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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think that if you rent a property, you should pay properly?

28 replies

PenguinBear · 12/01/2013 13:33

Don't want to go into too many details as RL people know my posting name.
Surely though, if person A owns a property, and person B lives in it, they should pay person A rent which would cover the mortgage as well as paying for the bills?!

Person B wants to just 'pay for what they use' and thinks that person A should still pay for mortgage as they are family and person A owns the property and it wouldn't be an 'official' renting situation.

OP posts:
IRCL · 12/01/2013 13:37

YANBU. We rent of DP's parents and pay rent without fail every month.

ExitPursuedByABear · 12/01/2013 13:37

I suppose it depends on the specific circumstances. If the property is normally rented out then yes, they should pay rent. If you are just doing family a short term favour then I could see how it might be difficult.

IRCL · 12/01/2013 13:38

Off not of.

janey68 · 12/01/2013 13:41

YANBU. Of course person B should pay up.

ivykaty44 · 12/01/2013 13:41

If A rents a property to B can I call them Anna and Barbara?

Then if Barbara doesn't pay the full monthly rent then she needs to be given notice to leave the property and find somewhere else to live. Anna then gets another tenant who does pay the monthly rent

Trills · 12/01/2013 13:44

Anna and Barbara should have discussed rent before Barbara moved into Anna's house.

mummywithnosleep · 12/01/2013 13:44

Person B should pay Rent + bills to Person A

The rent should be agreed by both parties and there should be a contact signed by both stating what rent is due, when it is due, penalities for non payment along with a host of other things.

If you are person A good luck and I would seriously consider not renting to person B!

Trills · 12/01/2013 13:44

Or maybe this is what they are doing?

lottiegarbanzo · 12/01/2013 13:45

Person A should have stated their terms clearly before person B moved in. It is up to person A and if person B doesn't find the terms favourable they can go elsewhere. what person B wants is irrelevant, we'd all like to live rent free. Given the family connection, not having it clear upfront was a particular mistake and much awkwardness could result.

Some less well off people seem to feel that better off friends and family owe them a living. However lucky or unfair the circumstances of the wealth, this is not the case. Generosity is a choice and should be appreciated as such.

MsVestibule · 12/01/2013 13:47

But they're not really 'renting' the property, are they? They're just living in it with no rental agreement, which would protect them in the eyes of the law.

It really is as simple as ivykaty44 says. If A wants to earn money from her empty property, she needs to find a tenant who is prepared to pay. She then becomes a landlord, with all that that entails. What was agreed before B moved in?

bureni · 12/01/2013 13:48

So basically person A wants person B to pay their mortgage for them but person B will not be a part owner of the home, perhaps that is the way person B sees things.

TiaMariaandSpringCleaning · 12/01/2013 13:49

if its very short term, then i wouldn't expect family to pay anything - if its medium-to-long term i'd want a contribution, but not necessarily covering the whole mortgage (would depend on the size of the mortgage - bear in mind not all formal rental agreements would cover the monthly mortgage payments) - if its longer term I'd want a formal rental agreement in place as it would avoid potential misunderstandings/ falling out later on. (no, I can't give simple answers to anything today!!) Grin

lottiegarbanzo · 12/01/2013 13:58

Of course if person B does go elsewhere, person A would have to become a proper landlord, which costs, and find other tenants, which is a hassle.

If I were A I'd ask for something less than market rent as a contribtion to the mortgage. It's the market rent that's the more relevant figure, not the mortgage payments.

I have entered into a similar arrangement with a friend - very low rent and a short-term contract to carry her across a gap, in exchange for living in a house on the market and tolerating viewings - but did issue a contract, gas certificate and all the proper landlord things. The contract felt a bit OTT but it's always better to be clear at the start than suffer confusion later.

DonkeysDontRideBicycles · 12/01/2013 14:00

Does B see themselves doing A a favour by paying a fixed sum and keeping the place warm and habitable? Did B move in at A's urging? Does B pay council tax?

Does A keep the place up to a good standard, fix up any maintenance issues? Does A provide basic furnishings with additional crockery, bedding, kitchenware, towels, laundry stuff, cleaning products?

MousyMouse · 12/01/2013 14:06

the property owner should draw up a rental contract and get the person living in the house sign it. doesn't matter if they are related or not.
if the occupier doesn't like it they can move out and rent privately somewhere else.

DonkeysDontRideBicycles · 12/01/2013 14:08

The difficulty is that if underlying this, B sees A as family, and materially better off, they might think that A should be offering this gratis. Presumably B has their own key, and is left alone to their own devices, no looking in on A or being asked to fulfil tasks like babysitting or gardening?

They may think they are helping out by saving A the hassle of renting to a stranger and perhaps expense of paying a management company to act as a barrier between A and a tenant.

maddening · 12/01/2013 14:10

Person A can say that they will rent it out to person C if person B won't pay rent.

HecatePropolos · 12/01/2013 14:13

If person a isn't happy then they just say no!

toddlerama · 12/01/2013 14:14

We rent from family. We cover mortgage, buildings insurance and obviously all our bills, council tax etc. But we have a tenancy agreement and our landlords keep the property in good condition etc. It works for us because we have all been very upfront about our expectations and came to an agreement that benefits everybody. If we had moved in thinking that we only had to cover our bills, I would feel very Hmm about my family member 'springing it' on me that I needed to cover her mortgage too. I might think I'd be better off in a professional rental.

SantasENormaSnob · 12/01/2013 14:42

Yanbu

B is a cheeky twat and can look for free lodgings elsewhere.

Viviennemary · 12/01/2013 14:49

It depends what their agreement is. But if person B is not happy with the situation then they should find alternative accommodation and allow person A to rent out the house to somebody who will pay them enough.

Original poster
PenguinBear · 12/01/2013 20:16

Person B has not moved in, it's all in the discussion stages at the moment. And no, person B will not pay council tax or tv license.

OP posts:
MousyMouse · 12/01/2013 20:22

that's good.
then there is still time to get a proper rental contract (maybe look at landlordzone for a template) and to talk about the terms.

HecatePropolos · 12/01/2013 21:26

Person a is nuts.
Sorry. But they are.
Person b wants to live in a home - the whole home i assume, not renting a room, or sharing it with person a - and not pay rent, council tax OR tv licence?!

So we're talking gas, electric, phone and water. And food?

That's bonkers. Person a must have mug tattooed on their forehead!

ForeverProcrastinating · 12/01/2013 21:34

As a letting agent, I would advise letting to family (or friends) very carefully, treating the whole thing as the business arrangement that it really is.

As other posters have said, make everything crystal clear at the outset to avoid any misunderstandings and everyone will be happy.