To not get involved in landlord 'dispute', considering she's paying me?

[MirandaGoshawk]

Friend/neighbour (FN)has gone to Australia to work for a year. She's let her house out to a young girl she met in the park, for reduced rent in exchange for her looking after her cats for the year. FN asked me to keep an eye on the place, let her know if any problems etc.

The day before she went she asked me if I'd take care of the post - all of a sudden she didn't want to leave it to the tenant. I was to get the post from her box every day & keep it for her/send it to her, & she'd pay me an hourly rate. I said OK, but asked her to get it redirected to my house. But she hasn't, & tenant passes it to me weekly - after all, there's her post in there too. Anyway, about a week after FN went I get a call from her sister asking me to open the post and email the details - fine. I've sorted various personal things for her, made phone calls, etc. I've chased up the tenant to email FN when she asked me to, but this did feel like nannying.

Now someone else has emailed her that the tenant is looking after dogs & other cats at the house and she's sent me a panicked and very 'worried' email & asking me to tell the tenant this isn't on. I've declined, saying it's between the two of them. I get on well with the tenant & don't want to be seen as interfering. But she is paying me. This was three weeks ago & she hasn't contacted me. I suspect she is very angry. AIBU?

So the arrangement was for her to pay you to collect her post? You've gone above that already, I wouldn't do any more than you are already. She's taking the piss. Can't she email the tenant herself?

She's paying you to redirect her post, not to manage her property.
What did she expect when she let her house to a complete stranger she met in the park? If I was you, I'd opt out of the arrangement completely, things can only get worse.

Thanks folks. She could of course email the tenant, and I expect she has done, but thought it would be better if approached face to face.

The problem may be that she caught me at a bad time (DH recovering from heart surgery & is depressed) and I was a bit sharp in replying. I thought 'FFS, worrying about a bloody carpet from across the world' and said something along the lines of 'Landlords have to take the cash & hope the tenant doesn't trash the place.' But I also told her I'd been in there & carpet looks fine & cats well cared-for. But she's a bit bossy (teacher) and not used to people saying no. The week before this she was on about how we must Skype and then she doesn't reply to my emails...