AIBU to think this is a really shitty way to behave?

[ballinacup]

An acquaintance was talking very proudly today about how she has evicted her tenants. She's done it completely illegally by sneaking in whilst they were out and changing the locks.

Yes, they were shitty tenants, but I still think making someone homeless without notice is a bit off. However, it gets worse.

She will not give the tenants their possessions. She finds it hilarious that the couple have called her on several occasions in tears, begging for their five month old's clothes/bottles/cot. Acquaintance's sister is expecting so she's given all of their stuff to her.

She stormed into the office fuming today as the tenants are taking legal action against her. Aibu to hope she gets into serious trouble for, essentially, stealing from a baby?

No, I don't in fact. I had shitty tenants once. It was made worse by the fact it was my "home" (I was working away.) I got it re painted, new carpets, fixed a power shower in. They trod shit all over the place, wrecked the shower, left so much food around that I got rats didn't pay the rent for four months and wrote abusive messages on my walls when I legally had them evicted.

The things I would like to do to them are unprintable. I HATE them. I felt totally violated by them and them crying for their belongings back would be the least of what I'd like to do for them. They can buy a new cot and clothes with the rent money they didn't pay. YABU.

It's a long time since I was a landlady but the position then was two months notice to evict someone (& they had to give the same notice if terminating a contract early) I can understand the frustration caused by bad tenants but she really ought to have done this properly. She sounds crackers (also nasty & vindictive)

I just felt desperate to get mine out. Honestly, the damage was just terrible. It took months and thousands of pounds to sort.

I evicted mine legally but they took revenge by trashing the house even more. I moved in the end after sorting it as it really did make me feel completely, utterly violated. Having a baby doesn't make people 'good' or vulnerable, I feel sorry for the baby but it doesn't turn them into saints/martyrs either.

I feel sorry for the baby but it doesn't turn them into saints/martyrs either.

I totally agree. They were irresponsible parents by putting themselves at risk of eviction by their appalling behaviour.

She is in big expensive bother, if they sue her for illegal eviction she is looking at a massive payout to them. Oh, and theft for not giving them back their stuff.

I don't think anybody is defending the tenants behaviour rainydarkskies, but as a landlord you agree to certain legal responsibilities and from a business sense accept that you could get awful tenants that pay you nothing,trash the place and leave you out of pocket. I'm sure you know this now but hopefully your tale is a good example to others of why renting out a property you are emotionally invested in is a terrible idea.

She is a bitch, there is no excuse for that behaviour. If you want to reap the benefits of being in a lucky position to rent somewhere out you have to go by the book and be responsible. Thats true even if your tenants fuck you over. Disgusting behaviour, I hope she gets fined to hell and struggles to find new tenants.

I'm sure you know this now but hopefully your tale is a good example to others of why renting out a property you are emotionally invested in is a terrible idea.

But sometimes people don't have any other choice than to do this. Not everyone goes into this as an investment opportunity.

Agree etoo but then I was never a 'business' landlord, I just ended up in a position where I had to work away, and renting out my property seemed sensible.

The point here is that I do know some awful landlords but then I also think there's a shocked sort of tone to some threads which can't believe someone could be so ruthless to a BABY - but I don't think this landlady has, I think she's just lost all patience.

I would not refuse to return a cot but oh my I'd be tempted!

What a vile woman

I don't understand that attitude though Natasha. I mean, surely you would expect people to pay for a service?

Besides the OP said they were 'shitty' tenants: not paying the rent was the LEAST of my problems!

Very poor behaviour. It's nonsense like this that (as always happens) means the already law abiding landlords have to sign up to all manners of schemes, at a cost, when the immoral ones tend to ignore them and continue being shitty landlords.

If had a similar experience to you rainy. It's a few years ago now but whenever I think about it I still feel hate towards the tenant as much now as I did then.

You have to give notice of eviction. She has not done this legally and will probably suffer the consequences via legal action. Very sad that she didn't think about the child in all of this. She will realise soon enough that what she did was wrong, even if it 'only' costs her financially and through stress of Court. Silly woman.

Just to add, honestly, if someone rang me up and said 'look, I'm so sorry, cash flow problem, can we make an arrangement?' I wouldn't have minded in the slightest.

I could even have lived with the rent not being paid.

It was the poo, dirt, graffiti, breaking my things, upsetting my (lovely) neighbours, ruining the garden, the pond, stealing stuff from the she'd (gardening things) - it was SO upsetting!

Well she doesn't sound terribly nice but who knows what those tenants might have been doing to the property.

She should have legally evicted them as she will now be in a rather expensive bit of trouble.

She should also just give them back their things.

What a cunt. If it gets as far as a judge (bearing in mind that illegal eviction is a criminal offence and not a civil one) the book will be thrown at her.

Just like in all other businesses, being a landlord involves business risks. The odd crap tenant, non-payment of rent and trashing of houses is a business risk, and if she doesn't like it she isn't cut out to be a landlord.

You have no idea what they put her through. It's a crappy thread OP.

As a reluctant tenant, if she'd done that to me I would have broken the doors, changed the locks again and then called the police to have her up for illegal entry and burglary.

She could be a nasty person, or just absolutely desperate and angry.

I suppose I am interested as if there wasn't a baby involved - if someone was ringing up saying, "I want my clothes/phone charger/DVDs back" would people still think what an awful person the LL was?

Ultimately, housing, feeding and providing a bed for a baby rests with the parents and I don't condone the LLs actions but am also surprised at how quickly the parents have been assumed to be the victims here. They played a part, did not pay rent.

If someone went in a shop and tried to steal baby food, it might be more understandable than stealing an iPad but still wrong? Not paying rent is theft: it's refusing to pay for a service.

What did the tenants do op? Why were they so shit?

She may be gloating just now at her "clever" eviction but she could land herself in major hot water. And giving away their baby's possessions is despicable. What did the baby do to her?

Non payment of rent is one thing - yes, financial circumstances can change in an instant but trashing the place is a different ball game. It wouldn't surprise me if the woman ends up on the SS radar to be honest if this goes to court. What sort of environment is that to raise children.