AIBU unreasonable to be pissed off at my DS's and DIL's judgemental attitude

[lesleyw1953]

My DS and DIL both earn an enormous salary and own a high status high value flat in a very expensive part of London. They repeatedly slag off private landlords - including us - as if we were horrendous social lepers exploiting the downtrodden poor. We own a number of properties. We charge less than the council house rent for all of them. Our properties are all high end - we keep them in a good state of decor and repair. In fact when one becomes free the first to view always signs the lease. Our tenants stay long term and over the past 10 years only one has moved on - and that was because their relationship broke down. Some of our tenants are DSS - some single parents. We take pride in providing quality housing with quality white goods and we act instantly if there are issues. So AIBU to think that they with their combined incomes of 200K and who do nothing concrete to help their fellow man are out of order in their criticism of us?

What have they said, and how do you reply?

Odd

I assume I’d they are high earners they pay for services

Restaurants
Theatre
Dry cleaning
Food delivery
Cleaners
Trades
Etc

This is the same thing in a different package

You're not shitty landlords but you're still profiting financially from the basic neccessity that people need a roof over their heads so .. sounds like you deserve each other tbh. They are probably just envious of your portfolio and are going to get into it themselves soon.

Also, why are you charging less than council rates for high end properties? How do you make any money? Are they aware of your charitable good works?

They’ll also be paying a lot of income tax surely? That helps fund NHS, benefits system, pensions etc. That helps their fellow man.

Just tell them you won’t be leaving any of your ‘ill gotten’ gains to them when you die.

@GrumpyHoonMain thlgrin

I meant

Next time they do this, ask what percentage of their salaries they freely give to the downtrodden poor.

The thatcher government actively decided to divest in council housing and left a massive gap in good housing. Private landlords filled the gap. Had the government not done this, there would be a lot less private landlords. The government is consistently good at deflecting blame regardless of which party’s policy created the problem in the first place. The tories are the biggest bunch of liars right now. No surprise you’ve been scapegoated.

Such a shame when people make a nasty, shameful profit by providing a necessity... Like food, water, clothing, etc. Everything should be free, really. And it's very rude to force people to rent that particular property! (Or was it their choice to do so?)

Definitely promise to make sure they won't receive the tainted money! (Brilliant suggestion!)

Why are these threads always at ungodly hours?

You charge less than council rent?

not enough information between you being 'made to feel' like scrubbers and slum landlords whilst they earn over 200k and I am reading the subtext as they have given nothing valid back to society"

I just don't know anymore, is this the matrix, I so can I get out somehow?

Private landlords provide a valuable service and fill the gap where councils used to provide housing

You can't be a landlord with multiple properties and expect not to get slagged off for it

‘You can't be a landlord with multiple properties and expect not to get slagged off for it hmm’

Of course you can! The OP’s business is perfectly legitimate and she pays tax on her profits. She is filling a gap in the market which would seize up if flexible private rentals were not available. She sounds like a very good landlady too, considerate, fair and efficient. The fact that her tenants sign up immediately and then stay out for years indicate this.

The are good and bad landlords and there are good and bad tenants. Renting per se is not the problem and provides a useful solution for many who, for various reasons, cannot or do not want to buy. To be prejudiced against landlords is just that, sheer prejudice, whether it be from a poster on Mumsnet or the OP’s sanctimonious DS and DIL.

And I think the suggestion that the OP tells her virtue signalling offspring that he will not inherit her fortune is hilarious. He will soon change his tune.

Stay put, not stay out! Grr! Predictive text!

I can never understand why nothing is of limits why is it that your finances are a topic of discussion amongst you.
Surely it’s neither of your business.

I don't really care about the ins and outs of this, but why are you letting your son talk about you like that?
If it upsets you, your son should be more respectful of his parents whether he is grown up or not.

Having lived in many a rented property, I think I would much rather a landlord like you OP, one who manages the property as a business. One who is efficient with repairs and actually bloody does them and doesn't just take the money and do bugger all else.

Unlike people who have two homes, two mortgages and just want someone to come in and pay their mortgage for them without actually doing anything else a landlord is meant to do or investing a penny into their property for the benefit of their tenants. These are the true problem landlords.

Unfortunately a lot of people (who seem to be on MN) think being a landlord makes you a terrible person - it doesn’t - and actually makes financial sense. We own multiple properties that we rent to others and I’ve been called awful names on this site because of it. We repaint and re-floor every 5 years to ensure we have desirable properties that we’ll attract good tennants at a premium price, because it is about making money in the long term (duh).

We live in Australia now and a mortgage on a property is more expensive than rent, so people who cannot afford to purchase in a particular area can afford to rent in that area if they choose to. It’s not uncommon for people to purchase in a less desirable area/further away from the city, but rent that property out and then rent a smaller place in the area they want.

You are not doing anything wrong except providing for your retirement. Instead of leaving any money or property to your son and wife, I would sell the lot and live the high life with the proceeds, explaining to him that you know he could never accept money made from “exploiting the vulnerable”.

Unfortunately a lot of people (who seem to be on MN) think being a landlord makes you a terrible person - it doesn’t

It does, though.

I must be an awful person then. I'm a LL and when our tenants moved in, they didn't pay a credit check fee/contract fee. All repairs have been done within a matter of days (regardless of whether it was an emergency). The longest wait for a repair was three weeks as the roof was getting repaired and this was the shortest wait for a roofer. We also ensure that all repairs (exc. the roof) are done at a time when they're not in the property so as not to disturb them.
When they signed a contract with us, I made them aware of their rights and our obligations as LL's. When there have been issues in the area (burglaries/flashers), I've emailed them to make them aware.
We get them a bottle of wine and a card at Christmas.
I've also had emails from them thanking me for being such a good Landlord. We've been screwed over by Landlords in the past and I don't want that for anyone else.

Obviously, this makes me a truly, awful person.