AIBU to end a tenancy so my niece can live there?

[SunnyDaysAndCoolNights]

We have a house that we rent out to a family with 2 children who have been in the house for about 7 years. The house is in the same city that our niece is at university in.

Just after Xmas, my niece asked us if she could live in the house for her second and third year at uni, (possibly longer) as the houses she had looked at weren’t very nice and she can’t stay in halls.

After speaking to my husband, we decided to say yes and we gave our tenants a section 21 notice in February. Our tenants were/are not happy and have been advised to stay in the house by the council. We thought that may happen which is why we served the notice in February despite my niece not needing the house until September. We were also aware of the new rules coming in soon which would make it harder to end a tenancy.

Since finding out that we have ended the tenancy for our current tenants, my brother and his wife (not nieces parents) have told us that we are ‘typical arsehole landlords’ for ‘kicking out a family’. They think our niece, also their niece is selfish for asking, that she could have found somewhere herself and that we should have put our tenants first as they have been our tenants for quite a long time and they have children. My brother and his wife rent with their children, so obviously that may play a part in their feelings on this. I feel upset they would say these things as I think it’s normal to put your own family first. My other brother and his wife who are parents of my niece are very annoyed at our other brother and his wife.

Would you have done the same as we have or would you have put the tenants first and said no to your niece? I do have sympathy for my tenants, they’re a nice family and have been good tenants, but obviously we love our niece and to us, she comes first.

I would have put the tenants first particularly as they have children. They've been with you 7 years and you are making them homeless. You're going to be charging your niece less as well. I'm not going to presume what the financial circumstances of the family were but they have two young kids and they were paying you more now you have a niece that you are going to subsidise?). And she doesn't know you are kicking a family out to house her? Your niece didn't know you were a landlord? She thought you had a house just sitting empty?

She cant stay in halls? Other students with autism do it. I personally think autism or not - it would have been far more productive for her to mix with other students out of the uni setting.

You wonder why your brother is upset? Maybe because he knows how precarious it is to be in private renting. And you served them the notice just before it became more difficult to end a tenancy - mighty big of you

That family will be under so much pressure just now trying to find alternative accommodation - which isn't going to be guaranteed in the timescale you want them out by

As someone else said if you are fine with the decision - why post. I wouldn't be able to sleep at night knowing that I was making people homeless to move a relative in - particularly when your niece clearly had other options

She could have rented a room in someone's home. Plenty of students do. And what will you do if she finds uni tough over the next couple of years and drops out? That could easily happen

To see if people would hold the same view as my brother and his wife or not. I’ve spoken to other family, friends and work colleagues and most say they would feel awful doing it, but they would put their loved ones first. Some said they couldn’t have done it. I’m upset at what my brother has said but I guess he feels as strongly as many on here do. I still see no reason for name calling though. I’m helping my niece, which unfortunately has a down side, but I’m hardly doing it for huge personal gain so I don’t think I deserve name calling.

I struggle to believe that there wasn't a flat that would be more appropriate for your niece. The fact you saw a few and didn't like them is neither here nor there- it can't be the case that in a town or city large enough for a university there is not one nice flat available.

Still, got them out before the RRA kicked in, eh?

If anyone here was thinking of buying to let, they'll have changed their mind by now!

You could've helped her in another way, considering you're able to absorb the big drop in rent.

I say this with kindness OP, you’re not the victim here.

Nobody’s condemning you for helping your niece, they’re condemning your callous behaviour towards a family with two small children when you could have helped in a variety of other ways.

Translation: Trying to start a bunfight.

It is horrible. I have one friend who's family are being made ill by the conditions in their home (damp). They've done everything to try and get a move but are stuck there for the foreseeable.

