So, our friends found out me and the wife are renting out our flat, and now they want to move in. How do we explain we dont want to rent to mates? Its always trickier negotiating with people you know.
After we got married, everything between me and my wife was brilliant. We tied the knot thinking wed live with her parents for a bit. At the time, my mum and dad were relocating to Brighton, and their old place got soldmoney split between me and my sister. With that cash and a bit extra from the wifes dad, we managed to buy a decent one-bed flat, put up a partition to make it two rooms. Thought oned be for a kid, but well, it never happened.
First, we just werent keen, then our careers took off and there was no time. Then, truth be told, we just couldnt, and the wife refused to see a doctor. I wasnt exactly pushing for it either. We were happy as we were, not fussed about whod bring us a cuppa in our old age. Plus, seeing our mates drowning in debt and stress with their kids? We figured wed skip that kind of “happiness” if life was steering us this way anyway.
When we both hit thirty-three, we invested in a little apartment block. Not a huge sum, so we thought, why not? Even though people warned us off. By thirty-seven, the place was ready to move into. Did a light refurb to tidy it up. The wife called it our “insurance policy”either for kids someday or, if not, to pass on to the nieces and nephews later.
For now, we decided to rent it out. Tried doing it ourselves, no estate agents. Mentioned it to friends for advice on where to advertise, and suddenlyawkward question. Could *they* move in? Theyve been living in mouldy rented dumps for years, and heres this fresh place, proper done up “We might even get a *discount*,” they reckon.
Our mistake, telling them about it. Didnt think theyd actually ask.
“Only one proper bedroom, and youve got a whole family,” my wife tried.
“So? Were in a one-bed now. Your photos make it look bigger than ours.”
“But its brand-new, and youve got kids *and* a cat”
“What, you think were slobs wholl wreck it?”
We said wed think about it, though personally, I didnt need to. Been round theirstotal tip. In the end, the wife made me call to say no, flimsy excuses and all.
Their response?
“Youve got *two* places, your parents will leave you theirs eventually, and still youre tight-fisted! Youll rot in your empty flats with no kids, no mates, no joy in life!”
Fair? We owe them nothing. Not our fault they had kids without a proper home or family support. Everyone lives how they choosewhy cant we rent to a stranger at full price instead of cutting mates a break?
