With fewer properties available to rent in many areas across the UK, the mismatch between supply and demand has pushed up costs for many people.

So landlords like Reddit user Aggravating-Aide-307 are more or less in control of the market. However, the woman who had been travelling around the world decided it was time to settle down and return to her house.

But after she notified the family that had been living in her property for more than a decade, they called her selfish and tried to persuade her to change her mind.

Unsure of the way she handled the situation, the landlord made a post on the subreddit ‘Am I the [Jerk]?’ asking the community to share their opinions on the matter.

This landlord told her tenants of 14 years they had 3 months to move out

Image credits: Ketut Subiyanto (not the actual photo)

But they thought it was a jerk move

Image credits: Andrea Piacquadio (not the actual photo)

Image credits: Aggravating-Aide-307

Even though they probably could’ve found a better way to go about it, we can still understand why the tenants got so emotional

The latest data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) shows UK average annual rent increases accelerated to 5.3% in July.

High demand from tenants at the same time as landlords reducing the number of available properties are the key reasons behind the spike.

In fact, competition among renters is so intense that there are 20 requests to view each available property, according to recent figures commissioned by the BBC from property portal Rightmove, which is up from six in pre-pandemic 2019.

So you can definitely understand why Aggravating-Aide-307’s tenants were so upset.

Whats worse, Tom Bill, head of UK residential research at estate agency Knight Frank, said: “The squeeze on tenants will not end any time soon.”

He said that there was more financial pain for tenants as the supply of rental property fell and rents rose.

“It is an imbalance compounded by the fact landlords now face higher mortgage rates,” he added.

Official data on wages and inflation have led analysts to suggest that there could be further rises in the Bank of England’s benchmark rate, which would mean ongoing pressure on landlords and homeowners through relatively high mortgage rates.

Image credits: Curtis Adams (not the actual photo)

Harshness can get you only so far

Conflicts, especially those where money is involved, can get messy. But in these times, it’s important to stay grounded.

Arthur Dobrin, Professor Emeritus of University Studies, Hofstra University and Leader Emeritus, Ethical Humanist Society of Long Island, told Bored Panda that kindness can be displayed in the most ordinary circumstances.

“Some think that kindness is an often misplaced sentiment,” Dobrin, the author of Ethics for Everyone: How to Increase Your Moral Intelligence,  said. “For example, they may want a no-nonsense, knowledgeable, and skilled doctor who can fix the broken parts, not someone to hold their hand. Sentimentality can be a hindrance under certain circumstances, as it may be a distraction and stand in the way of making hard choices.”

Dobrin, who also has an online blog on living ethically, called Am I Right?, highlighted that the essence of kindness is giving someone your attention, recognizing them as a person, and treating them as more than a sum of their parts.

“Kindness builds up relationships while harshness tears them down. Kindness is a virtue that is good for everyone to have. And while random acts of kindness are to be valued, more significant is to make kindness an everyday occurrence with everyone you meet.”

Sometimes that’s legally right doesn’t feel so in the heart.  It’s a real family Aggravating-Aide-307 is dealing with. These people and their world suddenly turned upside down. And her inner doubts prove that she knows it. Hopefully, all of them will find the best solution out of this mess.

Image credits: RDNE Stock project (not the actual photo)

As the story went viral, its author provided more information in the comments

Many who read what happened thought the landlord did nothing wrong

But some believed she could’ve been more considerate

After going through the replies, the woman thanked everyone for the feedback and said it made her reevaluate her actions

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