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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

not an AIBU but an update (aibu to be suspicious of landlord MIL)

116 replies

SmellsLikeTeenStrop · 06/05/2013 15:40

I promised I would update so here it is.

original thread

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/a1545014-to-be-a-little-suspicious-of-landlord-MIL

Readers digest version. MIL is our landlord, really rubbish one who breaks the law by not maintaining the boiler at all. We had a sort of agreement to buy this house from her when we could afford to but when we got to that point she kept putting off, making excuses.

We've bought a house, moving this weekend. When DH told MIL she had another screaming tantrum and could not believe what we're doing to her. She's currently not speaking to us.

MoreBeta nailed the situation in his first post of that thread. The mortgage on this house is large, none of the capital has been paid off and she did expect us to take on responsibility for her debts of which this house has seen absolutely no benefit from.

OP posts:
ratspeaker · 07/05/2013 15:33

The new house sounds lovely.
I hope you will be very happy in it.

I'd get your DH to get a gas safe registered person to look at the boiler and any other gas appliances, they'll condemn and put notices on anything unfit

Bobyan · 07/05/2013 17:02

Make sure you show mil your new working boiler too!

Original poster
SmellsLikeTeenStrop · 07/05/2013 17:31

and casually drop it in to conversation that the previous owners had an annual service for it ...

That was one of the first things we asked when viewing houses. How old is the boiler, has it been serviced recently? Grin

OP posts:
Wibblypiglikesbananas · 07/05/2013 18:03

I remember your old thread! Well done for escaping. I always thought your MIL was deluded for thinking that you could 'take on her mortgage' - where on earth did that crazy idea come from?! (And that's before the non-adherence to basic healthy and safety legalities.)

Given she's been so vile, I'd be tempted to shop her to environmental health this week, saying that the state of the place (ie crumbling, unsafe, dangerous) has led to you having to move out. Rogue landlords like her, family or not, deserve everything they have coming to them - she put your children's lives at risk, FGS! Not only would you be stopping another family from potentially having to go through this hell, you'd actually have an official body in place telling her what's what. It's as though she is always going to think you and DH have overreacted when in reality, she has been the most negligent LL ever. Perhaps an official warning/penalty would make her wise up.

Original poster
SmellsLikeTeenStrop · 07/05/2013 18:40

Developments. DH sent a text advising MIL of our moving date, she replied with ''are you going to redecorate and how long will it take. I can't afford to pay the mortgage so will need to put the house up for sale or rent''.

Dh has replied saying that she can't rent it out and that he'd told her ages ago the boiler couldn't be repaired and therefore it will not get a safety certificate.

OP posts:
Sausagedog27 · 07/05/2013 18:50

I sincerely hope that you aren't going to decorate op!!

Jux · 07/05/2013 19:01

You're not, are you?

You're going to have to keep dh incredibly busy so he can't, either, or he'll feel guilty and start buying paint and so on.

She will have to find a developer to sell it to. She just won't get a great deal for it.

PleaseDontEatMyShoe · 07/05/2013 19:01

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

MousyMouse · 07/05/2013 19:09

I'm starting to feel sorry for her other tennants...
good for your dh!

Original poster
SmellsLikeTeenStrop · 07/05/2013 19:38

We're going to leave it in a presentable condition, clean it, fill in any holes etc.

OP posts:
Xiaoxiong · 07/05/2013 20:31

Leaving it in presentable condition, that's fair enough - when we moved out of our last rental we had it deep cleaned, filled in all the holes, and made sure that the fixtures and fittings list was all still present and correct.

But redecorating. My god. The woman needs a good shake if she thinks she's in any position to be demanding you do anything. And make sure your DH holds his nerve and stands strong against this ridiculous request.

Just think, so soon, so very very soon, you will be out of there forever.

YoniOneWayOfLife · 07/05/2013 21:54

I'd redecorate the boiler with a marker pen saying 'condemned'

YouTheCat · 07/05/2013 21:59

What Yoni said. That's all the decorating that's needed.

Jux · 07/05/2013 22:15

Whenever we've had tenants move out, regardless of how clean and lovely the place is left in, the whole place gets a lick of paint at the very least. That's paid for and done by us. It certainly isn't the tenants' responsibility.

QuintessentialOHara · 07/05/2013 22:20

Oh I remember. Well done.

inabeautifulplace · 07/05/2013 23:12

"I can't afford to pay the mortgage"

Shame. Perhaps she could sell one of the other properties she owns.

Seriously, she asked you to redecorate? Hilarious. I think you need to tell her that finally you understand how much money and effort maintaining a house costs. As such, you won't have any money or time spare for anyone else's house, just your own :)

NigellaTufnel · 07/05/2013 23:24

You know that she will rent it without fixing the boiler though?

Please report her

StuntGirl · 07/05/2013 23:52

I remember your original thread too OP, so glad you got out of there and into a lovely new house!

If she tries to rent it out to anyone else I would have to report her, even if she could get in trouble. Much, much better than someone dying due to a faulty boiler.

cozietoesie · 07/05/2013 23:56

I seem to remember moving into my last house which had a dodgy gas fire/boiler (combined) and it had been disabled by the Gas Board with big red and white stickers all over it. That was many years ago though.

Might be worth checking with your supplier - with the new gas set up I'm not sure what the rules are these days.

AudrinaAdare · 08/05/2013 00:02

Oh, do please update the decor in the airing cupboard by writing "condemned bolier" in black marker.

Your MIL is a greedy piss-taking horror.

Congrats on your lovely new DS and good luck in your new home Smile Smile Smile

CookieB · 08/05/2013 01:39

Me & dp rent a house from his uncle. We have 2 dc & kept falling asleep all the time a few yrs ago. The gas cooker broke down 6 months after we moved in & when it was getting replaced the engineer checked the boiler. The flue was full of old newspapers and leaves! It was condemned because we wer getting poisoned. According to my dp's uncle the boiler was fine because it had worked fine for 30 years & he was gettin taken for a ride!? He replaced it eventually but it took 3 months thru 1 of the bitterest winters we had 2 get it completed. He is a money grabbing cunt like this bitch. I have a ds & can only hope of owning a house to pass to him & my dd.

Wibblypiglikesbananas · 08/05/2013 01:50

Given this latest development, please do report her. She'll be responsible for killing someone at this rate.

Tortoiseontheeggshell · 08/05/2013 02:24

OP, what a lovely update. So very satisfying.

dutchyoriginal · 08/05/2013 06:55

So lovely to hear about your new house! Congratulations!

Also, as many other posters have said, please report the boiler, before it kills someone! If you don't, it might even come back to you in the end ("this boiler is unsafe, why didn't the previous tenants say anything?").

Bearleigh · 08/05/2013 08:25

You might like to consider having a surveyor review the house as you leave it, and do a dilpidations report, just in case she tries to claim it was in a worse state than it actually is. At the very least, take photos of everything, with date stamps...

Good luck with the move and congratulations.

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