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A landlord has been criticized online for "kicking out" their best friend so their sister could move in.
Published to Reddit's r/AmITheA**hole forum, a property manager under the anonymous username u/landlordthrowawayx shared their story to receive feedback from the "AITA" community. The viral post has over 1,000 upvotes and 2,000 comments.
The original poster (OP) began their story by explaining that their best friend from high school has been renting out one of the houses they own for seven years. However, the OP's sister recently graduated college and didn't want to live at home so the landlord told their friend and his roommates that they needed to move out as soon as possible so she could move in. The landlord also stated that they gave them more than 30 days' notice.
The OP wrote, "He begged me for 'at least 3 months' to look for a place in many emails but I ignored them because, as a property manager, I know that if you give someone any extra time they will keep asking for more and more time- I've heard some horror stories. He said that the 3 of them finding housing unexpectedly and so quickly after feeling comfortable for so long would be very hard but I could not risk my professionalism by replying to these concerns.
"He even offered to pay extra rent or buy the house (because he didn't know my plans with my sister - none of his business) and I still didn't reply because I was so shocked that he was so obsessed with my property. He managed to leave before I had to take any legal action, thankfully. He posted on Facebook whining that I betrayed him etc... It's a shame that the Man of Honor at my wedding ended up acting so unreasonable over this, but I guess the lesson is don't be a landlord to friends," they concluded.
Newsweek reached out to u/landlordthrowawayx for comment.
What are your rights as a paying tenant?
According to legalzoom.com, listed below are rights that you have as a tenant paying rent:
- A tenant's fair housing rights: As a tenant, a property owner or company cannot reject you based on age, sex, national origin, family status, race, color, religion or mental or physical disability under the federal Fair Housing Act.
- A tenant's rights to a habitable home: When renting an apartment or home, it must be able to live in without any dangerous conditions. Your home must have usable heat, utilities and water. Your landlord must make any necessary repairs to make your home in good condition.
- A tenant's rights to their security deposit: Landlords typically ask for a security deposit in case you cause damages to the home. Depending on your state's laws, they control how long a landlord has to return the deposit.
- A tenant's rights regarding eviction: Landlords can evict you if you are doing illegal activity on the property, not paying rent on time, or breaking other rules stated in the lease. However, your landlord must give you notice of the eviction to give you time to pay the money owed or fix what broke.
Newsweek has published several articles regarding conflicts between landlords and tenants, including a tenant who was warned for forcing their landlord to serve notice before paying rent and the internet is left divided after a landlord refused to reimburse a tenant for their hotel stay.
Redditor reactions
"[You're the a**hole]," r/panic_bread wrote, receiving the top comment of over 15,000 upvotes, "This is why people think landlords are awful. Your behavior toward this person you call your friend is abhorrent."
"[You're the a**hole!!] WTF dude??? We are in a housing crisis and you kick out your 'best friend' ASAP. That's not okay at all. I understand your sister might not want to live at home but you should have given your tenants at least 3 months notice at the very least considering he was your best friend for 7 years," u/Macdonald99 exclaimed.
"I can hardly believe that you typed all of this, read it and did not cover your face from shame. Absolutely disgusting behaviour," u/CamelOfHate cringed.
U/Boring_Ghoul_451 slammed the OP, "This is no way to treat a loyal tenant, let alone "a best friend." Did you just expect him to have a great attitude about being forced to leave 'ASAP'? You may own the property but you are not entitled to kick someone out so freely. Not only are you a poor friend but you have a poor view of human decency. [You're the a**hole]."
About the writer
Ashley Gale is a Newsweek reporter based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Her focus is reporting on trends. She has covered trends, ... Read more