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.

Also a LL and I would not have done this. I wouldn't evict a family and cause them that amount of stress for someone, niece or not, who could have found a flat.

I have a feeling you will come to regret this decision, karma may well bite you.

Landlords can still evict if they want to sell the property or for themselves or a close family member to move in. They need to give 4 months notice.

I was evicted after living in a rental for 10 years with my children. It was incredibly stressful. A home is a home. You can’t relax and be at peace in a space you don’t view as home and being evicted without any lead in time is really devastating. My LL lied and said he was renting to family and then put it back on the rental market for an extra £500 a month when I left.

I would not be able to evict a family with children in the current housing climate, unless absolutely necessary.

My niece isn’t a brat. She is a lovely young person who struggles with some things due to autism.

She has no idea who our tenants were so won’t be aware that a family are being ‘kicked out’ for those that said she was terrible for this.

We had looked at a few places with her and I wouldn’t have wanted her living in any of them. Our house is nice and in a safe neighbourhood so it was the simplest solution to let her live there.

You’d have been better off renting her a nice secure flat near the university if you are keen to help family, or making a contribution to her living in an area beyond her budget. Do you think she wants your house because she can’t find anyone to live with? She’ll only be in the house for 7 months of the year unless she’s moving there full time. You may end up with it being uninhabited for up to 4 months in the summer.

OP why are you asking for people's opinions?

Im a landlord and that is an absolute arsehole move. Your niece is an entitled brat to even ask, knowing that a family with young kids will have to move out. Unbelievable.

Did your niece realise the implications of her request? Making a family homeless, expecting you to charge family rates for rent so reducing your income?

I can understand her asking if the property was vacant or going to become vacant but not to expect you to evict a family

I'm sorry but this is such a vile thing to do. I've had something similar happen. I was pregnant with my second child, had a two year old and my husband. Our landlady decided she wanted her single female employee to stay there instead. We had made it a lovely home and having to move just for one person is awful.
Your niece is incredibly selfish for this, I could understand if your tenants had been with holding rent or causing damage to the property but just because their only fault is not being your family? That's disgusting. I hope you are ashamed.

You’ve said your niece could live with you if the family aren’t out by September… but you have evicted the family anyway?

Nepotism over common decency.

Read my replies.

Well you came here for an opinion... and the MN readers have given it.
And in addition you were drip feeding because now after 8 pages of comments your dear niece is autistic.

You'd better hope that your niece will move out when you want her to. If she's paying well below market rent, she may want to continue to live there long term.
It'd be quite ironic if you had to go through the legal channels to evict her.
If you insist on going ahead with your plan I would strongly suggest that you are fully compliant in all aspects of the new renters rights bill, as fines can be extremely heavy- up to £30,000 in some instances.

Morally wrong thing to do, but ultimately it's your house so you can do what you like.

People are correct in saying you can do as you wish with your property. Equally, people are entitled to form opinions of your character based on your actions. You and your niece both sound like cold-hearted youknowwhats.

What a shit thing to do to a family with children and also not very forward thinking. Bet she won't stay for years.

Unbelievable.

1 million percent 👆 - why would you a landlord of 7 years no less run to a parenting forum for advice like this, if not just to rage bait?
Transparent as f*ck.

Yes but it's landlords like you that have meant a change in the law is necessary. I had the same thing happen to me. I moved into to a small flat with my daughter following domestic abuse while my divorce went through. I explained this to the landlord who on the surface was understanding. I was there for 12 months and he texted me saying he needed the flat for his sister and i needed to move out in 30 days. Obviously he couldnt do that but it caused so much anxiety and stress at an awful time. I now own my own house and i would do everything i could not to rent again. At the time I had no real choice. Your niece is not destitute, she could find a house, she is choosing not to. The legislation is changing because many, many landlords do this and soon they won't be able to.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c8dq61dml5vo

Please read this OP and have another think.

OP, you have said that if the tenants are not out by September, your niece can stay with you.

If she's no bother, why can't she just stay with you while she's at Uni, and you can leave that poor family where they are?

I think, given you are willing to take a drop in income by giving her a lower rent, would a better option have been to retain your tenants and make a financial gift for y2 and 3 to your DNiece so that she could look at renting somewhere ‘nice’ - ie somewhere as nice as your house but only needing to be big enough for one person? Seem illogical to turf a 4 member family out, with 2 children, to make space for one student?

Totally understand the desire to support her, but a house will be too big (my DC and I are AuDHD, so I’d anticipate her struggling in a larger property alone. A flat with an external entrance system and no garden/rear doors etc may even be safer for her to live in alone).

A nice flat close to the uni at a higher price because you have both gifted her a top up would have made more sense. Then you still have tenants at the end of it; she gets the nicer property; and financially you are net-even?

Because, yes, she is autistic, but turfing a family out to house her in a property that will be too big for her needs was, well, a bit of a dick move.

These kinds of landlords is why I had constant low level stress while living in the UK.