Friend being CF or I’m tight?

[PandorasBoxers]

I genuinely don’t know if IABU here. For context I grew up very poor and while this made my DB extra generous it made me really fearful of being cold or hungry again.

DB died 6 years ago with no partner or children and left his house to me, his only sibling. I didn’t want to live in it but couldn’t get rid of it and the things in it because I was so sad.

my friend asked to move in to it and she’d pay a small rent (£100 pm for 4 bed new build in SW England) in exchange for not touching the big pieces of furniture and this worked great for both of us. She cleared most things over time with my permission and really helped me. She has made it her own and it’s nice to see it as friends and not have sad thoughts attached to it.

in spring we decided to move house as we wanted to ttc and realised the extra property isn’t helping as second home stamp duty is expensive and my friends home/rental wasn’t being run as a money maker.

I said to my friend that by January 2023 I’d need to run it like a real rental and this gave her 6 months (when I found out I was pregnant). It’s on a ‘new’ estate - everything’s 8 years old but up to scratch, so this wouldn’t have been too much extra work for me as I already paid for things to be fixed if they broke. I was asking that she pay £600pm which is still below normal but massively more than she was used to. She knew the reasons I had to do this. It would also have been better for me to sell.

I received a text a couple of days ago from friend to say she’s moved out. She gave no warning and has taken the fridge, freezer, washer, drier and some furniture. None of those things were hers. The walls have been bashed due to the move too.

She’s left rubbish in every room and old things she didn’t want. The garden is strewn with rubbish she clearly couldn’t fit in the van she’s hired to move.

if I was BU I’ll listen but I am so upset that she did this and only let me know at the last minute.

I work full time and a part time job and was hoping to take a years maternity and had counted on the rent (about £450pm once fees/taxes come out) so I could go part time after.

To all of those who are advocating calling the police, please read the above from Inertia. Perfect sense.

I don’t know what other furniture she has taken, but frankly getting rid of a second hand fridge/freezer/washer/drier would have just been aggro for you for a pittance or you would have given away for free anyway.

@NoGoodUsernamee As there presumably wasn't anything wrong with them then OP could've kept them in for the next tenant. Landlords don't tend to replace white goods unless they die, or at most in between tenants if the appliances look like they're on the brink of dying.

you haven’t been abiding by your legal duties as a landlord

@Inertia In what way?

The current rule on CGT (which was tweaked some years ago) is that as before estate agent and solicitor fees are deductible but only betterment can be claimed against CGT with other expenditure claimed against annual income. Betterment is not replacement of like for like. Upgrading to double from single glazing, creating a downstairs loo or additional ensuite all count as betterment. Replacing carpets or like for like bathroom or kitchen etc would not.

Count yourself lucky she is out and you haven't had to go through the stress and cost of eviction.

I doubt that the police could do much but you should report her especially if you can make an insurance claim. You should go to the small claims court if you are not insured as this is criminal damage and theft. You may not think so but it would help you put things in perspective. Far too many people won't use the legal system but it isn't that bad, just strange. This "friend" after all of your kindness trashed your late brother's home and stole from you. She did not appreciate your offer and refused to understand that you needed financial help. There is no reason why you should pay for what she did. She needs to grow up and accept the consequences of her actions. If her family don't like it, what's got to do with them? She has benefited from the reduced rent for many years and would have continued to do so had she not been so unpleasant and selfish,

@Mummyoflittledragon There is a difference between criminal damage and betterment. Landlords have a problem with this but if there is no agreement of landlord to tenant then this may well be different. This is where a chat with a solicitor/CAB, an inventory clerk or property manager may help. As for the Schedule D aspect, there is a difference between capital improvements and maintenance. The capital items and maintenance would be claimed through the annual accounts and any costs in selling would count against any Capital Gains assessment. Any assessment under inheritance tax rules would also be taken into account as the base start. Tax changes but remains the same, punitive.

I'll answer in Inertia's absence...
There are several quotes throughout the thread. A couple from memory are No Gas Safety Certificate, electrical devices not PAT tested. I think there may be Landlord Insurance issues, too.

She's a huge CF after you did her such a good turn, you were still paying for anything that had broke and she still robbed you and didn't give you the common decency to tell you her plans and left it a mess. Unbelievable

How much to bet that @PotteringAlonggotkickedoutandhadtoreregister is indeed the ‘friend’ in question?
@PandorasBoxers This is person has been what we call in my culture an ungrateful dog whom metaphorically you fed and turned around and bit you. For £100 rent a month I would have carried out all the checks myself knowing how much I was saving over the years. I wish you all the best.

@Justdontdoit not very much…