gone dipso if he had Neighbourhood Watch or No Hawkers style stickers?

If the answer to that is no, then you are being discriminatory due to his legitimate political beliefs.

OutragedAtThePriceOfFreddos · 03/08/2012 13:50

He has a disgusting attitude, but that doesn't mean he's a bad tennant. I'd be pissed off that he had stuck stickers on the door no matter what they said.

I'm a LL, I don't care what my tennants political views are. What matters is that he's damaging your property and that he could be encouraging others to damage your property because there will be quite a few people that are vehemently opposed to his sentiments.

Tell the agent to make him remove them and make sure any residual mess is cleared at his expense. It would probably be a good time to do a formal inspection of the property.

WorraLiberty · 03/08/2012 13:50

Unfortunately it's not illegal to be a complete twat in this country. Unless he's actually caused damage to the property by sticking stuff on it, I'm not sure where you'd stand legally giving him notice because you don't agree with his opinions?

This ^^

EnglishGirlApproximately · 03/08/2012 13:51

This is difficult. Yadnbu to be appalled by the stickers and posters.

However, it isn't your home any more. Do you have anything in the contract about exterior decoration? If not I don't really see how you can make him take them down.

Original poster
BenedictsCumberbitch · 03/08/2012 13:51

Um no it's not a spoof thread, sorry. Ok perhaps apoplectic was a tad overstatement but I'm really fucking pissed off. The. Contract is a standard AST and I don't think it has a specific 'racist knob head' clause. My DH when I phoned him full of righteous indignation kind of shushed me and metaphorically stroked my head and agreed it was out. Of order but made it clear it wasn't a priority for him right now. Oh god am I being a totally unreasonable knobber?

OP posts:
Olympia2012 · 03/08/2012 13:53

So you are going to have to deal with this alone

Just tell him you personally find them offensive

Viviennemary · 03/08/2012 13:53

Whether or not we agree with this view surely under the laws of the land the tenant has the right to free speech expression. So unless the posters are legally banned for racism or other then I think the tenant would have the right to display them. Perhaps the lease covers this.

Original poster
BenedictsCumberbitch · 03/08/2012 13:55

I called the letting agent and they are going to contact him with regards to moving the stickers and do a formal property inspection in the next week, he already has pets in the house which is in breach of the tenancy agreement but we have let it slide as in other respects he has been a very good tenant.

OP posts:
ViviPru · 03/08/2012 13:55

No, I think from the majority of replies on this thread you can see that you're not being a knobber. I'd be going through our contract with him with a fine toothed comb to see what the clauses concerning exterior decoration are, then possibly request they are removed and the door is made good.

Although I'd probably not bother as I'm so grateful we have tenants who pay on time every month and don't ever bother us

WorraLiberty · 03/08/2012 13:55

Thing is, like it or not he's put the slogans of his choice of political party on the door.

Would you want to evict him if he put Tory/Labour/Monster raving loony slogans on the door?

Being a complete knuckle dragging fuckwit is legally his choice.

I don't blame you for being angry though.

Yama · 03/08/2012 13:55

Could you evict him because of him tampering with your boiler without your permission?

TalkinPeace2 · 03/08/2012 13:56

Have you ever looked at the kind of posters and banners that students put up in their rented houses?
Glorifying illegal drugs is the least of it.
Sorry but YABU - its his home and you are taking his money.
He may find your political views offensive
but they are not illegal
and its not a breach of contract

remember the B&B and the gays .....