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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Renting a 2 bed house to a family with 3 kids

462 replies

Beetle76 · 31/01/2020 02:51

I’ve got my hard hat on! I am renting out my two bed house while I have been seconded to a job in a different area for a year.
While it’s a small house, it’s in a good area so I received a number of offers for the full asking rent after the first viewing day. I decided to go with the person who stated they had two cats (I know what it’s like to rent with pets so I thought I’d help them out.)
The provisional paperwork listed a single tenant with their cats and I agreed to proceed on that basis. The full lease has arrived for me to sign and now it’s the tenant, plus cats, plus 3 kids.
My view is it’s a two bed house, one living room, small eat in kitchen and is thus not really suitable for a large family.
I didn’t base my decision on no kids, I just wanted to help out another cat person, and they happened to be the only applicant without kids.
I was expecting to have a kid or two in the house, it’s a great area for kids, but I think 3 is too many for the space. I don’t see where they would go - 3 kids beds would not fit in either bedroom, they are just not big enough. Maybe a sleeper couch in the living room? I suppose a kid could live under the stairs Harry Potter style 😂
But I fiercely dislike dishonesty and I feel they have been dishonest by not saying who would be living in the house from the outset. AIBU if I decide to pull the plug on this based that it’s not what I agreed to in the first place?
YANBU = it’s ok to pull the plug
YABU = it’s none of your business how many people are shoehorned into a rental property

OP posts:
Wellhellooothere · 31/01/2020 10:39

Plenty of people have 3 kids in small spaces. bunk beds and a single in one room. Perhaps she didn't mention kids as that would put people off renting to them...

heartsonacake · 31/01/2020 10:39

YANBU. They have shown themselves to be dishonest and untrustworthy, and you do not want that kind of person renting your house. You don’t know what they’ll lie about once they’re in and you may struggle to get them out.

Wellhellooothere · 31/01/2020 10:40

Did you ask if they had kids? Was there an opp to say that? declaring pets is the done thing. If she's a single mum then prob can't afford a bigger place

adaline · 31/01/2020 10:41

YANBU. She lied on the form. That's a red flag.

Wellhellooothere · 31/01/2020 10:42

DID she actually lie on the form??

ddraigygoch · 31/01/2020 10:42

Well the OP doesn't want that. And her leaving that out is deception. She needs to find housing for her children. None of this is the OPs problem @Wellhellooothere

MoonlightBonnet · 31/01/2020 10:43

I think if I were you (and I’ve rented out a house in similar circumstances), I’d talk to her. It sounds like a relationship breakdown, so it’s possible there’s been a genuine change in circumstances like she wasn’t expecting all the kids to come with her. If she’s lied then I wouldn’t rent to her, but I’d check what she says first.

Honestface78 · 31/01/2020 10:46

It's tough finding somewhere affordable to rent when you are one person, let alone a single parent to 3 kids. She will have been second choice in many properties before this point over single professionals, couples and couples with a family, I'd put money on it.
If you're happy with kids in your property, please overlook her approach, she's trying to do what's best x

Honestface78 · 31/01/2020 10:47

Or he is* 😬

Needmoresleep · 31/01/2020 10:50

Three kids in a bedroom plus drying the washing that goes with them is potentially a lot of condensation. At minimum you would want to have a conversation about how to avoid damp/mould.

Just put it back on the market with a different agent, and say you will accept a lower offer from a straightforward tenant. This is your home.

FizzyGreenWater · 31/01/2020 10:53

Honestly? I would say no because your replies so far show that you just don't have the mindset to do this without it ending in tears if things go wrong. Ask her why she didn't say and listen to the answer and how it's given. If she was being deliberately dishonest to hope to spring the kids on you at the last minute then I wouldn't rent to her, not only because she's been dishonest but also because she will have seen that she can get away with being dishonest and you'll say oh ok. That's fatal, sorry.

adaline · 31/01/2020 10:53

It's tough finding somewhere affordable to rent when you are one person, let alone a single parent to 3 kids.

But that's not the OP's problem. She can rent her house to whomever she chooses. It's not her responsibility to provide this woman with a home.

I wouldn't be renting to someone who hadn't been honest on their application form. When you rent your home you need to be really careful - or maybe I've seen too many episodes of Nightmare Tenants Grin

dorisdog · 31/01/2020 10:56

I shared a one bedroom flat with my dad when I was a teenager. It wasn't ideal but but slept in the living room and I had the bedroom. We'd have been homeless otherwise. Sometime ppl have to do these things, especially single parents.

Bibidy · 31/01/2020 11:00

Doesn't sound like OP stipulated 'no kids' or 'X kids maximum' to the agency though?

Foslady · 31/01/2020 11:03

Was it marketed as a 2 bed 4 people? If so that’s why the agency will have kept quiet.....

