Upon the end of our lease this summer my wife and I asked to renew for another year in our small apartment in Hawaii. We like our place and do not want to move. We were informed the owner intended to sell the property and we’d be put on a month to month term at the rental unit.
The property manager stated that the new owner may wish to continue renting the property but there’s no guarantees. Bummer, but it is what it is. My wife recently moved jobs and we are now very close to her new workplace and I’m in walking distance of mine. Again, it’s a bummer, but we’re actively searching because we want to feel secure in our space and not be stressing about where we’re gonna live.
They requested to do some showings with the realtor and potential buyers. Makes me a little uncomfortable but ya know it’s not that big of a deal. They gave the right amount of notice the first time. But they’ve also popped up asking to do one out of the blue, not cool, not prepared and they conducted the viewing minus our unit.
I guess no one is scheduling any more viewings because the realtor and owner are now asking to do open houses for 3 hours every other Sunday and request we be off the premises during that time. To me, this is completely invasive and I do not consent to it. I stated as such in a letter citing some local statutes that show I recognize their right to advertise the property and do viewings but to ask me to remove ourselves for hours at a time while completely unvetted strangers go through my unit is unacceptable to me.
I have thousands of dollars worth of music equipment that I have no way of hiding or securing further within the apartment. I mean that’s why I pay rent right? To me this is downright insulting.
We recently found out that the owner is also trying to rent the unit below us month to month as well. They even walled off one of the 3 bedrooms down there and are charging hundreds more than what the previous tenants paid. I’m guessing they’re using that space as storage? I don’t know, there’s no other way to access it besides that door they walked off.
To me this shows the owner is trying to have their cake and eat it too. They’re wanting to keep full occupancy (there’s 4 units total, 3 of which are occupied) while aggressively trying to sell the place. We said we were more than fine with scheduled viewings as long as there’s advance notice. We have a dog so I need to make sure she’s somewhere else while we work if they’re going to do a walkthrough.
Am I being the asshole here in sending a letter expressing my refusal to consent with this request?
Comments
^^^^AUTOMOD Thanks for posting! READ THIS COMMENT – DO NOT SKIM. This comment is a copy of your post so readers can see the original text if your post is edited or removed. This comment is NOT accusing you of copying anything.
Upon the end of our lease this summer my wife and I asked to renew for another year in our small apartment in Hawaii. We like our place and do not want to move. We were informed the owner intended to sell the property and we’d be put on a month to month term at the rental unit.
The property manager stated that the new owner may wish to continue renting the property but there’s no guarantees. Bummer, but it is what it is. My wife recently moved jobs and we are now very close to her new workplace and I’m in walking distance of mine. Again, it’s a bummer, but we’re actively searching because we want to feel secure in our space and not be stressing about where we’re gonna live.
They requested to do some showings with the realtor and potential buyers. Makes me a little uncomfortable but ya know it’s not that big of a deal. They gave the right amount of notice the first time. But they’ve also popped up asking to do one out of the blue, not cool, not prepared and they conducted the viewing minus our unit.
I guess no one is scheduling any more viewings because the realtor and owner are now asking to do open houses for 3 hours every other Sunday and request we be off the premises during that time. To me, this is completely invasive and I do not consent to it. I stated as such in a letter citing some local statutes that show I recognize their right to advertise the property and do viewings but to ask me to remove ourselves for hours at a time while completely unvetted strangers go through my unit is unacceptable to me.
I have thousands of dollars worth of music equipment that I have no way of hiding or securing further within the apartment. I mean that’s why I pay rent right? To me this is downright insulting.
We recently found out that the owner is also trying to rent the unit below us month to month as well. They even walled off one of the 3 bedrooms down there and are charging hundreds more than what the previous tenants paid. I’m guessing they’re using that space as storage? I don’t know, there’s no other way to access it besides that door they walked off.
To me this shows the owner is trying to have their cake and eat it too. They’re wanting to keep full occupancy (there’s 4 units total, 3 of which are occupied) while aggressively trying to sell the place. We said we were more than fine with scheduled viewings as long as there’s advance notice. We have a dog so I need to make sure she’s somewhere else while we work if they’re going to do a walkthrough.
Am I being the asshole here in sending a letter expressing my refusal to consent with this request?
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.
Welcome to /r/AmITheAsshole. Please view our voting guide here, and remember to use only one judgement in your comment.
OP has offered the following explanation for why they think they might be the asshole:
> 1. I sent a strongly worded letter to my property manager about refusing to consent to open houses by the landlord and realtor.
Help keep the sub engaging!
Don’t downvote assholes!
Do upvote interesting posts!
Click Here For Our Rules and Click Here For Our FAQ
Subreddit Announcements
Follow the link above to learn more
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.
Contest mode is 1.5 hours long on this post.
NTA. You still actually live there, and it’s your stuff in the place.
NTA. I wouldn’t want random people walking through my home without me there either. Provided it isn’t part of your lease I wouldn’t leave.
NTA. Too many possibilities for damage and theft when random people just go through.
NTA Your just asking for reasonable notice. Your best bet is to start looking for a new place. Sounds like even if it stays a rental the rent will spike.
This is not an AITA issue, it’s a legal one.
Many states require reasonable notice for a landlord to enter the property. It’s TWO DAYS in Hawaii, preferably IN WRITING. If they showed up no warning to show the unit, they’ve already broken the law.
Have you consulted a lawyer about your rights and responsibilities?
Without knowing the legal implications of your situation, I can’t say whether you or the landlord is the asshole.
You should be allowed to stay during the open house. We stayed and watched when our property manager showed our apartment to new possible tenants. Please stay.
My property manager was a dumbass who LEFT THE KEY IN THE DOOR so anyone could have entered our unit after he left
Another time he left the lockbox outside OPEN with the key inside
r/legaladvice
NTA, the frequency and duration is too long even if you’re in the unit. Which you have every right to be. Do not leave the unit for any of these showings.
Seek legal advice. Also find out what legally required notice they (and you) have to give when you want to move out or they want to end your lease.
NTA. You don’t need unsupervised strangers walking through your apartment, with all your belongings lying around.
INFO – why do you care about whether or not you are being an asshole to a landlord who is selling your apartment out from under you?