Tenants renting from landlords are expected to abide by certain rules outlined in the contracts that have been signed.
But what happens when one of the rules is broken for what tenants consider to be a valid and ethical reason?
Redditor Puzzleheaded_Rip_297 is a 30-year-old male who was upset after his tenants violated a major property rule.
After taking action against the tenants, he visited the “Am I the A**hole?” (AITA) subReddit and asked:
“AITA for evicting a neighbour because they bought a dog.”
The Original Poster (OP) wrote:
“So I’m 30 Male and I own a house near the city. It’s a pretty good area but I have a strict caveat of no dogs.”
“Dogs aren’t worth the problem as a landlord and I have plenty of tenants who were willing not to have a dog.”
“They secretly got a dog. The dog is from a shelter and while not all dogs are, some are harder to maintain and it is a dog with a lot of fur.”
“I told them to get rid of the dog or they were gone. They argued that there was a good yard and it was fenced and I would be helping save a dog.”
“I honestly didn’t care because I made it clear at the very beginning and had it in writing. A week passed and the dog was still there.”
“I got my lawyer to send them an eviction notice immediately. They were really upset and pleaded for me not to kick them out.”
“I bought this house 3 years ago and rented it to them pretty quick for a fair bit under market rate as I always believed having good tenants was worth a little bit of money.”
“Now prices in the area have gone up by over 2k and they can’t afford to live here. Their children will most likely be pulled out of a good school and they would be losing their neighbourhood connections.”
“The mother called me an AH for uprooting their lives because ‘they saved a life’. I’ve already found other tenants who are willing to pay market rate and are meet my requirements. AITA?”
Strangers on the internet were asked to declare one of the following:
- NTA – Not The A**hole
- YTA – You’re The A**hole
- ESH – Everyone Sucks Here
- NAH – No A**holes Here
Most Redditors had little sympathy for the departing tenants.
“NTA. You had it in writing and you even gave them a warning. They are knowingly defying your legal contract. Theyve now become bad tenants.”
“You can get better tenants and a better price. Watch that they don’t destroy your property on their way out though.” – RevolutionarySea15
“NTA – You had grounds to evict when you discovered the dog, but gave them a second chance – THEY chose the dog over their kid’s education, not you.” – HowardProject
“Exactly this. These are grown adults who are fully aware of the implications that come with violating a lease agreement. They did this to themselves, especially since they were given a second chance by OP.” – Cool_Foundation_5319
“I hate that she tried to use the dog as a morality shield too.”
“Sure you saved a life, but it didn’t ask to be saved by you under these circumstances. Now they’ll probably have to give up the dog and re-traumatize it by entering it into a shelter all over again.” – Dumbassahedratr0n
“NTA because the rules were laid out beforehand and they still took a risk of adopting a dog, knowing they might be evicted.”
“I love pets and it always makes me said that I can’t get one, because of the house rules. But that’s the way it is.” – Nyukorin
“NTA I really don’t understand why people are saying AH while it is NTA. Did you all forget that the house is OP’s House? He was clear about no dogs, he’s got his reasons for it for not having them on the property.”
“Tenants get dog anyway behind his back, instead of evicting right away for breaking the rules he gives them a week. Tenants refuses to get rid of the dog so they get evicted end of story.”
“You guys shouldn’t forget a tenant can’t just do whatever he wants with a house he RENTS not BOUGHT.” – jorjoncor123
“I’m sorry but the audacity of them to repay you like this.”
“You are clear about what you expect from your rental properties and don’t price gouge families so they’re able to live in good neighborhoods. And somehow people are saying you might be legally correct but morally wrong?”
“Bullsh*t. You did them a HUGE favor with that consistently cheap rent, letting them live in a neighborhood they couldn’t afford on their own.”
“And when you wouldn’t give them what they want, they went and did it behind your back?”
“Did they really think they could just bully you into this?”
“NTA and maybe consider renting at that price to a deserving family? Just because they screwed you over doesn’t mean the next family won’t be grateful.” – no_rxn
“NTA. You rented to adults. The adults signed the rental agreement. The rental agreement said NO DOGS. They got a dog. You told them they were out of compliance and to get rid of the dog. They chose to keep the dog.”
“They. Chose. To. Keep. The. Dog.”
“This is on them. They made the choice to get a dog & they made the choice to keep the dog. You are NTA. I love animals (currently have a GSD, four cats, a bunny, two ducks, & 19 chickens) BUT reasonable adults know that the first rule of landlord/tenant relations is ABIDE BY THE RENTAL AGREEMENT.”
“I lived in rental properties for 9 years and never got a dog bc I never found a place that allowed them. I did get a cat, paid extra $ every month bc of him, & paid a pet deposit (all totally worth it btw).”
“I have to admit that part of me loves your tenants for keeping their dog despite it all, but they can’t claim that you’re the a**hole for evicting them because of it.” – sinking-fast
While some Redditors admitted to being advocates of adopting pets from animal shelters, a majority of them agreed the tenants should not have violated the rental agreement by going behind the OP’s back to get a dog.