A tenant was left shocked and furious after receiving an email from his landlord demanding he vacate the unit the following week.
Property Consultant Jack Rookefrom the United Kingdom, read a document detailing an email exchange.
The owner explained that he needed the property so that his sick mother could move in and apologized for the inconvenience.
But the request left tenant Jason perplexed, who replied: “I’m sorry, but I don’t quite understand what you mean. Move where? To the flat opposite? Why do I have to move?”
When the landlord told him that he needed the property urgently, Jason explained that such a request would violate the lease and would likely be illegal.
But the owner insisted and the conversation was shared in a TikTok video.
“Jason, this is my condo and as the landlord I have the right to make decisions that are in the best interest of my business and my family. My mother is very ill and needs a place to stay close by. I cannot stress enough how important this is for her well-being,” the landlord wrote.
‘Right now you’re trying to leave a sick woman on the street and I find that disgusting. If I didn’t want you to leave before, I do now. I don’t like having inhumane people on my property.
UK-based property consultant Jack Rooke read a presentation detailing the email exchange
“This is a family emergency and I need your cooperation. You need to go.”
Jack agreed that it’s a “horrible situation” for the landlord, but ultimately “it’s not the tenant’s problem.”
The next morning, Jason wrote: “Thanks for the lovely email. I am of course very sorry to hear about your mother’s health, I sincerely hope she gets better soon. I understand you are upset, so I am willing to ignore your comments about how ‘inhumane’ I am.
That being said, I can’t just “move.” I work 50 hours a week from home. It takes time to find a place, time I don’t have. Then I have to balance it with my job, since we’re in the middle of a project and I can’t take time off. Not that I would even if I could. It would jeopardize my job. Surely you understand that, right?
But the owner didn’t take the answer well and asked Jason what he didn’t understand about the scenario.
In a now viral TikTok video, Jack noted that that should have been the end of the conversation, but the owner continued (file image)
“You have to go. If you want to talk about laws, legally I own the property. I’ll give you two weeks, then time will run out and I’ll change the locks. Plus, I won’t give you your deposit back.”
In Australia, landlords can evict a tenant from a rented property without cause, but must give 30 days’ notice at the end of a fixed-term lease or 90 days’ notice during a periodic lease.
Therefore, such a request would be illegal.
Jason didn’t hesitate to respond, pointing out that the apartment was in “perfect condition” so he would get the deposit back anyway, and reviewed the contract.
He said it states that the landlord must give at least two months’ notice to end the tenancy, not two weeks.
But the landlord said, “I don’t care what the contract says, you’re being unreasonable. My mother is moving out in two weeks, you have to leave before then, otherwise I’ll change the locks and keep your deposit. Bye.”
After receiving a series of threatening emails, Jason decided to pass the evidence on to the police and the Property Ombudsman. He also confirmed that he would be moving out by June 29.
The landlord changed his tune and wrote: “Good morning Jason. Thank you for your email. I’m sorry. I’ve reviewed the contract and you’re actually right – there’s no need for the police or the ombudsman to get involved. I’ll find another apartment for my mother in the building. Don’t worry and you don’t need to leave.”
Despite this response, Jason decided to move out of the property and was expecting his full deposit.
The initial video has already surpassed a staggering 2.6 million views and others left much to be desired.
“Take pictures now, the owner is going to do something minor to keep the deposit,” one commented.
‘Did the owner really not think he would contact the proper authorities?’ said another.
Someone else wrote: ‘I hope the landlord didn’t try to intimidate another tenant who was less informed.’
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