We always hear about the truly awful landlords who own multiple crummy buildings or enter the property without warning, but that isn’t always the case. One woman, u/Aggravating-Aide-307, found herself in a tricky situation and turned to Reddit for advice after she decided she wanted to move back into the house she had been renting to tenants for 14 years.
“I (38F) bought a 4 bedroom house in semi-rural Buckinghamshire when I was 23. It was a lovely big house, but the town was not fun for a 23 year old. I always said I’d love it of I were 40 with kids, but it wasn’t a great place for someone in their 20s. When I was 26, I put the house on the rental market and moved to London where I lived for 2 years before moving to Australia,” she wrote.
“I found a lovely family to rent the house. A husband and wife both in their mid to late 40s with one child, no pets, and respectable jobs. Rent was always paid on time, the estate agent always had good reports from inspection visits and we never heard [any] complaints from neighbours.”
u/Aggravating-Aide-307 continued, “FF 14 years later, they’re still living there. I’ve been travelling the world full time for some years, spent the pandemic in Australia then resumed travelling post lock downs. I’m now ready to return home, so I informed my estate agent that I want to break the contract and have them move out in 3 months’ time, 2 months more notice than I’m obligated to give.”
“The tenants were surprised to hear I was coming back and tried to ask if I was coming to live with my family. The agent brushed off question and told them to vacate in 3 months and that they can help find alternative accommodation.”
The tenants contacted her directly and were very preachy and demanding about deserving the house more than OP just because she is (seemingly) happily unmarried and without children, saying she was “placing my needs of travel and enjoyment ahead of starting a family and getting married.” They even said she should let them buy the house for the original price she paid 15 years previously, even though it had doubled in price since then.
“I replied ‘you can dictate in a house that you own, not one that I own. Please have your things packed by x date or I’ll evict you and sue you for the costs’.”
“My friends are saying I’m kicking them out of their home and I don’t need such a big place so I can rent or sell my student flat for a deposit for a house nearby. My rented house is 90% paid though and I don’t want to start again with a new mortgage. I want to live in my house. I have been fair to the tenants and reasonable in my request. AITA?”
Redditors mostly told her that she was NTA and in the end, it’s her house to do with what she wants.
In an edit to the post, OP thanked people for their feedback and said, “I will be asking the estate agent to ask what ways I can help make this transition easier. I’m willing to extend the notice period by a few months if they want to.”
