As humans, we want to have a close connection with our families, but sometimes that doesn’t happen and it’s hurtful to realize that you are not compatible with the people you share your DNA with or that they only keep you close to benefit from you.
But this woman didn’t allow her older brother to take advantage of her and secretly sold her house he stopped paying rent for. Now the brother and his family are being evicted and the rest of the family is divided by her decision.
More info: Reddit
You wouldn’t think that your sister would sell the house you’re living in, but you also would expect your brother to pay on time and take care of the house
Image credits: Warren LeMay (not the actual photo)
But in this story, the brother was late with payments and stopped doing maintenance, so the sister sold the house and didn’t tell him
Image credits: Sludge G (not the actual photo)
Image credits: Jiposhy .com (not the actual photo)
Image credits: FollowingFit3032
The brother was angry at his sister that he had to move and only found out from the new owner, their parents were on the woman’s side
The Original Poster (OP) has an older brother who needed help 5 years ago and since she had rental properties, she offered one of them to him. The house is not very glamorous, but according to the woman, it’s “solid,” and the sister was asking him only to pay for the mortgage and property tax to her, but that meant he was paying for the maintenance because she was not getting profit from this property.
There were no major conflicts between the siblings until the brother decided to change the hot water tank because it wasn’t enough for his family, although it was only 3 years old and still had warranty.
It might be very true that the water tank was too small as the family consists of 6 people, so the sister allowed him to install a new one, but she didn’t expect him to make her pay for it as she considered it maintenance and it was the brother’s responsibility.
Eventually, the homeowner paid for the water tank but forbade the brother to make any changes to the house without her permission, which then led to him maliciously complying and stopping doing maintenance.
When the sister refused to add a new breaker box and run more outlets because the wiring was not adapted for all the modern electronics they have, which readers found weird, as it was only 20 years old, he started paying rent late.
So the OP had enough, especially after she tried to talk to him without managing to resolve anything, and sold the house without telling her brother, who found out when he got an eviction notice from the new property owner. The woman’s parents are on her side, but there are a few family members who were horrified. But the OP thinks that 90 days to find a new place is enough and she didn’t see her brother as a serious buyer because he was not even paying rent.
People in the comments were divided. Some said that her brother is not her responsibility and she already was generous by charging him only mortgage and property taxes. Others thought that there was fault from both sides: the OP should have told her brother she was selling the house and he was supposed to continue taking care of maintenance as they originally agreed.
Image credits: Warren LeMay (not the actual photo)
In general, the situation is not that uncommon. A tenant is late to pay rent or skips it altogether, they don’t take care of the property and the landlord is looking for a way to get rid of them to avoid more loss.
Actually, according to CNBC, “About 18% renters in America, or around 10 million people, were behind in their rent payments as of the beginning of the month.” And the average debt is $5,600 or 4 months behind.
But the factor that makes the situation at hand more complicated is that the tenant and the landlord are family and there are different expectations. The tenant may think that the landlord will be more lenient, will wait longer and will ask less.
New Again Houses, a house flipping company, strongly discourages people from renting to family. Their explanation is “One word: drama.”
From one side, the relative may look at the situation more casually and not consider it an actual contract between a landlord and a tenant. On the other side, the tenant “acquires a false sense of security because you’re not anticipating any problems from your nephew or daughter. After all, they’re family.”
But you should expect issues arising, whether it’s family or random strangers. The only difference is how complicated it will be to resolve them. To avoid such a situation, you may want to “consider having a third-party property management company act as a buffer between you and your relative. Or find another way to deal with the property, such as listing it with a real estate agent or selling it for cash.”
Pay Rent also adds that “Boundaries are a crucial part of any relationship, but when you’re renting to relatives and friends, setting clear boundaries before move-in day is especially important in order to set yourselves up for a successful working relationship.” A really good way to do it is a contract that states responsibilities of both parties and consequences if the contract is violated.
Would you rent to a family member or friend? How would you handle a situation like the OP found herself in? Do you think her solution was appropriate? Do you think she is a lousy landlord or was the brother a tenant who deserved such treatment? Let us know in the comments.
Readers had mixed opinions ranging from approving the sisters problem solution to claiming that everyone in the situation suck
