When this landlord is conflicted, he asks Reddit:
I (47M) inherited a property from my father 11 years ago. For the past five years I’ve been renting the house to a nice family with a young child (5M). They’ve been great tenants and there haven’t been any issues.
A month ago I was approached by a realtor about selling my property. He had a buyer who was interested and was ready to offer $60,000 over market because of the location. This was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up.
My tenants have a lease through mid March. I’ve always renewed every year around this time. I contacted the husband, Michael, and let him know I would not be renewing this time.
To say that he was upset was an understatement. It turns out that he and his wife are currently in hospice with their son who has a terminal heart condition. The doctors have given him a month or two to live. I knew the boy was sick but I never knew it was so serious.
Michael told me that there is no way right now that they can pack up the house and find a new rental in time. The hospice where they are currently in residence is over three hours away and he thinks it’s terribly unfair that I expect him to sacrifice any of the time he has left with their son in order to move.
He called me a heartless sociopath. I suggested that they have a family member take care of the packing and finding a new place but the only family they have around is the wife’s elderly father (I’m not sure that I believe this because they are too young to only have one parent between them and I’m sure there are siblings somewhere).
I then suggested they hire a moving company to handle the packing and try to find a rental online, or possibly an Airbnb for awhile. He claims he can’t afford a moving company because of the son’s medical expenses.
I feel bad about the situation and realize I’m making things harder for them but it’s not my responsibility to take care of them. I’ve given them the legally required notice. My wife thinks that because of the money I’ll be making that I should offer to pay for a moving company and an Airbnb after they leave the hospice.
I don’t want to do this because it would cost me a big chunk of the profit from selling the house and again, their situation is not my responsibility. This is the risk people take when they rent. My wife is now giving me the cold shoulder.
So, AITA for selling my house and not renewing the lease of a family with a sick child?
micahsound writes:
He didn’t even offer to help with househunting or pay for a moving van. And the the comment about how they must be lying about not having family to help puts it over the edge. YTA.
gottalaunder09 writes:
YTA. You aren’t “making things harder for them” you are potentially making them miss time with a child who won’t be here for long. You are well within your right to do so and probably won’t give it another thought once the money hits your bank account.
It sounds like your wife is a different kind of person, and good for her. Also, people aren’t taking a “risk” by renting, they probably just haven’t inherited homes from their rich daddies.
hanskit writes:
Exactly this. When you become a landlord you take on the responsibility of providing a home. That is your job, and it's not to be taken on lightly. There are legal requirements but they are a minimum, not a handbook. Sometimes just because you can do something, doesn't mean you should. YTA.