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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Landlord asking why we don’t have emergency funds

198 replies

JustDrained48 · 10/04/2019 23:52

We’ve rented the same property for 2 years.
We’ve always paid bang on date.
I’ve recently changed jobs which meant a change to my pay dates for the first month.
I immediately emailed our landlord to tell him this monthly rent would be a day late but would follow the original date here after.
Obviously I said I was sorry & hoped this was ok.
He sent a v long email by return stating that we needed to explain to him why we didn’t have emergency funds to cover these one off occurrences.
Should I even grace him with an answer?

OP posts:
RosaWaiting · 11/04/2019 15:20

oh goodness

don't waste time or energy emailing him to answer that. What a rude question.

CuriousaboutSamphire · 11/04/2019 17:30

Is there a reason you're insinuating that landlords have rights that they don't? Are you misinformed, or are you exaggerating to intimidate tenants? Oh please!

As you yourself said, it is legal to serve S8(sections)... courts then decide, as with anything that gets put in front of a judge! and A penny late for a day, would not even be considered a late payment. it is, as I am sure you know, quite legal to set before a judge for a persistent late payer. It is possible, the outcome will depend on full payment history! Just as it would if there was a much larger shortfall!

It isn't that hard to understand. Late payment of rent makes LLs uneasy. Why undermine your own tenancy? OPs LL could serve S21 if she is on a rolling contract... no fault needed and she would have to move at some near future point, paying even more if she waited for bailiffs and her LL chose to recoup costs!

Her LL has been vverbearing, but he may (as it has transpired in later posts) have reason!

Yabbers · 12/04/2019 17:44

LL is making a good point. But is a CF for saying it.

I probably wouldn’t have asked, just apologised and made some “bank fucked up” excuse on the day.

caringcarer · 12/04/2019 17:48

As a LL i would not bother if rent was one day late, especially as you had emailed to want. Life is too short to worry about idiots. I have in past agreed to a month late when tenant lost job and got another job. Easier to allow flexibility, and build goodwill than lose good tenant.

Kaddm · 12/04/2019 17:51

I’d just message the LL saying “I don’t have emergency funds as I’m too poor, sorry”
He is a prick for asking you something so stupid though. That’s why I’d just reply as above.

pinkpantherpink · 12/04/2019 17:55

Dontgobacon, ugh. Get over yourself

I wouldn't have bothered to mention that it would be a day late tbh. Ignore the question.

Shinesweetfreedom · 12/04/2019 17:55

Wouldn’t expect me to be a tenant for very longyou say,neither would I but as I own my home mortgage paid off that isn’t going to happen.
But I do feel desperately sorry for tenants living one pay packet to the next just to pay someone else’s mortgage.

ForalltheSaints · 12/04/2019 17:58

I think his email was wrong. Though if your savings or balance is such that one day's later pay means you cannot pay the largest household bill, this means you have either less than a one month's savings (unless they are tied up with limited withdrawal). You ought to think about how to build up some savings.

A landlord might use this as an excuse not to renew a tenancy.

DarkAtEndOfTunnel · 12/04/2019 18:02

In my extensive experience of landlords the vast majority are rich middle class types who have no idea whatsoever of what it's like to live on very little. Some of them are simply extraordinarily insensitive. Unfortunately us plebs just have to knuckle our foreheads and be as polite as we can.

Come the revolution, it'll be different, but for now try and swallow the rich twits' arrogance. Just reply with a 'sorry, no' and leave it at that.

But I do feel desperately sorry for tenants living one pay packet to the next just to pay someone else’s mortgage.
This is normal life. I've only just got out of renting myself. Thanks for feeling sorry about it, a constructive action might be to start asking questions of your political candidates about what they are going to do to reverse this trend of widening inequality.

nuxe1984 · 12/04/2019 18:08

Landlord probably has his own financial commitments.
You should have asked. If he said no then you arrange a short overdraft to pay on time and suck up the interest.
This is your problem, you shouldn't make it your landlord's.

happyhillock · 12/04/2019 18:20

It's only one day late, i would understand if you going to be a couple week's late, explain to him if you want to, i wouldn't.

micromanager1 · 12/04/2019 18:48

I think if it is only going to be 1 day you could have gotten away without saying anything - lots of banks say you should allow 1-3 business days for a transfer to complete.

Raising the issue may have gotten his back up if he thought you were downplaying the delay, getting his permission, and then delaying further. I would just make sure it's paid by the day you've said, and then send another email, thanking him for understanding and allowing you to make the transition into a new job.

For PPs who have questioned OPs lack of savings - could her old job not pay at the beginning of the month, OP then leaves to a new job which pays at the end of the month for the previous month, meaning OP goes effectively 2 months without salary? To ask to delay 24 hours as a one off to avoid overdraft costs seems entirely reasonable.

floribunda18 · 12/04/2019 18:49

Should I even grace him with an answer?

Fuck off you numpty.

But don't send it.

Just don't reply and pay a day late.

Rtruth · 12/04/2019 18:49

Well it’s a bit of a red flag for him.

He’s looking at it like this... they don’t have the money to cover if something goes wrong. That means they could screw me over with my bills!!

It could be that for 1 day you didn’t want to move funds but all you have done is scared him into worrying about how secure you are.

floribunda18 · 12/04/2019 18:53

BTL landlord is going to pay his mortgage a day late? Fucking diddums. I can't even muster a microscopic violin to play for him.

Nearly47 · 12/04/2019 18:53

He is being an idiot. I am a landlord and we have a few buffer days in case the tenant delays rent for whatever reason. If it is longer than 4 days we can charge interest but never had too. They have your deposit and they could also have landlord issurance. If he has a mortgage not having some sort of backup in case the tenant defaults is irresponsible.

Jamiefraserskilt · 12/04/2019 18:54

Is he your Dad?
Forget it.
Twat.

MaryBoBary · 12/04/2019 18:54

Surely the exact same question can be asked of him?

No asshole landlord, we don’t have emergency funds for events like this. Do you?

Inliverpool1 · 12/04/2019 18:59

I do have MY money available to pay if THEY are late but the ping is I shouldn’t fucking have to ... why should I be inconvenienced by even a day ? Rent is a priority bill, pay it or get out

MaryBoBary · 12/04/2019 19:01

Is that not a risk you take as a landlord? Surely that’s what landlord insurance is for?

MaryBoBary · 12/04/2019 19:02

And does your mortgage work like that? 1 day late and your house is repossessed?

No. So why should a tenant be held to such a ridiculous standard? Thank god you’re not my landlord Hmm

Inliverpool1 · 12/04/2019 19:03

The bank will mark me late if I don’t pay and that will go against me so yea it is an issue

MaryBoBary · 12/04/2019 19:04

Yes it’s an issue but you won’t be made homeless a day later as you said you would like to do to a tenant. So not the same.

MaryBoBary · 12/04/2019 19:05

Yes it’s an issue but you won’t be made homeless a day later. So not the same.

GnocchiGnocchi · 12/04/2019 19:06

Reading the OP's previous thread, the LL is absolutely right to be worried.

It's their attitude to money that explains why she didn't ask the LL it would be late, just told. Probably got his back up and I'm sure if she's ASKED - even if she had no back up plan if he said no - he would have been much more agreeable.