My tenant told me she has been bullied by a an old grunpy neighbour for months and now she left a message on my cell saying she wants to move out. Have had a brief talk to her she says she may want to take this to police and she wants to move out!! What should I do as a Landlord to help. I have NOT got notice in written form seems she is in angry state to say moving. This is a good tenant I don't want to lose her. That grunpy trouble neighbor is a well known troubled old mentally ill widow and seems any attempt to fight will get back a double! please help! any one with experience similar dispute and what should I do?
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If your tenant was an owner/occupier instead, she would have to deal with the situation herself instead of getting the landlord involved. Asking the landlord to sort it out is the easy option. You have little control over her neighbours.
If you're feeling up to it, go & say hello to the neighbour, & get her on side. She is possibly just lonely. -
yeah thanks Hound I think a bit like that my tenant just want to use me in this case. I actually don't want to get involved and stay away, but seems tenant may have a chance to give me formal notice if this can't be solved. Well I guess if trhey have to go then I have to accept the fact and hopefully the next one will make friends with that mental... just like to see what other people think and different points of view. What did you do if similar happened to you?//----------------------------------------------------Comment
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Is the teannt on a fixed or periodic tenancy. If they are in a fixed term they may just be using it as an excuse to get let out of the tenancy. If teannt have disputes with neighbours I tell them that I need to have in writing from them dates times etc of the problem and that they matter will be referred to the police if it warrants that kind of action. This usually calls the tenants bluff.
Have you ascertained what the neighbour is doing to upset your tenant? Could the tenants behaviour be causing the problem?
What do the tenants expect you to do about the problem,you don't control the neighbour, unless of course you own the neighbouring proeprty as well.
If they hate the neighbours that much they will leave so just remind them(if on a periodic tenancy) that they need to give the full 21 day notice in writing and move on.Comment
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no i don't own the neighbor property. it is a periodic one.//----------------------------------------------------Comment
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Your tenant is free to move out at any time - but she has to give you three week notice to stop paying rent.
Has she got a friend that she can stay with while waiting for the notice period to expire, so she doesn't have to pay two lots of rent.?
cubeDFTBAComment
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Don't get involved
If you do and you "resolve" the issue this time and it blows up again then what? As Hound said what would they do if they owned the place, sell up??
This has been a hard lesson for us when we had neighbour trouble. We had to keep telling the parties to report the issue, noise in our case, to the appropriate authorities. In the end I discovered that the neighbours had just used us as a sounding board and not followed through with the council because the council previously had not produced the answer the complainants wanted!!Comment
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Suppose I lease a car, a transaction analagous to leasing a house.
Would it be unreasonable of me to go back to the leasor every time I didn't like how other people drove?
Of course it would.
Would it be up to the leasor to have a quiet word to other road users, so that I could enjoy the car more?
Of course not.
Paul.Comment
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thanks for all replies
yes I think I better stay away
i think i would just advise her to call police or council for any serious dispute
i will tell her that if she end up really having to move on then she have to give me 21 days notice
I shall get myself phychologically ready to find the next tenant (this time of year
) finger cross hopefully i dont need to....
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I have had a few of these neighbours from Hell.
Some are mad and some bad.
When I get worked up enough I stomp up to their door, beat loudly, and state my case. Tell em what they have done and how rotten and bad they are.
It is surprising how often a grumpy confrontational approach like that does wonders. It is not a common action in New Zealand. We tend to be a very non confrontational society.
I had one lady who used to make it a life style mission to complain to this and that person like me, the owner, the council and the Police.
After one of my calls I never had another complaint.
I can not even remember what I said. I just did it in such a manner with out actually swearing or being personally abusive that the message got home.
Most of these people are just reaching out to others and would be horrified if they could see themselves in the mirror.
So tomorrow get on down there and explain to him that your lovely tenant is now in tears and is moving because of him. Explain how this has hurt you and is going to cost you money.
Explain that you have done nothing to cause this hurt and ask for an explanation.Comment
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