Bullied by estate agent - could go to the papers to retaliate?

[Auntieaunt]

I moved into the most stunningly beautiful building a month ago. It's central location to the city I work in and currently for sale for over 2 million. It's a shared house and one housemate is mentally unstable to say the least. I.e. will freely make remarks about her believing that Muslims should be gassed with gays, disabled and 'other' types of people. Said house mate has also made threatening comments to myself and my other housemates. I've never met anyone who has these beliefs, will speak so freely about said matters and then an estate agent who doesn't care.

Essentially we've received a message stating with such a beautiful building we can be replaced within a week so we can either put up or get out. Because the building is up for sale we're only on a 28 day rolling contract.

We have no rights as we're not technically not tenants. We've spoke to the landlord who isn't happy and had a serious conversation with the agency. Now the agency has screamed down the phone stating that we're messing with thousands of pounds of business for them. Essentially the agency is going to throw us all out except the extremist (spoke to the police but as it happened on private property it isn't illegal).

We're in a no win situation. The only thing we feel like we can do is go to the papers (I've left out some info but its prime front page daily mail material). But we would prefer to stay in the house, could I casually drop in going to the papers to the agency to stand up to the bully of the agency?

I would just move.

I don't understand?
You want the agency to remove a tenant from a house share because they have extreme views and because they won't you want to go to the papers? (not condoning, just trying to understand the AIBU?)

Is it a well-known (and not well-liked) big estate agents? Some of the big names do get some adverse publicity for their awful behaviour.
Also is there something missing from your original post -- did you complain to the agents about the racist housemate and it all blew up from there?

First of all I'd get back onto the landlord and tell them about the estate agent's threatening behaviour. Check whether the EA could evict you even if the landlord did not agree.
As for telling the press -- it may work or it may not. You could also tell consumer watchdog-type radio and TV programmes?

Not the estate agents issue. Good luck with the press, unlikely to be interested unless you can document it and evidence it.

Not being unreasonable to be pissed off, but nothing to do with the estate agents

Uhmmm, we live in a free country and while unpleasant, someone trotting out toxic bile is not illegal if they are not in public. And presumably that person has lived there some time without issue.
Consequently the papers are unlikely to be very interested. The "story" from an outsider's point of view is that you've moved in with someone you don't like, and your agent won't kick out a rent-paying sitting tenant to suit you.
While thousands are homeless, having a housemate with some fairly nasty views is probably not a big deal.
I think you need to look for somewhere else.

Honestly just move out.

If you did go to the papers, presumably either the landlord or agency will tell you to leave anyway, so you’ll have caused a lot of fuss and not got a better result.

I can't see the 'story' being of any interest to the papers.
Especially as said bigot sounds like they have the same views as the paper you want to go to!

We all have "nutty" neighbours. Just avoid her!
I don't understand why you are making such a fuss about it.
You've already mentioned that she is mentally unstable, so just ignore her.
Btw YABU!

Unfortunately, until something violent or newsworthy happens, I don't think this is the kind of thing that makes the papers.

If you feel personally threatened by this person, you need to leave. No, you shouldn't have to, but don't stick around until it gets really dangerous. No building's beautiful enough to merit this.

If you do stay, make sure you immediately comminicate all threatening behaviour to your landlord/agent, preferably in writing. Don't focus on the nasty opinions (although they are, obviously, vile): highlight the stuff which is directed at you and makes you feel unsafe.

I don't understand about you not technically being tenant, though. Are you paying rent? Is it a HMO? Do you have a contract, and does it say anything about antisocial or threatening behaviour?

The housemate sounds awful and I feel so sorry for you having to live with them, but I don't really understand how it's the estate agent's responsibility? If the housemate pays their rent and abides by the rules of the tenancy agreement I don't really see why the estate agent would be involved? Sorry if I have misunderstood though!

Shocked we live in a world where this behaviour is accepted

Well unless they are committing a crime or going against the terms in their lease I don't think the estate agent could do anything. Even then it'd be the landlord anyway.

Well unfortunately holding unpleasant views isn't an issue I think the estate agents can get involved with? They can't just kick them out because their views are horrible.

My friend let a room out a few years ago to a guy. Found out afterwards by accident he was a neo-nazi (walked in on him topless and showing his swastika). Not a great situation, but nothing she could legally revoke his tenancy on.

Have you tried getting independent advice about your rights in this situation? I'm thinking of Shelter in particular.

We have no rights as we're not technically tenants

Why not?

if you're not technically tenants then what are you?

i don't understand anything about this - please type more slowly with signals

There’s no such thing as a “28 day rolling contract”.

When you move in you’re on a minimum 6 month term, and after that they have to give you 2 months notice that they intend to take back the property.

I suggest you contact Shelter for some advice.

How is your estate agent actually 'bullying' you?

Well they can't really throw him out just because you don't agree with him. If that was the case then he could go to them with the same complaint and have you thrown out. Your only chance if getting rid of him is the threatening comments. If they made you fear for your immediate safety then this could be common assault (crime) so something along the lines of "I'm going to kill you." . If you had witnesses you could then report this to the police and assuming there is a clause in his tenancy agreement get them to throw him out or try to get a restraining order requiring him to move out.

DD and her BF in a rental flat where the whole block had problems with a nightmare neighbour (loud parties, drinking, fights, verbal abuse, breaking other neighbours' property, police called out multiple times...) But the landlord refused to evict her despite multiple breaches of the residency contract

... turned out she was the landlord's niece.

@absisspartacus I suspect its less of a case of them accepting the views and more about them not having any legal route to eviction resulting from the views.

I am a landlord. Your gripe with your sharer is not the landlord's (or the estate agent, as his/her representative's)responsibility and I can't see why you would think it would be, especially as it looks as if she was there first. You can't get rid of people because you don't like their views.
As it happens, I am also an ex journalist and I can confirm that no newspaper would be remotely interested in your 'story'
I am assuming you are quite young? You are going to have to get used to people who think differently to you, I am afraid.