AIBU to think my tenant might be subletting

[landladywithmissingtenant]

I live in a flat in a large block (60 flats in all) I own the one I live in and one other, which I rent out.
I used to see my tenant now and again, probably twice a month or so but I have realised that I haven't seen her in about a year or more. My daughter lives nearby and also used to bump into her quite a lot at the local shop and she says she hasn't seen her in ages either.
She's a retired single lady and it's a single occupancy studio flat.
The other day I was locked out of the main building and I rang her buzzer to ask if she wouldn't mind letting me back in and a man answered and buzzed me in before I'd finished my sentence.
I tried the buzzer again the next day and no-one answered.
Am I being unreasonable to think she might have left the flat and be subletting it? or something more sinister?
And WIBU to go and knock on her door and see if she's there? I'm worried I might come across as harassing her. And what do I say if she answers?

OP, I applaud you for not losing your sh1t about the 325422 questions about gas 😂

Fully invested in your flat, please update when you have time.

He hasn't let to an illegal immigrant, where on earth have you conjured that up from. He's been letting to the same woman for nine years.

The OP is a ‘SHE’. She’s stated she’s a landlady.

She then, sorry. Least relevant part of my post.

Right, you buggers, I back with my update and I am pleased to say.... drumroll.... MYSTERY IS SOLVED!!

After delivering the 24hrs notice to come in and inspect notice under the door yesterday, also sending the same message on Facebook (couldn't find her on any other social media) and trying numerous times to reach her on the phone, my daughter and I went up to the flat, unlocked it with my key, aaaaaaand.....

It's immaculately clean and tidy and no-one was on there. Both of my notes were lying on the floor by the door, untouched.
On closer inspection, we could see there was a pile of post that has been gathered up and left neatly on the table, and that there was a thin layer of dust on everything, including the hoover, so it obviously hasn't been cleaned up recently, but left like that. All the electrical appliances, including fridge were switched off. Gas cooker disconnected oops, sorry, electrical cooker also switched off.
There is no evidence of anyone living there except my tenant. There was an open clothes rail of female only clothes, no male grooming products around, a single pillow in the middle of her double bed, photos around with no partner in them, but with her in them.
However, there were a lot of beautiful houseplants around which were clearly very well cared for, not dying, and when we touched the soil, could see it wasn't dry.

So there you have it - She's gone away somewhere, is clearly intending to return and someone has been popping in to water her plants. That will be whoever answered the buzzer!!

We left, satisfied the mystery is solved and all is well.

But then we got back downstairs to my flat, and we decided that it would be sensible to leave a third note by the plants to ask whoever has been watering them to please give me a quick ring, just to confirm all is well.

I sent daughter up with the note and she didn't come back down for ages, so I went up to investigate. I found she had been accosted by the lovely (male!!) owner of the flat next door who had heard voices and someone going in and out of tenant's flat, thought tenant had returned, and had got daughter chatting and was able to confirm that it's him that's been popping in to water her plants and pick up the post a couple of times a week, and that tenant has gone travelling around Asia for around six months, but he's expecting her back this month, and that she often doesn't have phone signal or internet while travelling. This is entirely fits with my lovely tenant's freestyle hippy personality and is a completely believable story.

So there you have it mumsnetters. Sorry it's not some dark secret and has a perfectly innocent explanation that is probably rather disappointing and boring to you lot, but a huge relief to me.

Keep being amazing - and remember, do your gas safety checks!

Oh and I will have a friendly word with her about going away for a significant amount of time and not letting me know, as contract states she should, but that's not a big deal.

Glad all is well and tenant is safe!

Can or should you even have a flat paid for by housing benefit of you can afford to- and do go travelling for 6 months?

@landladywithmissingtenant well I hope she informed dss if she is getting housing benefit!

I don’t think that’s a concern of the OP’s. But regardless, why shouldn’t this woman travel? She’s of retirement age, doesn’t have any work commitments, will be entitled to housing benefit because she doesn’t own a home and presumably has only a state / small pension. Her pension will go further backpacking through Asia than in the U.K. As long as her permanent home remains the UK and she has a tenancy here, I’m not sure I can get invested in whether she “should” travel.

Glad she'd shut the as off properly!

But serioulsy you might want to check your insurance as it could be invalidated if the propery is left empty for prelonged periods

Thanks OP, glad all is ok!

Well, there’s been a copious amount of posters getting things wrong on this thread and actually it is relevant, OP is a woman. Not a man.

That’s brilliant news OP and thank you for giving us the conclusion! So many don’t and we’re all left in limbo (for ever 😨).

I'm pleased the plants are all OK

Thank you so much for letting us know! It’s ridiculous how invested I get in these stories and we rarely hear how it’s turned out.

Your tenant sounds exactly who I’d like to be when I’m retired. Good for her.

You can say the terms of your landlord insurance require you to carry out checks every x months. You do have landlord insurance?

Edited as I posted before I saw your update OP. You'll have to say you entered the place out of concern for her welfare - you shouldn't have let yourself in, even with 24 hours' notice.

😁 Me too.

Ooh I bet @landladywithmissingtenant doesn’t have landlord insurance, I mean she doesn’t even do gas checks 🤪😂.

@landladywithmissingtenant I’m glad it’s all ending well.

But can you get your tenant to come here and tell us all about where she went, and show us some photos please?!

Ah.... but what if lovely male neighbour is only watering the plants as a cover up of his dastardly behaviour?

I would also like to know which plants she’s got.

Are we reaching here? 😁

Rent paid for 6 months by the taxpayer whilst she’s not even living in the country then!

Nah, he just wasn't the type. Older, polite and respectable lonely bloke living on his own, just wanted to chat. Perfectly innocent.
If he's growing a secret cannabis farm in there he's bloody good at it so fair play to him.

You mean she’s under the patio?

She is living in the country you narna, she's just travelling.

And she's worked hard her whole life, she only retired 5 years ago. She's entitled to enjoy it.