Lockshunkugel · 31/01/2020 11:09

It’s your home and your choice who you rent to.

The wear and tear with 3 children in a family could be considerable. Are your carpets and flooring old? Is your house in need of decorating? If so, it won’t be as much of a problem.

shinook123 · 31/01/2020 11:12

I have a family member who rents his house out.He rented his 2 bedroom,small house to a family with 3 children.The tenants a few months down the road applied for a council house on the basis their rental was too small for them.My family member had a letter from the council informing him he shouldn't have rented the house out to them as it was overcrowding.
I'd also be concerned if there are too many people,even children for the size of the house.It could potentially cause problems with condensation or damp etc
My mother in law has a guest room with twin beds.If one of the children has a sleepover in that room it's fine,but when two children sleep in it,the window and wall runs wet with condensation.Id hate to think if 3 children slept in especially permanent.But MIL house is prone to condensation in a few rooms.
If the tenant held back the information on how many children she has,its possibly as she has applied for other 2 bedroom properties and been refused due to it being overcrowding.

lottiegarbanzo · 31/01/2020 11:13

You need to detach from the specifics and think, in terms of wear and tear, about how many people you're willing to have in the house. It does make a big difference.

Check how the agent has advertised it. That would be the only grounds for 'finding you unreasonable', if it's been advertised as a 2-bed family home, with no indication of acceptable numbers, for example. But even then, you're bound by contractual terms only, not chit chat or impression.

adaline · 31/01/2020 11:15

Doesn't sound like OP stipulated 'no kids' or 'X kids maximum' to the agency though?

But that doesn't matter. The lady still didn't say that she had children. Surely as a tenant you're meant to be honest about that kind of thing?

When I last rented, we had to be honest about the fact that exDP had his kids to sleep over occasionally, as it was technically only a one-bed flat, and we also had to get written permission to get cats too. I wouldn't have risked our home by lying to our landlord, even if it is lying by omission.

Bibidy · 31/01/2020 11:20

But that doesn't matter. The lady still didn't say that she had children. Surely as a tenant you're meant to be honest about that kind of thing?

But she has been honest as the tenancy agreement came through to OP and had the children listed on. If she was going to lie she wouldn't have declared them at that point either surely?

Sounds to me like maybe the tenant wasn't asked about the kids initially, potentially because OP had never stipulated any issues with kids in the house.

I can totally see why someone would ask about cats rather than kids, especially for a 2-bed property. I'd assume someone wanting a 2-bed property had kids.

adaline · 31/01/2020 11:23

I'd assume someone wanting a 2-bed property had kids.

So would I, but I wouldn't assume they had three children.

Still, if I was a tenant I would be honest from the beginning, and always was when I was in private rent.

Mrsfrumble · 31/01/2020 11:25

I think lots of people on this thread need to accept that the idea of houses being “too crowded” or “too small” for a given number of people is entirely subjective and based on culture and circumstances rather than any objective measurement. We’re 4 people in a 2 bed; not that unusual here in London where property is so very expensive. If the OP doesn’t want wear and tear, that’s fine and she should specify professional couples only or something, but framing worry about prospective tenants being overcrowded as concern for their wellbeing is patronising and unnecessary.

Of course OP doesn’t HAVE to rent to anyone (especially as she’s an “accidental landlord” and it’s only a short let) but I’d at least be looking into how the omission might have happened (were agents involved?) as it does seem strange to me. Knowing how some landlords feel about children it’s the first thing I’ve mentioned to agents when we’ve been looking, but I wouldn’t necessarily jump to the conclusion that it was a deliberate lie.

bobstersmum · 31/01/2020 11:30

I would ask to meet them to be honest, when my mother was looking for a house she invited her potential landlord to her current home so he could see the standard she kept her home. Could you suggest you pop over to the lady's house to meet them? Then you'll get a better idea what they're like. I'd be wary that 2 cats and 3 kids were going to cause a lot of wear and tear to be honest, especially for a relatively short term lease, the tenant might not feel as bothered about keeping it tip top as it won't be their long term home, but I might be out of order suggesting that!

GiveHerHellFromUs · 31/01/2020 11:31

I'd assume someone wanting a 2-bed property had kids.

I'd assume they wanted a spare room/study.

trimtops · 31/01/2020 11:31

another landlord here Op.
Someone tried to do this to me too, all agreements were in place, not signed yet, but I noticed a child seat in the back of her car, asked if she had children, and she said, 'oh you don't mind do you?' my ad. clearly stated no children - so no house for her.

Also you cannot guarantee in any shape or form that she will leave when you want. Just because she may sign to say she will vacate in a years time - she could drag it on for months Maybe her plans fall through? You'll have to go through court to get her out. Don't rent to her.
We are trying at the moment, to get a very very undesirable person out of our house, but our hands are completely tied, the stress is unbelievable!!

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