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!

"We have had reports from a neighbour that your car had been parked on the green outside number X They have kindly asked that you not park on the green in the future."

Worth reposting the offending email here I think. Just to remind ourselves of how picked on and accused op must feel. Of course she must defend herself, lest she be trodden all over and slide headlong into a Gilead dystopia.

She sent a one line reply saying it wasn't hers hours and hours ago. That should've been the end of it IMO.

@RainySeptember - neither the neighbour or letting agent had any jurisdiction over op though. That's the point.

neither the neighbour or letting agent had any jurisdiction over op though. That's the point

They may have. IF OP was parking in a way that obstructed, inconvenienced etc her neighbours, it could be counted as anti social behavior, a patter of which could lead to termination of her rental contract.

My old neighbours once reported our old (but taxed, mot'd, insured and perfectly legally parked) car as an abandoned vehicle. Purely because they thought it brought the tone of the street down. They didn't like 'tenants' (picture the sneer face as it's said) either. We took great delight in covering the car with the cheesiest, brightest bumper stickers we could find after that

They also reported us to the landlord and the RSPCA for leaving our cat locked in the house when we went away for a few days. Apparently it sounded very distressed. Amazing really, given we didn't even own a cat. Good job the landlord believed us as there was a no pets clause. Some people have too much time on their hands and too little to worry about.

Rental agent acted as they should. You replied as appropriate. End of. Agent will hopefully passed message to complainant. Oh, if a car mounts the footpath e.g. over the kerbing of any kind that is an offence. Check Highway Code in case you have to spy on actual culprit.

Wow - so much extrapolation! Thanks for the more balanced points of view. Honestly, we are just a regular family, nothing untoward about us. I’ve lived in rented properties and properties I’ve owned. As above, we have a property we rent out and I know tenants’ and landlords’ rights inside out. What I don’t appreciate is someone telling tales on us when if we were owners, this wouldn’t be an option. I also wouldn’t treat my own tenants like this, or use an agent who would, as it’s simply not fair.

To those who’ve said the neighbours have had a lucky escape not having to talk to me and I must be the problem, fine, believe that if you like. In reality I’m a busy mum who is polite to those who are polite to me. I won’t allow myself to be treated badly by others though and I won’t take being spoken to like I’m five by a property agent who clearly believes a curtain twitcher over me, and hasn’t the intelligence to ask for my version of events before writing to me implying I’m at fault. When I said the email was shitty, I meant the content and implication - it wasn’t particularly rude per se, but I didn’t appreciate the tone and guilty until proven innocent vibe.

Yes, maybe I shouldn’t let it get to me and there are bigger problems in the world. But if you’d lived where I do (and it sounds like others have had similar) you’d understand the Gilead references! There are plenty of retired people ‘keeping an eye’ on us and it’s creepy and disconcerting.

I wonder who the car did belong to? Possibly a CF who commutes?

Op - AIBU?
Majority of responders - yes Op YABU
Op - No I am not
Majority responders - yes you are
Op - No I am not

Why ask if YABU if you already believe you aren’t? Did you want everyone to just agree with you?

"neither the neighbour or letting agent had any jurisdiction over op though. That's the point."

Yes, and that's why it's worded 'kindly asked' not 'must insist' or 'will evict on repeat' or 'will be reported to relevant authorities'. Just, 'they have kindly asked'.

OP, if you were owners they'd have left an anonymous note because they wouldn't have had the option of going to the letting agent.

It still would've pissed you off to be unfairly accused.

Is your main issue that a neighbour had the affront to complain about you, that he didn't speak to you directly or that the letting agent should've told him to clear off and/or investigate a bit more before firing off an email?

Because people do complain about and to their neighbours. Unless you live in isolation, people will grumble, judge and form an opinion on all sorts of things.

And he may have spoken to the letting agent because the last tenant told him to fuck off.

And the letting agent fired off an email because they want a written record that they did something about it in case you end up being the tenants from hell, or the neighbour contacts the landlord next.

