Shitty email from rental agent

[Whyohsky]

AIBU to be annoyed by this? Have rented our current house for a couple of months now and today I got an email from the agent saying they’d had a complaint from some neighbours about our car being parked on the ‘green’ (crappy grassy area in front of a few of the houses). Firstly, it wasn’t our car! And secondly, how dare they start accusing us of something on the word of an unnamed neighbour? Our landlord hasn’t been in touch, so it’s clearly not an issue they’re aware of (or at all ) but how dare a neighbour go tittle tattling to the people we rent our house through, whether we’d done anything or not?

WWYD? So far I wrote back a one line email saying it wasn’t our car (which is always in the drive) but I’m appalled they’ve taken the word of a local busybody and essentially told me off for something I haven’t done. Even if I had done it, it’s not illegal! For context, it’s a very naice area, lots of retired people round a close and just a couple of families. It’s expensive (£2K/month) and I get the feeling the neighbours look down on us for renting (one came and asked if I was the new tenant when we moved in, very snooty). We’re just a boring family, 2.4 DC, both at work during the day and DC at school/holiday club. It’s really upset me!

Yabu for being so dramatic about it! You've told them it's not your car, that should be the end of it.

If the neighbours said you'd done it I'm not sure what the agent could do except tell you. You've let them know the score and I expect that will be the end of it. I would try not to get too worked up about it.

Well, they had a complaint, you told them it wasn't you. Unless they swore at you in the letter they were just doing their job!

But now you know how picky at least one of your neighbours is... if you don't feel comnfortable living there you can always move when your tenancy ends. But it isn't anything the agent has done!

Bit of an overreaction on your part. Maybe neighbour thought it might be a visitor to your house parking there. Agent has a duty to follow up complaints. Just reply neutrally that they are mistaken.

It should, you’re right, 9am. I just can’t imagine having the audacity to seek out someone’s rental agent to make a petty (and in this case unfounded) accusation. I feel like we’re being spied on already... When the inventory clerk let me in on the first day we arrived, she made a joke about ‘the eyes’ watching her. We are very definitely the incomers.

It happened to me, yeah, years ago. Apparently I was leaving the door open when I put out the wheelie bin. I didn’t really appreciate being told off like s naughty ten year old for living in the home I paid for.

I can see it’s annoying but I think you are overreacting a bit.

We rent out a property through a property agent. We never contact our tenants directly, we’d only ever communicate through the agent.

I’m sure the neighbours don’t look down on you for renting. Our house is a similar price and neighbourhood and I know that our neighbours have generally made friends with/got on well with all of our tenants.

It may be that one of the neighbours is a bit of a busybody but that isn’t the agent’s fault. Their job is just to deal with the issues raised.

You responded to the issue, case closed.

It’s interesting as we are landlords ourselves (moved quickly for work and rented out previous place). There is no way I’d work with an agent who hassled my tenant like this! I’d expect gossip to be ignored and the agent to act for the landlord, not pass on rumours from small minded neighbours clearly out to make trouble.

Until next time.

Or would any of you appreciate the mortgage company being told where you parked your car?

This is an over reaction to such non issue. So YABU.

I wonder if the previous tenants were a nightmare and the neighbours felt they daren't talk to you directly in case you turned out to be the same? You may be being punished for someone else's misdemeanours.

They didn’t hassle you or listen to gossip. They made you aware of a complaint and you have corrected them. That’s all!

Thanks idont - I’m sure my landlord couldn’t care less. We have a decent enough relationship (in fact I’ve replaced an appliance that broke recently and have arranged directly to take the cost from next month’s rent, saving him time and effort as he’s away).

To everyone who’s saying I’m overreacting, I suppose I’m worried about where it will stop. What else might the neighbours say? What else might the agent believe? The email was very definitely of the telling off variety, without even checking it had been us in the first place. Straight to accusation and a bollocking.

Just trying to imagine 0.4 of a child. is it like a jelly baby? Is the head or feet missing?

Bit of an over reaction really. So what, even if it was your car, if it was parked legally.

They probably should have approached you directly but i’m not sure one email counts as harassment. If your old neighbours made a complaint would you expect it to be ignored or investigated?

Sorry I meant made a complaint about your current tenants

Right or wrong if they get a compliant they have to follow it up. Depends how far you want to go you could go to neighbours and ask them and set them straight .

@whyohsky, I can imagine the snobbery. when I moved in to my house I hadn't been there long when a new neighbour knocked on the door and asked for the landlord's address

I am a single parent and I don't have time to do the grass as often as I should I know but when I told her that I owned the house, she said ''are you sure?''. I said ''I'm sure, what's your landlord's address'' and she turned and ran. Makes me laugh! They have TWO commercial vehicles outside their house and the funny thing is, my Mother sniffs at that, that their commercial vehicles drag down the tone of the cul de sac!

I am with @Nicknacky

No one hassled you. You got 1letter. How is agent supposed to know it's not your car? They have to contact you.

You are having a bad day, aren't you, because this is a massive overreaction.

Gizlot - I’d take it with a pinch of salt and would only get in touch with them if it was a - a safety issue and b - it was founded!

It happens.

I am a landlord with flats in a couple of blocks, and very used to my tenants being blamed for stuff, even though I am 100% certain that it was not them. And yes pictures of cars parked in the wrong place, which are automatically assumed to belong to tenants, rather than owners or their visitors.

People living in Council housing in a mixed tenure street probably get the same.

Bide your time. You will eventually discover whho the busy body is - probably because they will bitch to you about someone else. Think of something apprioriate to say.

Maybe the tenants before you were grass parking CFs and the neighbours were fed up with them and didn't want things to escalate.

Fortunately it wasn't your car which the agent now knows. They did right to contact you, you did right to let them know. All square now.

Btw if you start assuming your neighbours are snobs then don't get snotty when they assume stuff about you. Try smiling and being friendly.

Our agent once rang us to say a neighbour was complaining our ddog was barking at her through the front room window (huge sill ddog assumed to be her viewing post). I asked where ndn was? Standing in our walled- off front garden!!
Stop snooping you old bat!

I honestly don’t get all the support for the agent. So it’s ok for someone with a grievance against us to go whining to our rental agent about a made up issue, resulting in us getting a snippy email from them, but if we owned the house they wouldn’t have a leg to stand on?

There is no way I’d work with an agent who hassled my tenant like this!

Would you necessarily know?

If the tone of the agent’s email was inappropriate then make a complaint (about the tone, not about the email)

As for “where it might end” don’t borrow trouble, deal with things as they come up and meanwhile make an effort to get to know the neighbours to head off any future problems.