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.

Personally I wouldn’t do this because your DN would easily have been able to get a small flat or student bedsit instead and doesn’t need a house. It’s harsh on the family renting whose kids will lose their home and it will be really hard for them to find an alternative property. You seem a bit emotionless and tone deaf really to not see this. But I guess if you were going to sell up soon anyway then fair enough as you’d have had to evict the tenants then.
it’s very shortsighted of the government to make it so unattractive to be a landlord as it’s causing a real crisis with people desperate to sell off rentals.

Why weren't you already letting your other siblings family (the ones who are renting) live there?

This.

Its not just a bad thing to do to your current tenants but it will likely cost you in the long run. You may well regret it.

Business and family dont mix well.

This is a good idea. Can you do this?

Excellent point there.

OP is not obliged to home the family. She is renting it out to them. She's given them plenty of notice.
She's not a bloody charity. Its for the family to find somewhere to live.

Another reason i would not be a bloody landlord these days.

No but if you are a decent LL with good tenants you are generally more understanding of their needs.

The only circumstances OP would need to end the tenancy would be if she wanted possession ie to live in or sell.

That only applies if they are living in the same house as the family member.

Shitty thing to do though, OP!

It doesn't make any sense to make it into a moral question now.

You are not maximising the profits, you are supporting vulnerable family member.

You planned to sell in a few years - your tenants would face it sooner o later anyway. It's a nature of private renting, that it doesn't come with long term security. It's not the best system, but it's the system you have.

It's kind of trendy to critise landlords even when behaving completely legally and overall ok. I don't like turning homes to short term rentals and I understand objections against MHO, but your case is the least objectionable it can be.

I votedYABU but then read your replies and changed my mind.

We had to leave our last rental as the LL had family to move in. We had been there for ten years. Not ideal but unfortunately that’s the risk with renting. Their family member stayed for 6 months and then moved abroad!

It's not 'decent'. It's what is expected of a landlord who wishes to repossess a property. Did you think she could just go along and chuck them out?

This was an awful and highly immoral thing to do.

Don’t forget OP, you’re not just evicting a family from their home, you’re also potentially evicting the children from their school and the whole family from their community network. Affordable rental places are hard to come by generally but if you’re tied to an area because of family commitments, it’s even harder.

I know the new renters rights act is getting a bad wrap but this is exactly why a reform of policies is needed.

I’m not smug at all. I’ve said I feel sympathetic towards the family. I don’t feel good about it but I do believe in helping family. I also think that my name calling brother would be fine about it if it was his children benefitting.

Shitty behaviour OP. Really shitty.

You can’t claim it as a student anyway.

YABVVU.

I wouldn’t have evicted long term good tenants in favour of a lone young family member and I’m someone who is very family oriented regardless of the plan was to sell it in a few years.
I don’t think you’ll be teaching your neice anything by letting her rent it, below market value etc and it was down to her parents to sort out stuff if she had needed it.
Surely you’ve done your own children a disservice? Even in a household where money is not an issue, the difference in rental income from now and in the future is less money available to help them should they need it?

Ridiculous - yes, let her have the house, hopefully she will make a success of her degree and go onto a good life. She has autism -family comes first.

its not the OP’s fault there’s a shortage of housing -and nothing stopping any of the mosners on here getting a mortgage and letting a property to a family if it’s such a big deal

What an absolute shit thing of you to do. This is a family who has made it their home for 7 years. All for one person. Well I hope she moves in and trashes the place. Really what a horrible thing to do.

@SunnyDaysAndCoolNights is there a reason that none of the other solutions people have suggested would work for you and/or your niece? I do get that her autism may make it hard for her to live with other people, but is there a reason you wouldn't consider helping her to rent a smaller place by herself, rather than displacing this family?

Yeah, you shouldn't have done that. And I think you know it deep down, which is why you've asked on here. Legally you're fine, but morally...

You've just uprooted a whole family who you say have been good tenants for years. They have kids who are probably settled at schools in the area etc. So much disruption, expense and misery caused to that family who've done nothing wrong.

I understand the urge to help your niece, but couldn't you have put your heads together maybe with her parents and found another way to help her get suitable accommodation? And does a student really need a whole house to themselves? She'll probably only live there a year or two anyway.

I don’t really understand why you posted asking for opinions if you’re so sure you’ve done the right thing?

Well crack on then. Why ask people online if you're so sure you're right? I feel sorry for the decent, hardworking tenants you've treated so badly.

I’m in favour of private landlords generally but this is horrendous!

Plus I would never rent to a family member when you already have a reliable tenant. I bet the niece stops paying rent and/ or leaves at some point.

Why couldn’t you rent a room to her or she could just get somewhere for herself like any normal person.

Putting your family first is no excuse- that would be feeding them if they were starving to death or letting them bunk up with you if they were homeless. Not evicting a family with their own kids because your niece can’t be arsed to find her own place.

Would you have been able to do this under the new rules coming in?

Would the family you are evicting have been able to buy the property if you offered it to them?