And they didn't investigate because they don't care, it's so minor and trivial, a standard email was fired off and I doubt they expected in a million years that the recipient would be in any way upset by it.

I do think they should tell the neighbour that it wasn't your car, and acknowledge your reply.

I won’t allow myself to be treated badly by others though and I won’t take being spoken to like I’m five by a property agent who clearly believes a curtain twitcher over me, and hasn’t the intelligence to ask for my version of events before writing to me implying I’m at fault. When I said the email was shitty, I meant the content and implication - it wasn’t particularly rude per se, but I didn’t appreciate the tone and guilty until proven innocent vibe

You're a chippy, antagonistic, drama queen. You are so over the top you might need a space suit!

You're a chippy, antagonistic, drama queen. You are so over the top you might need a space suit!

You win @KoolAidPickle

I feel your pain op
Sadly, the agent is just doing ‘his job’ and has to act upon the report

My beef would be with the interfering neighbour/s. I’d be inclined to approach them about it whenever I saw any of them!

Having lived next to people who told us “you only rent so don’t have the same rights as us” it’s pure snobbery! I soon put her right by declaring we paid the rent, all the bills like them, the only difference being ownership. Ironically, both of them had grown up in council houses, just like us!!

Suggest you park on the grass just to be awkward!

Don't worry about it. You have set the record straight. However, I understand why you are annoyed. If they thought it was your car, they should have spoken to you - not the agent.

OP i think you’re being very unfair to the agent. What are they supposed to do?! They didn’t tell you off, they just told you they’d received a complaint. They are obliged to do that.
The shoddy party is the neighbour. If they had an issue they should have spoken to you first. Who would they tell if you owned the house?!
Did the car belong to a guest of yours or was it just a random car?

I feel your irritation- we’ve been in exactly the same position and we got some really nasty letters off our LL’s agent without any discussion with us as to the situation - just accusations. Gave them a right what for and in the end and they changed their tune when were in a position to accurately and truthfully report back on other nearby tenants and the goings on.

I won’t allow myself to be treated badly by others though

You haven't been treated badly, you received a polite, if blunt, email from your LA that they had received a complaint. How is that being treated badly?

I won’t take being spoken to like I’m five by a property agent who clearly believes a curtain twitcher over me, and hasn’t the intelligence to ask for my version of events before writing to me implying I’m at fault.

The LA does not say they believe the neighbour. They merely say that they have received a complaint and the neighbour has kindly asked that it cease. They are merely the messenger.

They could have asked your side and turned it into a huge discussion, but it's a car parking issue ffs, they probably have bigger issues to deal with. They could have ignored the neighbour but they will have wanted to create a paper trail in case a) you were the one causing issues and they needed to show that they had spoken to you b) there were any further issues c) the neighbour contacted the LL and they wanted to show they had the "issue" in hand.

All that was required was a response staying that the car was not yours, nor did it belong to your guests or anyone related to you, so the complaint was unfounded but you would be sure to keep the "no parking on the verge" info in mind while parking.

When I said the email was shitty, I meant the content and implication - it wasn’t particularly rude per se, but I didn’t appreciate the tone and guilty until proven innocent vibe

Again the LA will have just fired off the email quickly based on the information available.

You don't know exactly what message the LA received - they could have got a ranty expletive filled note about the "crime" or they could have received a complaint filled with bare faced lies (e.g. they stated they knew it was your car as they watched you get in/out) that meant the LA felt that they needed to make a response.

Tbf they have done nothing but state fact - they received X complaint about Y tenant and wanted to make Y tenant aware of the accusation so that they can modify their behaviour if applicable and if not they just need to respond to tell them they have received the message but it doesn't apply to them.

I rent and I have never had issues with my neighbours judging me, but I have in the past experienced issues with a NDN who was also renting and was causing issues - letting their dog shit right outside my back gate, where my DD played with her friends; playing loud music at all hours; leaving the dog to bark for hours on end in a terraced house etc.

