Extending served notice on tenants

[dollysflop]

A neighbour has issues with my tenants, it's an awkward situation but they are good neighbour and I've taken their word for all the problems which have included intimidation. They didn't want me to speak to the tenants as they thought the situation would get worse. I gave tenants notice to quit at the end of their 6 month tenancy but then chickened out of sticking to this when speaking to them on the phone because I suppose I have no proof of the problems and sent a text agreeing to an additional month.

Neighbour is apparently at their wits end and cross I hadn't updated them about this. Fair point. They have spoken with a solicitor and thinking about ringing the police. Without actually speaking to the tenants however I feel I am in a really awkward position. I want to speak to them about the issues but have specifically been asked not to. Although if the police are going to get involved they'll ending up knowing about it anyway.

Am I in any way obliged to give them this extra month? I don't know what to do to keep the peace. I need to call the neighbour back to discuss this but wanted a bit of advice before I do.

the legal status of a text (which may never have been received) is subject to debate, but you need to ask a real legal person.

did you give the original notice in the fully legal format? Are they actually going to go?

Hi. Section 21 notice submitted correctly. Had a bit more of chance to read up, I think I'll have to let it run the additional month.

Are they going to go? I hope so.....

check your legal expenses cover now! (And hope you don't need it!)

Technically you are not obliged to evict the tenants on your neighbours' say so. It's down to the neighbours to contact the police. I think you are being very kind, incurring additional costs to find new tenants to keep the neighbours happy. If they are cross you have not updated them, they are overstepping the boundaries because again, you are in no way obliged to do so. In theory you could lose out on several months' rent to keep the peace. I've been in your shoes, the neighbours tried to take me to court for around £10k's worth of expenses they dreamt up. The judge chuckled and sent them packing.

I think it's outrageous that you haven't spoken to the tenants regarding the issue. you have only one side of the story. playing with someone's life on the basis of hearsay makes you not a very nice person.

I wonder why the neighbour didn't want you to speak to tenants. perhaps because not all they said is true.

I've spoken with other neighbours now who back up the story. Previously they haven't had any concerns apart from tenant driving wrong way up one way street to park outside house at nighttime....

I've known neighbour longer than tenants and neighbour is scared that if they know the reason for ending the tenancy they'll cause even more hassle.

Anyway, spoke to neighbour and they accept it'll be no more than additional month and have offered to pay half of next tenant finding fee....

'playing with someone's life'.

do me a favour. Lots of anti-landlord crap on here but that is something else.

unsurprisingly we now find that the tenants are in fact the neighbours from hell. It may take a while, but they will eventually be off to make someone else's life a misery.

do we? if they're so scary how come the OP rented her property to them? they very well may be unpleasant but how do you know it wasn't the neighbours who started it. so it's enough someone takes a dislike to a tenant, then gossips and out they are on their ear? yeah, please....

the bottom line is they haven't broken the contract, have they.

you cannot always tell that people are going to be bad neighbours from meeting them....

some contracts do include a civilised behaviour clause.

you will of course never complain about horrific neighbours should you have them. To do so would be 'playing with someone's life' because why should anyone believe you on your logic?