Friend evicting elderly tenant

[AppalachianWoman]

Would it change the way you felt about your friend if he evicted an elderly (70+) tenant so he could move into the house instead? The rent was paid upfront through a lifetime of agricultural labor from late childhood but the friend who recently inherited the estate feels they are owed cash payments and the property. The tenant cannot read or write and was widowed a year or two ago, has no children of his own but some step children from his marriage. The friend currently occupies another, smaller, property on the estate and was expected to move into the largest house which is very grand indeed but requires extensive renovation. He is daunted by the work and expense and has instead become fixated on the property the elderly farmhand lives in.

It feels emotionally immature of me to drop a friend over a difference in values but I am shocked that he would even consider this course of action. I don’t want to be friends with someone who acts this way, how can I exit gracefully or should I try to support him as he has supported me emotionally through decades of friendship?

Imagine inheriting loads of land a 3 properties but still wanting more!! What a horrible guy!

I most certainly wouldn’t hold onto a nasty friend like that. I hope karma comes back to bite him!

I suspect the tenant has an assured tenancy and they're almost impossible to evict from.

Unless someone got him to sign an agreement to a newer contract it's very likely he won't be able to remove this poor tenant.

I'm a landlord, and usually stand up for a landlords right to reclaim their property but this is absolutely appalling.

I work in the agri sector. If in England & Wales the farmhand could contact RABI (you’ll find on Google) for advice or in Scotland RSABI. They can advise on legalities and tenancy rights. If the cottage was tied to his work he may or may not have that tenancy for life, depending on what was agreed. He can also contact the NFU (they will only advise if he is a member but can signpost him to other places if he isn’t). The Tenant Farming Association would also be able to signpost.

He doesn't understand? What's wrong with him - is he totally morally bankrupt?

Whether he goes ahead with this appalling course of action or not that would be enough for me to walk away from the friendship, and I'd spell my reasons out very clearly to him before I did so. To have that little regard for this man's lifetime of service to the estate he has inherited is revolting. What an entitled piece of shit.

Dear OP, whatever your motives are, your friend is acting in an appalling way and you are definitely doing the right thing by flagging this up with your friend. I have to say I would find it very hard to not be envious if a friend inherited so much. And that envy would most probably turn into something quite bitter if they acted in such an ungrateful way. As harsh as this sounds, it's only a matter of time your friend or his children will legitimately inherit the farm hands house and he seems to have so much when this other person seems to have so little. I do hope that the law protects him.

You are absolutely not being unreasonable for this to effect how you felt towards your friend.

Actually. This jogs a memory. I recall when the government rejigged the tenants fee act a couple of years ago, there was an explicit exclusion to the requirements for both housing association, local authority and agricultural property.

What this means is that they explicitly excluded these types of tenancies from the extra protection the PRS (private rental sector) received. If this wasn't a policy written by wealthy landowners FOR wealthy landowners I don't know what is.

Agree - but very stressful for the tenant. Just for peace of mind the poor man may not want to go down this route.

You’re not being unreasonable and you sound like a kind friend and a good human. Keep trying to explain to your friend why you are struggling with decision. In the meantime, the farmhand should also be getting legal advice. I’m happy to help if there’s a way you can PM me on here (sorry I’m more of a MN reader than user!)

op your friend sounds entitled, heartless and devoid of moral fibre.

It’s highly likely the uncle would have it somewhere that the farm hand has tenancy for life; which will be legally binding; failing that common decency should kick in with all of the beneficiaries to evict an elderly gentleman just through sheer greed is very low & very selfish; your friend sounds like a nasty self centred greedy person I’d question whether the friendship is worth saving after this little stunt. I do applaud your efforts to help the gentleman who I assume is totally oblivious at the moment.

How sad for the old man. Your friend .. a self centered pilchard! He should be thankful for a friend like you OP, you have a heart of pure gold!

If he is true and values your friendship, he would appreciate you being honest with him about how this is making you feel towards him as a friend and what it potentially means for the poor old man.

Try for the sake of humanity to get your friend to at LEAST house the man like for like (rent free) or leave him be and invest the money he is spending getting his legal advice on renovating the biggest house and live in that!

Seems exceedingly cruel and immoral to me, but I’m afraid that some are swayed by money rather than have than any sense of what is right and wrong. Your friend just does not see that what he is doing is wrong on so many levels, but still, I suppose he won’t care, he’ll have more money in the bank. Hope he sleeps easy at night.

If he’s inherited it, does he need the additional income from it? Tbh I think I’d flat out tell him how badly he is behaving and whatever happens happens to that friendship but if I were in that position and desperately wanted the farmhands place I’d offer a swap & maybe if the guy was still up for it, ask him to help me renovate the main estate (even if it’s just tinkering with bits)

This exactly 👏🏻

Self entitled rich friend evicting elderly mad who had 'served his family all his life. Wow what a c*nt.

The best solution would have been to move this elderly man into the smaller accommodation but from your posts this sounds like its not feasible in your friends eyes cos he put a new kitchen in. I have no words well none that would be allowed. How are you friends with this person?

Please set up a go fund me to get this elderly gentleman decent legal advice because your friends sounds just horrible.

Man not mad!!!

Perhaps you can help the elderly tenant yourself? Like others writing in, I'm not sure what the law is in your part of the world, but from what you say, this is wrong. If you can, please get some advice for the tenant from your own area and help his to act accordingly. Make sure he does not move from his house without a very sound legal agreement. My own limited experience is that if he moves even temporarily, your friend's grip on the property gets tighter.

We all hope like you that he has a secure tenancy. When you are clearer, maybe you can help broker a deal.

I think it’s sad his uncle did not something in place to protect this man - he prob thought he didn’t have to. The uncle was clearly ok about the arrangement I would have assumed he would have wanted this to continue.

He didn’t need to. The law on agricultural tenancies pre 1989 is very clear and it obviously applies in this case.

'That’s what I suggested but my friend balked at it because he has recently remodeled the kitchen and installed some mod cons.'
Sounds really greedy to me then. I just think some privileged people lack empathy and really cannot put themselves in others shoes.
A line from a song I really like (Saltwater by Julian Lennon) 'What will I think of me the day that I die?' always good to reflect upon.

Your friend is going to have a long, hard fight on his hands if the tenant seeks good advice. Unfortunately, he’s vulnerable so it’s likely he will be confused and upset. The best way you can help is to make the tenant gets advice. You need to report his plight to the authorities. I’m not an expert so I’m not sure who. Start with the CAB online and take it from there.

I'd say that this is likely. Unfortunately if it comes to court your friend may well know the people who are making the decisions. However he is a very long-term tenant and he does have rights as a sitting tenant.

I think as we age we sometimes realise some of our friends are horrible people.
It came to me that an old friend was ok to me and was all about faaaamily a bit like the Krays or various people on Eastenders but hated pets and was scornful to anyone who liked animals. I wish I'd admitted years ago she wasn't very nice.
I think the op should wean herself off her friend if he has this attitude to a vulnerable tenant. Honestly though if I was the old guy ( ha,I'm the same age) I'd want to go somewhere I was wanted,and I wouldn't want to clean a 4 bedroom house.

A squatter can be so for many reasons and in many ways. They aren’t necessarily an”or” ie the option which is OK to evict.