I could have gone to the neighbour but I was concerned that someone who would engage in antisocial behaviour like I experienced wouldn't take to well to me coming round to complain, and I would be making myself a target if they wanted to retaliate. Therefore I emailed their letting agent and asked them to speak to their tenant. They were apologetic that I had had issues and assured me that they would pass on my concerns but ensure that it was anonymised and generalised so that they couldn't identify me as the complainant.

Haven’t rtft, but speaking as someone who works in a solicitors firm that specialises in housing issues, the agent did what they are required to do. It’s not a case of believing anything the neighbour says, rather advising of what’s been said.

It’s not discrimination or bias against renters either- you can get an anti-social behaviour injunction against you even if you own the property.

Some of the worst cases I’ve seen start out over very minor issues like this and it quickly descends into chaos. It’s not worth blowing it out of proportion to the point that you end up at war with the neighbours and dreading coming home

Cripes OP, you sound like hard work.

I am struggling to understand why a landlord giving their number to neighbours and saying they would be happy to hear if there are problems, is considered snooping.

I do this routinely. Obviously not to the nutty neighbours. I do the reverse there and suggest that if the tenants have problems they pass complaints on to to me and I will talk to the neighbour. I do tell my sensible neighbours that I have new tenants and that they have been properly referenced and seem very nice. However if there are problems for them to let me know.

Problem tenants are possibly as common as bad landlords. Really you never know. So the nice construction managers used my property as a hostel for a large number of their workers who flew in each week. (Almost certainly breaching HMO rules.) And the nice family man with a great consulting job turned out to be a fraudster with a party lifestyle wanted by the police. Sensible neighbours really only complain if there is something seriously amiss and as much on the basis that I would want to know because my property is being damaged. (Not parking on a verge unless it was persistant, perhaps causing access issues... and came with a diagram.) Plus if there is a problem that is likely to lead to me taking legal action to evict, I will want to know early and build a body of evidence. In some cases landlords can be held responsible for the behaviour of their tenants.

Why

You'd probably get a note from them. This is an easy way for them to be PA.

I would seriously advise you to stop dwelling on this and try and think of this as one unreasonable person. You seem determined to take umbrage against this community of retirees.

The wording wasn't great, unfortunately some estate agencies (particularly lettings) seem to attract a certain type of employee. They're generally very young and have a superiority complex because you're renting. I had a nightmare experience with one agency (nothing to do with neighbours, they were great and sad when we left because they had, had some awful tenants previously) who were rude and unresponsive. I didn't completely lose my shit though until I phoned them to find out why they hadn't attended the house inspection that they arranged and confirmed (& I'd cancelled meetings to attend) to have someone shout 'fucking shut up' down the phone at me.

@Needmoresleep - if I was one of yours tenants and found out that you were encouraging the neighbours to snoop on me I'd be fining alternative accommodation sharpish.

The wording wasn't great, unfortunately some estate agencies (particularly lettings) seem to attract a certain type of employee. They're generally very young and have a superiority complex because you're renting

What utter bollocks, not least because they are also probably renting! Do you think those young, badly paid employees all own their own houses?

No. Not snoop. Just tell me if there was some seriously anti social behaviour going on.

I have some nice neighbours who have been consistently supportive of my tenants: taking parcels in; holding keys etc. I am concerned that should they end up living next to some CF inconsiderate people, they should feel able to tell me so I can take appropriate action. Oddly I feel neighbours also deserve consideration. Plus in some cases the HMO license or head lease would expect me to act if there were anti-social behaviour.

Sorry. People need consideration, whether tenants or neighbours. If you consider that snooping so be it.

I think it’s totally true kool and don’t think it matters whether they own their house. Half of them probably live with their mum. They just get up themselves because they’re often not that smart and doing hard sales for large transactions so the lettings side of the business is the poor relation. I properly hate lettings agents. They tend to be quite stupid too, and don’t really understand tenancy agreements or the legalities of letting.