A brother moved into one of his loved one’s rental properties and then began to make changes without the owner’s consent. The homeowner has written about the incident in a recent Reddit post.
*This is a work of non-fiction sourced from social media discussion boards and verified experts/specialists.*
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The author begins by explaining that while his brother’s family was struggling financially, he allowed them to move into a property he owned. He explains further in his post:
“Because I was renting to him at a breakeven point we agreed that he was responsible for all the maintenance of the house and yard. Well, he has four kids. And the hot water tank isn't enough for his family and he wants a new one. I told him to go ahead. He then proceeded to take the cost of the hot water tank and installation off of that month's rent. I reminded him of our agreement. He said he wasn't making improvements to my property for free.”
Renting a property out to family members can often be risky and complicated, as it creates a unique combination of business and familial dynamics. According to legal experts, this can lead to a variety of potential issues, such as disputes over payment, difficulty enforcing rental agreements, and potential legal liability.
This wasn’t the last disagreement the brothers had, either. The brother was so furious about being charged for the new things he installed that he went back on his deal with the author, as detailed in the post:
“I told him that he was not allowed to make any further changes to the house without my explicit agreement. So he stopped doing maintenance as a protest. He started getting [snippy] about it and the rent started getting paid late. I tried talking to him but he said that he had to buy some stuff for the house and he was low on cash. So I sold the house. My brother found out when he was served with an eviction notice.”
The author’s brother started bad-mouthing him to their family, with different members taking sides and some of them even accused the author of being [a terrible person]. He continues:
“A few of them took his side and tried to say I was being an asshole so I offered all of them a chance to clear his debt to me if they wanted to share their opinion. None of them took me up on the offer.”
Despite feeling he did the right thing, the author still feels conflicted, as he concludes:
“My parents are on my side and they said I shouldn't have rented to him in the first place. I feel bad for my sister-in-law and the kids but I'm not going to spend the rest of my life subsidizing his.”
What do you think?
Was the author being a bad landlord by refusing to replace equipment in his property to better convenience his brother’s family, and it was wrong to not cover the expenses after his brother renovated?
Or is the brother greedy and entitled, and the author was being beyond generous to rent out to him, so the brother got exactly what he deserved for being a terrible tenant?
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