I could not have done that to be honest... Your niece has a thousand more opportunities to be housed that that family does... If they'd been rotten tenants then yea but getting rid of good tenants is craziness.. I will be serving Section 21s on two set of tenants at some point in the next couple of years because the houses need to be sold... I have charged them minimum rent and they've been good tenants and I can tell you it grieves my heart to have to do this but it is absolutely necessary. I own the house but this is their home. I got stuck being an accidental landlord through a relationship breakdown and took them on. I am not cut out to be a Landlord because I am too soft and in my past have been at the mercy of bastard Landlords... I'm not one of them but seriously turfing out a family because your niece cannot be arsed to find somewhere is questionable. The thing about being a Landlord is you have a contract and I think you should do your best to provide them with a safe place to live. Those poor people, they must be stressed out of their minds.. Its your property but crikey this is a low strike. What if their children have to change schools? Have you really thought this through with any empathy at all? Tell your niece to get off her backside.

Agree with all of this.

I'm shocked at a lot of these replies and how unbelievably harsh they're being to the OP.

When you rent out a property it could not have been clearer that it's not a permanent arrangement renters can rely on indefinitely. That is until the new renting rules came in, which I think will absolutely decimate the number of private rental properties out there.

It's not your responsibility to house this family forever. You did not make a commitment to them that your house would be their forever home.

I personally don't think people should have multiple properties and be private landlords but the real problem here is the cost of buying a home and the lack of council properties where you can have that longer term stability.

Sorry to hear that. The state of housing is poor overall and social housing and private housing both have their pitfalls. Private landlords however who most likely insist they're really good landlords while fucking about with peoples lives makes me sick.

Genuinely amazed you said yes to your neice in the first place OP!

You are kicking out decent, reliable long-term tenants for a bunch of students??

Your lovely rental home is gonna end up an absolute state. Yeah you made a massive mistake here.

@SunnyDaysAndCoolNights you still haven’t answered the question many posters including me have asked, does your niece realise you have had to evict someone/a family from the property?

I agree with you, there is no reason for name calling. It's not helpful and it's unkind.

However, I am a landlord and would not have behaved as you have done. The point is that this is NOT the only option for your niece - as pps have suggested there is the possibility of living in halls, or lodging with you, or finding another apartment or bedsit or studio in the town. It's much much much easier to find a suitable place for one person (with your help both time-wise and financially) who doesn't have to leave their home, versus moving an entire family who have settled into a home, community and schools. This house could quite frankly be the only option for this family, and it could really hurt them to move.

Of course, when you rent you know it is temporary. I've been a renter and a landlord. You don't have an obligation to this family, no. But you as a landlord have the ability to help both this family and your niece, at no detriment whatsoever to your niece. Why would you not take this road?

The real problem here in this thread is a private landlord who has fucked over a family of good tenants.

@SunnyDaysAndCoolNights I asked upthread, but maybe you missed it, is there a reason you can't/don't want to/won't pursue any other avenues to house your niece? Several posters have suggested you could help her financially to rent privately somewhere smaller, since you say that money's not the issue. Is that off the table? It seems like it would be worth considering, to me at least.

My niece didn’t have any options which she felt ok with, which is why we have done it. She has found the noise and chaos in halls, sharing with people she doesn’t know etc very difficult to live with. She has stayed with us almost every weekend as its at least a bit quieter and she knows us.

She knows I’m a landlord but has no clue who the tenants are and that they have kids.

As I’ve said, I do have sympathy for the family, but I have more sympathy with my niece and she is my priority.

That's why I have reported it, because although I'm in an ok position personally, this is going to upset a good few people, therefore I feel this is pure bs because no one can be this d!m on this site.

Of course your niece said student houses aren’t nice. They aren’t. But that’s what normal students do. They live in shitholes until they can afford something better. Same goes for graduates. No reason your niece couldn’t have found somewhere.

Bookmarking this thread for the next 'private landlords are the salt of the earth' thread.

You're making two kids homeless and they could conceivably end up in temporary accommodation. I bet you're not as upset as the family you're making homeless. I also hope you've told them why you want them out.

The fact that you are charging the niece less than you were this family really isn't the flex you think it is

1 student.

Not many - OP clarified this earlier

Appalling thing to do

Landlord of numerous family homes here and no way would I do what you have done.

Your niece didn't "need" this property as her new, temporary place to live. It would be "nice" for her but banging on about your family's needs here is total nonsense - and you know it.

Clearly the moral thing to do was to let a family, with two kids presumably in a local school - stay put. I'd be ashamed if I were you.