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!

welcome to the world of private renting...

My daughter came to visit me, with her dog, it barked ONCE and the neighbours were immediately in contact with the landlord telling him that I was keeping a dog and that it 'barked all night'.

This is what people are like, esp if you are the 'last in'.

viques - this lady certainly was. I’ve been courteous to the others, said good morning etc (though been ignored a fair few times). ‘Oh - you’re the new tenant, are you?’ The word tenant was long and drawn out. There was a definite tone there.

Because there is no one to complain to about such a minor issue if you owned the house? Honestly, just forget about it and give it no more head space.

Presumably it’s really difficult to track down the owner of a rented house but the to let sign would be fresh in their mind?

Whatever the reason, calm down love. I live in flats and often get letters telling me to move stuff that isn’t mine - we all do. I ignore them 🤷🏻‍♀️

I think you are perceiving issues where there aren’t any. You are the tenant, what else did you want them to call you? Householder, occupier? Does it even matter?

I agree with OP that the agent was out of order. They should know that busybody neighbours exist, and phrase their emails in such a way as to avoid accusing you.

As for the neighbour, I once parked my (taxed and insured) car in a housing estate, not by anyone's house just on a road with a wall along it, not in the way, and later the same day someone had rung the police reporting it as stolen and requested it be towed away. Some people have too much time on their hands.

I don't think you are overreacting. That's pretty spiteful behaviour. My neighbours picked on me for 10 years because I rented. Put me in my place...
I'm a fab tenant (you've obviously only got my word for this) some people do look down their noses at renters.

You're massively overreacting. The agent received a complaint and followed it up, as they should do.

Your neighbours may be shit but that isn't the fault of your agent.

Sounds annoying

But out of interest, what would you rather the agent did? What would happen if the landlord spoke to a neighbour who said they’d spoken to the agent (who he is probably paying to handle these things on his behalf) and found they had done nothing?

They haven't hassled you, they sent you an email to make you aware of a complaint made against you.

It is their responsibility as a letting agent to do so, to not do so would be irresponsible.

All you have to do is reply and say it's nothing to do with you and get on with your day...

If you think that LA care one bit about being reasonable and assessing the validity of any claim, you are deluding yourself. Remember they will have 100s of tenants on their books. The only thing they care about and make sure that nothing comes back to blame them for any problems, so the only reason they've written to you is in case you were to be trouble tenants and they could justified to the Landlord that they had acted on a complaint.

Saying that, you say that it wasn't your care, was it the car of a visitor? Parking on nice grass is not really the nicest thing to do especially if there were places to park on the road a bit further. If you have no idea whose car it was, then just laugh it off.

yes I once parked my van on my road, and the neighbours phoned the police and complained that it 'spoilt their view'.(different lot from the dog ones)
Honestly people are desperately bored and spiteful.

@whyo but the agent wouldn’t know it was unfounded?

I honestly don’t get all the support for the agent.

Not support. Just zero expectation, based on long experience, that a letting agent will not engage brain. They just pass things on, and do their best not to engage.

@Whyohsky OP I am totally with you on this! I'm a private tenant and I've experienced this kind of thing myself! I even had a horrible old busybody walk straight into my house to tell me off because I was using my hairdryer and she could hear it! Luckily my letting agents soon cottoned on and started ignoring her. They're not daft. However I never got the attitude you did!!!! I would definitely complain about the accusatory tone of that email!

Also, every single time a neighbour speaks to you, mention how you OWN a house elsewhere...! They'll soon stop the snobbery when they realise you're not beneath them. Not by a long shot

I can only assume that this is a 'last straw' in a long and difficult day for you, because it's such a non-issue.

The neighbour contacted the listing agent because they were too cowardly to talk to you directly.

The letting agents did their job. If they had ignored the complaint, the landlord might have been the next one to contact them, asking what he was paying them for.

The tone of the letter was accusatory. It may have been a standard letter, or written by an office junior.

If the car belonged to one of your visitors, it was a fair cop wasn't it, parking on the grass is inconsiderate and unlikely to go down well with other residents.

If it was nothing to do with you - fine, you've explained that, that's the end of it now surely.

OP we had similar when we first moved into private rental amongst owners - very naice area as well. We had similar complaints to LA for petty stuff - one also involving a car. In fact after moving said offensive car and parking on main road in front of house we then had a visit from police at 9pm to tell us it was too close to lamp-post and had complaint from wheelchair user who couldn't get past - I believe it was snooty neighbours with their curtain twitching.

Really pissed me off as my reaction to everything was 'why don't they just knock and let me know if something is a problem' - we were nice couple with young child - not roughnecks!
So glad when we eventually moved out

@MsSquiz No they didn't. They wrote her a snotty, rude email ASSUMING it was her and told her off like a naughty child! That is disgraceful. How dare they speak to her like that? She's a customer too! I am pretty certain OP will have paid hundreds of pounds in fees to the Letting Agent upon moving in?! Therefore she is a customer. Would you let a shop assistant speak to you like that?

@RainySeptember please read my post above

the neighbours phoned the police and complained that it 'spoilt their view'

haha. One neighbour objected to my tenant parking his smallish, new and clean work van on the street outside his window. So got a mate to paint a line on the street looking like an official Council no parking one. (Same paint...impressive). Its great. Parking in the street can get a bit hellish but we all know that we can park there and the Council wont enforce.

Until op posts the letter in full I'll reserve judgement. Her overreaction suggests it wouldn't take much for a letter to be considered accusatory.

I'm in the you're over reacting camp, neighbour complained to your agent, they forwarded to you, you replied

End of story

To powerless

A car is parked where a car is not usually parked - and by the sounds of it, where it imay not be reasonable to park ie on a customary community amenity. Described by you as crappy grassy area but could be viewed as welcome non paved section by the people already living there. It could be a random person, it could be a visitor to any house, it could be one of the existing residents having a mad rebellious moment but as it has happened recently in a seemingly recurrent way then it is not beyond the bounds of logic that it could be the new resident.

If the people whose houses are fronted by the grassy area are peeved about this and would like to do something about it they have probably asked around and eliminated everything but the random. They could either contact you directly and risk an infuriated reaction from someone who thinks it is just fine to park on a grassy area or they could contact you via third party. If there was a To Let board before you moved in doesn’t take Sherlock to be able to contact the agent.

The agent has said there have been complaints and sought to clarify the position, you have said it isn’t you - you seem to be reading so much into the whole thing than is justified. .

Although I wonder if the neighbour has complained about many many things and the agent finally had to send something to shut them up