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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Should I intervene?

9 replies

SeptemberSuns · 08/09/2023 14:59

I have a genuine AIBU/WWYD. It's a complicated scenario so I'll try and explain as best I can without giving away the exact details.

I work for a small letting landlord. He owns a small amount of residential properties. It's definitely not your corporate high street agent.

One of the tenants near to our office is super private - quite right too. We never intrude and after one 12-month tenancy check when it was clear everything was fine we've never asked for any access (apart from statutory gas checks). His privacy was made very clear to us from the offset and we have zero reason to intrude on any of the tenants privacy.

He's been reported to us that he's regularly shouting at his wife - rows that are heard by his neighbours and that go on for hours at a time. First one or two I thought everyone has the occasional barney. Keep out of it - I am also super private and appreciate living in a small terrace can be difficult.

However, it's been reported to us again and I have actually heard it on one occasion myself. Whilst I didn't want to listen in, it sounded very bullying.

If it's relevant the wife speaks little English (but enough that she could understand)- he is British.

This isn't particularly relevant but I never really felt comfortable around him, he's very nice face to face but I got the definite impression he can be nasty.

Would you say anything or do anything? I have no evidence of any abuse, just the reports from neighbours saying he's shouting and I know this to be true having heard it once myself. I feel I should reach out to the wife but would this be a massive invasion of privacy?

I want to do the right thing and I feel leaving it might not be.

Really interested in your responses.

OP posts:
JanesBlond · 08/09/2023 15:01

Maybe suggest that whoever is reporting it to you calls the police for a welfare check next time they are concerned? I’m not sure there’s much a landlord can do here.

TimeForTeaAndG · 08/09/2023 15:01

What is your usual action to deal with neighbour complaints about a tenant?

ThirtyThrillionThreeTrees · 08/09/2023 15:19

It's not complicated at all -

deal with the noise complaint in the standard professional way as per your company policy

If you feel that someone is being abused, threatened or at risk, you inform the police.

CyberCritical · 08/09/2023 15:22

If the neighbours are concerned about domestic abuse then they should report to the police.

You can only address a noise complaint but doing so if there is domestic abuse may inflame the situation.

SeptemberSuns · 08/09/2023 15:56

ThirtyThrillionThreeTrees · 08/09/2023 15:19

It's not complicated at all -

deal with the noise complaint in the standard professional way as per your company policy

If you feel that someone is being abused, threatened or at risk, you inform the police.

I think it is slightly more complicated than that but what should I expect from AIBU? If he is abusing her would the fact it's been reported not make it worse?

OP posts:
SeptemberSuns · 08/09/2023 15:58

I'm sorry if I think this is a bit more than a simple noise complaint.

Company policy - the exact reason I mentioned we're not a big corporate organisation.

OP posts:
ToxicPositivity · 08/09/2023 16:14

What can you do though?

CyberCritical · 08/09/2023 16:51

SeptemberSuns · 08/09/2023 15:58

I'm sorry if I think this is a bit more than a simple noise complaint.

Company policy - the exact reason I mentioned we're not a big corporate organisation.

But it isn't. You can't deal with domestic abuse, if you report to the police it's a third hand report and the police will want to speak to the neighbour.

zingally · 08/09/2023 17:08

Next time you get a complaint, ask the police for a welfare check. Really, that's all you can do. You can also call their non-urgent number and explain what you have here.

Just because you are the agent, it doesn't give you any right to comment on people's lives. If they'd owned the house outright, all that any concerned person could do would be continue to refer it on to the police.

But I would also continue to give the tenant an email whenever you get a complaint, but just mention a "complaint about noise." That way you have a paper trail.

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