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.

So you're evicting a family for the sake of your niece who is so keen on her course that she's ready to give it up because she doesn't like any of the accommodation available. If I were your niece I would be ashamed of myself.

I would also like to add that I was a student for five years and lived in all kinds of places, and once I started working lived in worse ones. If your course is important to you, you don't pick and choose.

The council will only rehouse them if they have a property to put them in. As I said earlier there are 14k people waiting on the council list in my area. They could be bidding for years. It will more likely be another private let which they might have to find themselves - or B and B accommodation

Awful thing to do, absolutely vile, a family with children over your student niece. It's not about family, it's about doing the right thing morally, and you have no morals.

So why are people getting their knickers in a twist about this family being homeless, presumably there are plenty of properteis around for them to move straight into

So hang on, your niece has done a year in halls? Is she sure she couldn’t either stay in halls (perhaps because of her disability) or bid for a place in a university accommodation for mature students etc? And I am not being ablist, but if she could cope in halls (which were by far the most hectic, noisy part of uni life) is she sure she couldn’t cope with a house share in a nice house with, say, a few girls? Has she at least considered trying it?

Of course they will be homeless! The definition of homelessness is not having any suitable property to live in. If they are evicted from this property, that renders them homeless. They will then be in temporary accommodation until such time as the local authority can find them suitable accommodation. What else do you think will happen to them?

So why not subsidise her by helping her pay for a better place? You are basically doing that anyway by giving up the rental income to house her, so you could have had had the best of both worlds, 'helping family' by upgrading her options, doesn't have to mean making innocent people suffer.

As a landlord I think It is absolutely disgusting you have kicked out a family with children, just to house your niece when there are many, many options available to her, and ways you could have 'helped' her even with her limited criteria.

Chances are they will have to move schools, they may not be able to afford moving costs etc, or afford a sideways move, absolutely diabolical behaviour from someone who should never have agreed to be a landlord in the first place, I'm glad some people are telling you straight.

You think so?

Have they been evicted? Or given adequate notice to end their tenancy and find another property?

You're going to have to be happy justifying it to yourself as you have, OP. It's true that many people will disadvantage others if it means they can benefit their own, so you're in good company there. It's too much to expect everyone else to admire you for it.

I’ve dealt with section 21s in two areas of the country, recently and both rehomed nicely into a long term cushy council or housing association rental.

Let’s face it, these tenants could look for another private rental to live in, but they’re taking this opportunity to boost themselves up the council waiting list.

I may sound harsh but I’m realistic that there’s a game to played and the term “homeless” isn’t applicable here.

Thatcher made the terms of RTB more favourable for the tenant. And I agree that Labour should have sorted out social housing, but chose not to.

They will find a place, lots of people like to repeat the old memes about "shortages" etc. because maybe they have a vested interest in their property always being a good financial earner? The world has changed though, those old memes were just banker talk to get people into mortgage debt.

Yes, I think you're being both unpleasant and foolish. Having let property myself in the past, I know that a decent family as tenants is an excellent asset to have. Presumably the niece plans to share the house with other students. We used to let to students in our early days. They mostly are irresponsible, have zero comon sense, and a very sketchy idea of domestic hygiene. Personally I think you're doing both your current tenants and yourselves a disservice. Just because you love your niece is no excuse to kick out a family.

Also I don’t know where you are but loads of student accommodation is lovely these days. It’s absolutely not all black mould and damp. Most cities have really lovely serviced apartments and a good selection of private lets, especially if family can help. Are you sure that your niece hasn’t shown you the really terrible ones to get a bit of sympathy? Or maybe she was looking much too early (I think in my second year we had to wait for the houses to come free when the last lot of students moved out). It’s definitely worth digging a bit deeper before you evict the poor family.

They knew building would cause the crash of all property crashes, new build sales are already down 60%!

Oh, Jesus Fuck... Tell me you're not that naive? There's a housing and homeless crisis in the country, and there has been for years.

"It's true that many people will disadvantage others if it means they can benefit their own"

I think thats in the How to Landlord handbook if im not mistaken.

Then they were lucky, lots of local authorities don't have enough vacancies to do that. In this case the family would have been given priority because they were threatened with homelessness. And, quite frankly, I don't blame anyone who prefers to be housed in social housing. At least there is more security of tenure.

seems like an apt username...

I think you are unreasonable to do what you've done.. your niece can find her own place much easier than a family with children can.. you know there is a shortage of homes and the children would of been in schools and settled .
You're in the wrong you really are.

I'm another one finding this thread eye-opening.

Successive governments' policies are what have led to a housing crisis in the UK. Not the OP! She's a normal person, why should she have to carry the burden of housing security for a totally unrelated family? Sure, she could perhaps give more time and leeway to help them out, but ultimately they're living in her property.

Why are people saying the OP is making a family homeless? How do they know? Can't they look for and find another house? Why are people talking as though these people will be wandering the streets. They have time to find somewhere new, the student doesn't need to move in before September.

I was a renter in different countries for over 20 years. Lived with never putting nails in walls, with not being in control of long term plans, lived with rent possibly going up and budgeting for the future, lived with that unopened box that followed me from flat to flat to flat, yearned for a permanent home. It's precarious, but that's what renting is. Eventually I cut my cloth and bought somewhere way less nice than anything I was renting but that was mine and that I could reliably call home. I never called my rented flats "home". They're not. I wasn't stable in them, which is the ultimate definition of home. No renter should kid themselves into thinking another person's house is their home. Totally different things.

It is indeed

I dont know why people keep saying this as if this person is going to be rattling around not knowing what to do because theres more than one bedroom and being unhapy because they're not in a studio flat.

I;d bloody love having a whole house to myself at 19. Now in fact too.

Fellow LL. I would have said no but it would depend on the level of needs for the autistic niece. It's gonna cost you a fair penny to evict them which is what they will wait for. I think I would have helped niece find somewhere instead