Landlord reveals the ‘icky’ way they found out their tenants had ‘lied’ to them

A landlord has revealed the “icky” way they discovered their tenants had lied to them – and it’s more common in Australia then you’d think.

An Aussie landlord has been blasted after admitting their tenants have no idea they are secretly living next door.

It all came out when the landlord posted anonymously in a popular Facebook group dedicated to fellow investment property owners coming together to share their gripes, solutions and problems.

The secretive landlord explained they were in a situation where the people who had moved into their rental home weren’t on the rental agreement.

“I expected a 59-year-old mother, her 39-year-old daughter and her 40-year-old partner to be moving in.

“What I seem to have is no mother, a dog, and two children around six and ten. Do I immediately breach because of dishonesty?”

The landlord then revealed the only reason they knew this information because they were living next door – and their tenants had no idea.

“I live next door, and no, they don’t know this.”

The post got a wild response. Picture: Landlords Australia

The post was clearly intended for the other group members to discuss if the tenants had breached the contract, but the fellow landlords got distracted by the neighbour’s admission.

“So they are being sneaky, and you are being sneaky,” someone pointed out.

The anonymous landlord immediately demanded to know how they were being sneaky.

“Peeking over the fence when they don’t know you’re their landlord, for starters,” they replied.

Similarly, someone else called it a “depressing post”, while another suggested “live and let live.”

The landlord stood their ground, claiming the tenants “wrote down three very deliberate lies”.

“They’re incredibly lucky I didn’t just breach them immediately. It would’ve been the fastest move-in move out in history.”

Interestingly, plenty of fellow landlords said that the fib wasn’t a big deal and the landlord next door should just move on.

“Does it matter? As long as the person who is responsible for the property/lease holder is keeping the property in the condition it needs to be kept in?” one asked.

“Doesn’t mean they won’t be good tenants,” another wrote.

“I don’t condone lying but I also wouldn’t condone putting a family with small children under more stress out of a place,” someone shared.

“You should have been told about the dog but children … Come on have a heart,” another preached.

Landlords can live next door. Picture: iStock

It is a hard time for renters. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gaye Gerard

One commenter pointed out that children cannot be on a lease anyway and that the landlord “spying on them” can also be a breach of contract as it can impair their quiet enjoyment of the property.

But not everyone was in favour of keeping the tenants, with one calling it a “red flag” and another suggesting the landlord increase the rent by “600 a week” because of the addition of the dog.

The landlord later updated the post indicating that the tenants had been there for more than two weeks and “are looking after the property better than anybody in the last four years” and therefore were likely to let them stay.

They also revealed they had spoken to three separate managing agents and a contract solicitor and have been told they have “no legal obligation” to tell the tenants they live next door.

Real estate expert Douglas Driscoll said that neighbours being landlords with their tenants is not “uncommon” at all.

Though he made it clear that not letting your tenant know that you are lurking next door is “icky” behaviour.

“It is borderline spying and that can be destructive,” he pointed out.

Mr Driscoll advised that landlords should let their tenants know if they live nearby because it is simply “weird” not too.

“It’s strange. The landlord should disclose if they live next door. Not from a legal stance but from a social point of view,” he said.

Your landlord could be living next door. Picture: iStock

Mr Driscoll said that if a tenant was to find out down the track that their landlord was secretly residing next door it could cause problems because tenants are entitled to their privacy.

“If you were the tenant and you discovered it later you’d think it was icky and be confused,” he said.

Mr Driscoll explained that, in his experience, landlords living next door to tenants was common in specific circumstances.

For instance, in boutique blocks where a developer might purchase one apartment and sell on the rest and in suburban areas where people feel more comfortable investing closer to home.

“Some people develop and invest where they are more comfortable or where they are born and bred,” he explained.

Mr Driscoll revealed he’d seen some people hyper-focus on their area to build up their property portfolio and start a small “housing project in their street.”

He pointed out that landlords being your neighbour is also more common with “garden flats” and “townhouses.”

Mr Driscoll did reveal that having your landlord next door is way less common in inner city areas because typically you get more “hardened” investors purchasing these properties.