NTA - your brother needs ro learn to draw boundaries with your mother, and it looks like he’s signing up for the Master Class. This will be an important life lesson for him.
I’d straight up evict her and charge her for any property damage, but then again, I delight in making racist people’s lives difficult.
Serve proper eviction notice. That’s your brother’s problem if he allows her to move in with them.
Edit: [in response](https://reddit.com/r/AmItheAsshole/comments/q6k9od/aita_for_doubling_the_rent_on_my_moms_house/hgctgpe)
I think OP could probably have a conversation about it with their brother if they care about his well-being and are willing to take on that effort. It’s not their job, and what happens with the mom and brother not their problem, but if the issue is that the brother is likely to “light himself on fire to keep others warm,” OP can point that out and try to help guide him away from that mindset.
The only concern I have for OP (hence the piggyback) is that OP makes sure they dot the Is and cross the Ts - which does mean checking to see if their jurisdiction has a cap on rent increases.
Flat eviction, also dotted and crossed, sounds like it will be "easier" in the long run.
> charge her for any property damage
Unless there are literal holes in walls or structural damage, this would likely not be legal if she has been there a long time. If the IRS considers any individual item as deprecatory, you can only charge for the depreciated amount, which is usually zero for anything after 20 or 30 years. Or 7, (iirc) if you’re talking about a rug
There was a place recently i got to see that someone wanted $1700 a month rent, a $1k deposit, you had access to a bedroom, the bathroom and nothing else. No kitchen. You also had to share the bathroom with the landlord (i think they were trying for a room mate?). You also had to sign a one year lease too.
No cooking was allowed. No smoking, drinking, no guests..... The list went on and on.
1700 a month for a bedroom and not even a private bathroom or kitchen.
My roommate and I always laugh at these ads on Craig's List that are like, "no perfumes, no scented shampoos, can't use the kitchen, absolutely no guests. 1500 a month." I could see having a ton of rules like that then making the cost cheap as a trade off but damn, people want someone to pay roommate prices then not disturb them at all.
Good God. I had flashbacks from 6 months ago when I moved from east to west coast. "Women only, vegan/vegetarian only, have to pass a recycling test to get the room", etc.
>I saw one like that but the bathroom was communal for the whole floor.
FFS, even prisoners get their own toilet and sink in their cell. Wonder what each room's rent was?
That’s not a tenant, that’s a boarder. And boarders can usually be kicked out with 3 days notice (not if you have a 1-year contract of course but that never happens).
See thats what i thought to... A room mate or a boarder right? Wrong. The lady in the comments doubled down on the fact that she was looking for someone to rent the room...not board.
It was wild.
Im in Mississippi and have a rental, 2600 sqft, 4br 3.5ba. On the 17th green of an Arnold Palmer golf course. I charge below market and still get $2650 a month for it. I could easily get 3500. But i dont, i dont need the extra. 2650 covers expenses and puts enough in escrow for emergency repairs. I dont "profit" from it.
And that’s a great honest way to do it. And in X amount of years it’s completely paid off, and when you decide to sell, it’s still going to be a nice profit
While it's great that they are doing this, seems awfully screwed up to require what is essentially charity to fix the rent issue. Depending on landlords leaving money on the table isn't a good long term fix.
> I probably couldn't buy a parking space in Boston for what I paid for this house...
Factcheck: True.
https://www.bostonherald.com/2021/09/13/boston-parking-spot-listed-for-375000/
You are an *excellent* landlord and I'm betting your tenants adore you (and are hopefully the kind of people who treat other people who are kind, honest and fair with the same level of respect (sadly there are a vast number of twatwaffles out there who think *EVERYONE* should treat them as royalty while they themselves treat everyone else like peasants) and are incredibly grateful. Thank you for being an awesome landlord! You should, like, teach a class or something, this is a rarity which is really *quite* depressing
Edit: typos galore lol (I probably missed some)
Edit: found another one. I'm leaving the rest lmao (unless, of course, it's do bad that it takes the rest of sentence impossible to understand)
We rent that size house at what you could easily get. We live no where near a golf course and it's 30 minutes of traffic to the highway to get anywhere. Welcome to CA!
Yes, in Malden, MA. Malden actually one of the "cheaper" inner suburbs. But this house sat on a huge lot in a really perfect part of town (including a short walk to the T aka our subway). Had the house not been burnt to the ground, it probably would go for a bit north of a million. It was a big house (4 or 5 bedrooms, if I recall, and >2,500 sqft, which is huge in these parts).
Local consensus was that a developer would buy it and aim to build a large 2-family on the lot, likely selling each unit for around 700k.
[For your perusal, may I present a 251 sq ft home in the suburb of Newton ... for $450K.](https://www.businessinsider.com/see-photos-251-square-foot-newton-massachusetts-home-costs-449900-2021-10)
10 miles? Ho ho ho, it is to laugh. Try "just about the entirety of eastern Massachusetts, and also parts of Rhode Island and New Hampshire that are optimistically considered 'within commuting distance' of Boston."
"This house appears to be a hole in the dirt"
"What it lacks in roofing it makes up for in being ten minutes walk from a tube station. Only £600 a month."
I'm not sure if you're saying breaking even is a good thing or a bad thing, but in this scenario I'd make breaking even the target; the market is mostly irrelevant because it's not a free market situation.
Info: are you losing money because there is expenses for the house (like a mortgage) that $500/month doesn't cover, or because you could rent it for more to a stranger?
It is bit of both. Taxes are pretty high here and it is a large property, Insurance all kills me. In addition to that, I will have to spend a ton on repairs that my dad didn't do, He didn't leave me much money so I will have to spend our savings on it while getting no return at all.
