Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

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

309 replies

ballinacup · 22/01/2014 19:24

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?

OP posts:
RandyRudolf · 22/01/2014 22:44

Just as LLs should have a insurance/contingency plan in place then shouldn't tenants have some savings in place for when their salary/benefit payments are delayed?

LessMissAbs · 22/01/2014 22:45

Did they persistently pay the rent late, OP? Not excusing the behaviour in any way, but it seems somewhat extreme to change the locks and secure the property if it was the first non-payment of rent.

VampyreofTimeandMemory · 22/01/2014 22:45

yonis i'd be interested to know how many of the posters defending this vile twat would refuse to let the couple have their baby's things. anyone?

loveisagirlnameddaisy · 22/01/2014 22:45

Trainin makes some very good points. But I don't think you can compare a business debt with a supplier (ie another business) to that of a LL/tenant relationship and still expect the LL to accept that it's 'just business'. It's clearly more personal than that and those who talk of 'fragile tenants rights' are implying the same. So what is it: business or personal? It can't be both.

LessMissAbs · 22/01/2014 22:46

A right of lien is standard in Scotland, train

yonisareforever · 22/01/2014 22:46

we had a horrific ll next to us, house was vile, lodgers had no written agreements, they were awful yes, but I still felt for them with that awful LL, he literally put their lives in danger with faulty electrics and building to get more in, stuffed 12 into a 4 room house....in the end he sold it and will go and do the same thing elsewhere....

there should be something to BAN certain people from being LL's.

etoo · 22/01/2014 22:46

And you think that burden should be extended to 300 days etoo?

I've already corrected you on that point already. Keeping trying to put words that I didn't say into my mouth is rather tedious.

BrianTheMole · 22/01/2014 22:46

Hell no, I didn't harass my tenants. They were aggressive and violent. Not some wilting fragile flowers.

As for taking a dislike to you, I don't know you. So I couldn't make a judgement on that.

randomAXEofkindness · 22/01/2014 22:48

Well I should think he just wanted his rent and didn't believe you. Nothing to do with seeing you squirm, you think he was happy to let you live there rent free just so he could see you squirm? Really? Why didn't you give him the details of your claim and permission to speak to the council so he could check for himself a claim had been made. If I knew that myself, then I would suck it up and deal with it.

It sounds to me like you assume that all LL are decent reasonable people Brian. But you don't assume the same of tenants. That's interesting. Why is that?

RandyRudolf · 22/01/2014 22:48

vampyre I don't think anyone on here including landlords would refuse to give back a baby's cot. I'd happily take possession of their tv/ex box/laptop if legally able to do so though.

LessMissAbs · 22/01/2014 22:49

Random Haranguing somebody day and night for weeks to do something impossible for them is called 'harassment', not 'help'. Maybe you harass your own tenants in the name of 'working out a plan'. Or maybe you're just being contrary because you've taken a dislike to me. I hope it's the latter

That's about as exaggerated as saying that someone who lives in another's property and fails to pay rent is committing fraud.

You were evicted. To be fair, theres not a lot of point in you being tenants if you don't pay the rent, is there? Its not as if you're doing a landlord a great favour by living in their house free of charge for them.

yonisareforever · 22/01/2014 22:49

VampyreofTimeandMemory

My dad rents out his flat and I have had to clean rooms laden with dog shit, rip out rank carpets from tennants who have not paid him, dealt with stale vomit!

Had to listen to abusive messages from them when he was chasing rent.

I have seen many sides of LL treating tennants or lodgers awfully and I have seen appalling lodgers and tennants, but I wouldnt punish the baby.

I would not take the babies bloody cot. Don't blame the child for the parents, how can you punish the baby, it was the babies things they came in crying for!

etoo · 22/01/2014 22:50

Just as LLs should have a insurance/contingency plan in place then shouldn't tenants have some savings in place for when their salary/benefit payments are delayed?

Yes of course they should, although you'd also have to be realistic and say that for some tenants on benefits, having a few months rent stored up isn't always possible.

But this isn't a "who is right" scenario, the tenants are clearly wrong to have paid their rent late (although it doesn't exactly sound like crime of the century), but that doesn't mean the landlord can't also be wrong.

justmyview · 22/01/2014 22:50

Yes a LL should consider the risks of letting a property eg how the LL would pay the mortgage if the tenants are not paying the rent. That doesn't mean the LL should suck it up if the tenant stops paying rent and think this is all OK

RandyRudolf · 22/01/2014 22:50

we had a horrific ll next to us, house was vile, lodgers had no written agreements, they were awful yes, but I still felt for them with that awful LL, he literally put their lives in danger with faulty electrics and building to get more in, stuffed 12 into a 4 room house....in the end he sold it and will go and do the same thing elsewhere....

They should have reported their landlord to the council.

BrianTheMole · 22/01/2014 22:51

You're a little tedious yourself etoo, imo.

yonisareforever · 22/01/2014 22:51

vampyre I don't think anyone on here including landlords would refuse to give back a baby's cot

this is what the thread is about, a LL taking the babies stuff and laughing about it. Passing it to her sister.

yonisareforever · 22/01/2014 22:51

randy

Oh bless....bless.

Original poster
ballinacup · 22/01/2014 22:53

Yes, my understanding is that it was persistently late. From what acquaintance has said the property wasn't damaged though.

OP posts:
RandyRudolf · 22/01/2014 22:53

So they were living their illegally yoni

Sounds like it to me.

VampyreofTimeandMemory · 22/01/2014 22:55

well if no-one on here, including landlords, would be okay with doing that then clearly these people must think this ll is being unreasonable?

yonisareforever · 22/01/2014 22:55

Randy!

ballinacup

yes awful, not paying rent, yes take steps to evict them, but just dont take the babies things!

traininthedistance · 22/01/2014 22:57

OK - I'm not an expert in Scottish law - it's certainly not in English law!

I think the problem is that non-professional landlords are getting the status of their property when they let it confused. It isn't more "personal", any more than a family business that has been running for years is legally owed any "personal" consideration over a bad debt.

And, OP, your work colleague is a really nasty woman. Whatever people think about the tenants, taking necessary things from a baby is despicable :(

BrianTheMole · 22/01/2014 22:58

It sounds to me like you assume that all LL are decent reasonable people Brian. But you don't assume the same of tenants. That's interesting. Why is that?

Well, in fairness, the tenants I had up until the tenants from hell moved in were amazing. They kept the house clean, generally paid the rent on time, occasionally couldn't, but always always talked to me about it. But if someone doesn't pay the rent for a month, and stops talking, then it would concern me. I've been there already. It didn't turn out well.
And no I don't assume all landlords are good, some of mine certainly didn't maintain their houses, but I never had a problem when negotiating rent. Probably because its more hassle than its worth to go to court, if a compromise can be reached instead.

cerealqueen · 22/01/2014 22:59

I would 'out' her - and call a local newspaper. Unbefuckingbelievable.