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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Landlords as neighbours

63 replies

Nmchnger · 23/04/2024 09:39

We were unexpectedly evicted (no fault eviction, landlady suddenly decided to sell up) after living in our previous property for over 10 years. In Yorkshire (as it appears in most of the country) the rental market is a nightmare at the minute and we struggled to find somewhere, it did look for a while like we were going to be homeless but at the last minute we found a beautiful house on a lovely street.

It was all done through an agency. When we turned up to view the neighbours were in the garden and we had a brief chat. It now transpires that they are our landlords and told the agency not to disclose this. I love the house and due to the necessity looking back I don't think it would have made a difference, but I sometimes feel like we're under constant surveillance and I do feel a bit duped by the agency. AIBU to feel like we should have been told?

OP posts:
maaamaaa · 23/04/2024 09:42

I'm in a similar situation OP, fortunately our landlord is nice and stays clear of us pretty much. What kind of vibe did you get from them? Can you ask the agency if they are hands off? How they behave towards tenants?

It's not an ideal situation but it depends on the landlords themselves. If like mine they could be fine.

On the other hand I had a landlord who lived miles away but used to turn up unannounced on the doorstep! They were much more of a nightmare than the one who lives next door.

LauderSyme · 23/04/2024 09:52

YANBU for feeling duped.

It is creepy and surreptitious of the LL to ask for this fact to be kept secret prior to securing new tenants. One has to wonder what their agenda was. It certainly feels disrespectful and infantilising.

I think I would be tempted to ask them why they felt it was necessary or desirable to lie by omission. It is important not to be deceitful in this manner and is why courts of law extract our promise to tell the whole truth.

However, it isn't really fair to blame the agents, who were only acting on the instructions of the clients who paid them. They have a responsibility - and financial motive - to do what they're told.

0verandoveragain · 23/04/2024 09:56

I dont see how it matters. As long as you're not doing anything wrong all is good.

LauderSyme · 23/04/2024 09:58

Like @maaamaaa I lived next door to my LL for a couple of years. They were lovely and we never felt surveilled.

Do you think yours are monitoring and scrutinising you or is it more of a (perfectly justified) feeling?

moonriverandme · 23/04/2024 09:59

Perhaps they prefer tenants not to know so they deal with the agent if there are problems,.Previous tenants may have been constantly knocking on their door with problems so it's less hassle for the LL to remain anonymous.

Haydenn · 23/04/2024 09:59

I’d be more bothered if I was the landlord living next to tenants TBH. Whenever there’s an issue the tenants are likely to come straight to you rather than the managing agent.

Provided you don’t plan on trashing the place or holding raucous parties I don’t know why you would be bothered.

LauderSyme · 23/04/2024 10:00

@moonriverandme but they haven't remained anonymous. Now that the rental contract is signed and sealed they have allowed their identity to be known.

SpringLobelia · 23/04/2024 10:01

I've been in that situation twice.

First time we ended up moving because the LL was overbearing and curtain twitching and monitored out movements. The second time the LLs were fine and behaved like normal people wanting to get on with their lives and leaving us to ours.

But I was always twitchy and found it anxiety provoking. I'm a LL myself now and my policy is to deal with any issues raised immediately but to leave my tenants in peace. I don't even walk past the house going about my day in case they think I am checking up on them. (Granted, that might be OTT)

I'd avoid tbh.

Gingerbee · 23/04/2024 10:04

They must have liked you or you would still be looking for a place.
Forget about it and good luck in your new home.

CammyChameleon · 23/04/2024 10:05

I wouldn't be happy, as I'd have avoided LL neighbours due to my own and my friend's experience with this arrangement (different properties/tenancies/LLs).

I used to come home from work in the dark to a note telling me to pick up the litter (a couple fag packets/receipts) that had blown off the street into the tiny yard while I was out.

Original poster
Nmchnger · 23/04/2024 13:32

No we're not throwing raucous parties and I appreciate I'm probably being paranoid. It's more of a 'oooh they've cut their grass, we'd better do ours too' kind of thing.

OP posts:
purplecorkheart · 23/04/2024 13:37

I suspect that they don't want any potential tenants knocking at their door with issues that should go through an agency.

A friend of mine rents out a small apartment that he used to live in. He is a very nice person and told the tenant where he lives know. He had the tenant knock at his door at 2am once to tell him that he did not like the paint color of the front door. Tenant was out walking and saw the light on and decided it was the perfect time to call.

mindutopia · 23/04/2024 13:39

Totally depends on how nice or not your landlords are. Thinking about it, the three rentals we had over the years, we have generally always had landlords next door. They either had bought up the neighbouring property or it was a house on a larger grander country estate (so they were in the 'big house' so to speak and we were in like the servant's quarter's!).

