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.

Then I don't know why you bothered asking AIBU. You're convinced you're right and haven't considered anyone else's viewpoint.

The way I see it is that you're evicting good tenants with children (of 7 years) in favor of letting your niece stay for minimal rent for at most 2 years.

You're losing the rental income and may not be lucky to find good tenants again once your niece moved out. As it's a temporary situation, wouldn't it have made more sense to keep your tenants and the income and used it to subsidize a small flat for your niece?

I assume they're wondering if your cultural heritage is Asian or African whereby its more likely that you support family/house family and share support across siblings and family members (not your sibling that has been abusive obviously!)

Possibly made it up because so many people told her she was being a redacted? 😂

Just keep posting and we'll be at 40 pages soon. Nowhere else to troll?

I think if you want the best for your niece then you should make her fully aware of the facts and potentail repercussions.

Would she still want to go ahead with this if she was aware that you were evicting a family with young children, and that there is a possibility they might end up in unsuitable temporary accommodation?

What about the wider implications, if this turned into a longer family dispute? At the moment it seems the hostility from your brother is aimed at you, but what if it is aimed at her in the future?

And what about potential confrontations with her future neighbours, shouldn't you make her fully aware of the situation before she potentaily ends up in an awkward conversation with one of her neighbours when putting the bins out?

So much virtue signalling from clueless people.

Luckily considerably less defence from people without a moral compass.

@SunnyDaysAndCoolNights OP, do you have a mortgage on the property?

You have not read the detail on the new laws have you? The OP won"t be allowed to remove tenants to house their niece (not included as "immediate" family) in a few days, a landlord ( a "landlord" is treated differently from an "owner" under the old and new law) can"t just evict someone because they want to anymore, some people say the law goes too far and that is why there is a lot of uneasiness about it.

WTF???

Repercussions?
Awkward conversations?
Bins?

What now?

Society gives them the privilege of renting, and society can keep monitored the entitled views like yours and the behaviour we see happening to regulate this privilege we grant landlords to what society needs.

Another vote for agreeing with your brother and his wife. It was foolish of whoever in the family who told them to do so. Telling people who are renting about how you're kicking out other long-term renters with kids who have been nothing other than model tenants, all to accommodate a niece, was never going to go down well.

You've said she can live with you if the S21 doesn't go through by September. That's the option I would have pursued in the first place. Poor tenants.

I think you have been foolish for the same reasons as others.

My DD's landlord treats her like royalty because she has lived there for 7 years (coincidentally), has never been even a day late with rent and her and her partner treat the place well. He has said more than once that he wished all of his tenants were like her.

As for the moral aspect, well if you can sleep at night, good for you but I know that I couldnt.

It's very possible that someone will tell your niece at some point that you evicted a family to let her move in

Niece sounds quite fragile, what happens if she finishes her course and isn't able to transition into gainful employment ? Are you happy for your property to be her home for a long time ? If it's all about 'family' then are you happy to let her remain there indefinately, because that is what you are inadvertantly signing up for ?

It’s fine OP . Completely to put your own family first especially a young person who has autism. It will make the house easier to sell when she finishes uni.

" and that there is a possibility they might end up in unsuitable temporary accommodation"

Please read the thread, the landlord has another spare property, it is larger than the current one the tenant occupies, they are being offered it for the same rent (that some posters have decided is "below market rent") as the current property, there is no risk of homelessness or sleeping under a bridge of having to go to an HMO with young children and sleep next to "dangerous people" or any other hysterical scenario that people have been throwing about all over the thread, and even if the landlord didn"t have another property I am willing to bet that a working family with a half decent credit score and no doubt decent references could get another private rental in, Oh, about five minutes.

I am perfectly prepared to believe you, but I would really like the statistical figures to back up what you are saying, given that everyone else commenting here is not of the same opinion as you are as to the easy availability of council housing for all and sundry.

I’m not even going to waste my words, just yanVu

Personally I think you are awful. My heart goes out to that poor, poor family who have done nothing wrong. I really hope that they find somewhere local or it could have further detrimental impacts on them, changing jobs, children having to move schools, moving away from their support network etc..

We got served a section 21 once and it was the most stressful time of our lives. I was ill with worry and physically sick most days with the anxiety of not knowing if my children and dogs would have a roof over their heads.

Bloody awful of you op. I feel really angry just reading this, and so upset for the tenants.

I personally wouldn’t do it and I think it’s a shitty thing to do. I love my niece but would not do this for her unless she was facing actual homelessness. Living in a slightly grotty student flat is kind of just part of the experience in my opinion. Helped DN move into her’s a while ago and while I wouldn’t want to live there now, it will be a life lesson for a girl who’s grown up very privileged. She was moaning about it not having and bath and it kind of made me laugh because me and my siblings would have killed for that flat as kids! We would have all had our own rooms!

What’s this 7 years thing, please?

That would be a lie though wouldn"t it? The truth is that the landlord is offering the tenant an even bigger property for the same (below market?) rent.

This thread is lunacy.

OP YANBU AT ALL. It's your property. You served notice in the proper way. You didn't do it to get more money, you did it to help family.

Mumsnet hated landlords and thinks tenants should be given the house for free.

The dwp won't pay rent if they think it's a contrived tenancy - someone paying less rent because they are family