It's always been fine when we had lovely landlords and actually we used to socialise with them a bit. The only time it was a problem was when we had one set of crazy hoarder landlords who just caused a bit of drama and eventually evicted us because they wanted to claim back our house because they had run out of room (in their like 10,000 sq ft country manor house 😳) to store all their hoard. So they wanted our house free to start stashing stuff in there too. It caused a lot of stress moving out, but I guess that could happen anywhere and had nothing to do with them living down the road really.

OhmygodDont · 23/04/2024 13:53

It’s not much different to moving in to a house the landlord just left tbh if they got on with their neighbours your be just as “watched”.

I think most landlords just wouldn’t want you knocking every half an hour for something. Maybe a sibling/parent/child lived there and now no longer does.

Unless they are constantly going on about being your landlord and poking their noses over the fence and what not. I’d try to just great them as any other neighbour.

Original poster
Nmchnger · 23/04/2024 13:55

However, it isn't really fair to blame the agents, who were only acting on the instructions of the clients who paid them. They have a responsibility - and financial motive - to do what they're told.

But surely we're their clients too. After all we paid them the (extortionate) administration fee.

OP posts:
OhmygodDont · 23/04/2024 13:57

Nmchnger · 23/04/2024 13:55

However, it isn't really fair to blame the agents, who were only acting on the instructions of the clients who paid them. They have a responsibility - and financial motive - to do what they're told.

But surely we're their clients too. After all we paid them the (extortionate) administration fee.

Nope. The landlord is the one paying them monthly a percentage of your rent. Your the customer but they are the client.

Bit like supermarkets. Hienz don’t care who buys the soup from Sainsbury’s they just want the money sainsburys give them. Landlord is Sainsbury’s, agent is Heinz’s. Your just the person who buys the soup.

wellthisislovely · 23/04/2024 13:59

As Nmchnger says, the Letting Agent works for the LL not the tenant, the LL is the one who pays them.

I do accounts work for a LA and the tenants don't pay any fees at all.

PuttingDownRoots · 23/04/2024 14:01

Maybe this is why they wanted to be anonymous... so it didn't feel awkward?

Stressybetty · 23/04/2024 14:05

This would've been a deal breaker for us, I'm an anxious person and would be constantly worried about making noise, our dog barking, them popping round or looking over the fence, keeping the garden tidy etc.

LauderSyme · 23/04/2024 19:34

Nmchnger · 23/04/2024 13:55

However, it isn't really fair to blame the agents, who were only acting on the instructions of the clients who paid them. They have a responsibility - and financial motive - to do what they're told.

But surely we're their clients too. After all we paid them the (extortionate) administration fee.

Yes I see your point.

I wasn't aware you had been obliged to pay them a large fee. When I was a tenant I was lucky to only pay relatively small administration fees to letting agents, because the LLs paid the major bulk of their costs. I know this is increasingly not always the case.

I think the difference is that the LL instructed the agents to act on their behalf whereas you didn't.

The LL will very likely pay them a lot more for their services than you will, over time. You may have only a short-term business relationship with the agents if you decide to move out, but they will hope to manage the property and future tenancies on behalf of the LL in the long-term.

LumpyandBumps · 26/04/2024 14:11

Nmchnger · 23/04/2024 13:55

However, it isn't really fair to blame the agents, who were only acting on the instructions of the clients who paid them. They have a responsibility - and financial motive - to do what they're told.

But surely we're their clients too. After all we paid them the (extortionate) administration fee.

Are you in the U.K.?
Most agents fees have been banned for a few years now.

Birch101 · 26/04/2024 14:15

If i was renting a property next door I would not disclose it either. They are probably paying a estate agent monthly fees to not have to deal with tenants directly so to have people then just doing a 'quick knock about xyz' would drive me insane

Noseybookworm · 26/04/2024 14:19

Did they tell you they're your landlords? Seems odd if they previously kept it secret. Maybe they wanted to see what you were like before they disclosed it?

peakygold · 26/04/2024 15:30

It's bad enough when you arrive at the holiday rental and find the owners live next door, so I can't imagine what it's like living next to the landlord.

daffodilandtulip · 26/04/2024 15:35

When we rented, the landlord lived in the same village. He knocked every time he passed and saw a weed or that the bins were in the wrong place or that the hedge needed trimming...