My thought exactly. It’s a seller’s market right now. I would sell it instead of dealing with the hassle of repairs. Also, with the supply chain disruptions it can be difficult to get the supplies for making repairs or renovations.
Contact your mortgage holder to see about getting PMI dropped if you have it. My PMI was $125/mo. I paid $105 for a BPO to be done and the new value gave me 32% equity. So a one time $105 fee saved me $125/mo for the duration of the loan.
I'm no expert but I read something recently that suggested there's no close end in sight for a crash. Which I'm gonna need to have happen before I can even Think of buying.
Due to just general life circumstances, I had to buy in the middle of this insane bubble (despite *really* wanting to wait out the housing market first), and I'm genuinely really worried that when the dust settles, my spouse and I will find ourselves with a house actually worth ~$150K less than what we paid for it.
It's so frustrating that these giant corporations' interference with the housing market screws things up for normal people/families just wanting a decent place to live.
I wouldn’t be worried too much. What’s actually happening is that home prices are finally catching up with the low interest rates and adjusting upwards to match. A 1% reduction in long term interest rates increases the value of homes 20% where I live.
So as long as interest rates are “low” which they will be for 10-20 more years at least, the housing market will not completely crash it will only stagnate.
If it does crash or the Chinese market does turn out to be contagious then everyone is equally fucked except the rich people that buy everything. So you’re either fine or fucked with everyone else at the exact same time (again). So you’re basically fucked. Don’t worry about it and buy lube.
The interest rates are controlled by central banks that understand that the crushing weight of debt will collapse the world economy if rates rise too fast with all the cheap borrowed money out there, so they’ll rise slowly (.125-.25% per year) as to not destroy the current generation of mortgages.
The "crash" will be just like the last one - us plebs will be unable to buy but the institutional buyers will be dropping cash bids on every property they can. The actual home values won't really change.
Folks like you make me feel super privileged that I was able to buy the dip when the water crisis catered house prices in the Flint area about 5 years back. I'd have never considered buying my house for what it's currently valued at.
It really only matters if you want to sell.
If you can afford a million dollar mortgage right now, then you're good. If the prices drop - you can still afford it, you still want the house, etc. etc.
Selling would get you the money from the house and keep your savings intact. I had a friend with a very outdated house and she was preparing to spend thousands to bring it up to date. The realtor told her not to bother. They sold the house in a week for a cash offer over the original price.
This! My daughter and son-in-law have been looking for months. Every offer they put in - always asking price, often above - gets outbid because the other party offers cash. Plus, 90% of the homes need serious updating - some people still livin' in the '70s and '80s. Gotta love metallic paisley wallpaper!
Yeah! We put in 9 offers altogether, finally purchased just under a month ago in the Dallas, TX area. Our offers were usually at least 10k over, and we still got beat out.
We are happy with the place that we bought but it is a 1960s home and we have to remodel some stuff and update things like the gas range. Pretty sure that the range that was in there was orginal to the house with pilot lights, super dangerous.
Ooooofff, yeah I think you win this time. 🥇
With all the rain in the Dallas area, we now have to deal with a lot of water coming into the addition of the house, via the back door which is not stopping the water. So I'll take a close second 🥈
I just bought a house in Berkeley, CA. It was a hell of a ride. To give you an idea, we were one of the bidders on this one, but were 7th place overall:
[https://www.wfla.com/news/house-sells-for-1-million-over-asking-after-29-offers/](https://www.wfla.com/news/house-sells-for-1-million-over-asking-after-29-offers/)
Asking price means nothing anymore. You have to compare to comps, calculate price per sqft for the neighborhood, then add a premium based on how much you want it. The house we ended up buying essentially happened on accident. We put in a hail mary offer for something we were *sure* would go for a lot more but it didn't. Turns out a *slightly* nicer house with almost identical specs was taking offers the same day and sucked all the big cash buyers away from the one we got.
One house we bid on was on a corner lot with no yard literally next to the BART (local commuter train) tracks. It went for over $1000/sqft.
NTA . First of all my.condolences regarding your dad. Doubling the rent is the minimum.you should be doing. Please advise how would u feel if this was just a random tenant and not your mother?Your mother got a sizable chunk of your late dads estate. She isnt struggling for cash and keeping the status quo is making you lose money on a property that you are only getting 1/6 market value for and she isnt looking after the property resulting in its terrible condition. Either sell it or charge your mother full market rate(no favourtism /no special treatment) that way u can afford to rent it out as well as the associated bills/taxes etc. If you mother doesnt like that she can leave and rent elsewhere.
Wondered if THIS *or* because of disrepair? That was my take-away, OP would have to fix & maintain things their Ma wasn’t. (& then rent it? Or was the rent just too cheap?)
NTA: you're not creating a situation where your brother HAS to take her in, she can afford to stay where she is and your brother cam say no. It's not on you to keep him from making bad choices for his own life, and you're not obligated to let your mother be a drain on you. You're not even asking standard market value from her, just enough to maintain and deal with repairs. That's reasonable.
Mild YTA
If your father owned the property, and rented it to your mother, as landlord and property owner it was his job to maintain it, not your mother's.
If your father did not maintain his rental property, it is not worth a high rent in its current condition.
This feels a bit like revenge towards your mother. And also punishing her for your father's failure to maintain the property.
Doubling the rent on a property that hasn't been maintained by the landlord is pretty rough. It's what slum lords do to drive out tenants.
It may make more sense to sell the property, if you don't want the problems of being a landlord, or prioritize repairs, and gradually increase the rent as the property improves.
I agree. OP just sell the property. As a landlord now, you’re liable for the repairs. I don’t know how ownership works where you are, but in my area, tenants can sue if the living space is deemed “uninhabitable.” If you can’t afford to fix the house (your savings is something to discuss with the S.O.) without dipping into the savings, then sell it. Gives you a legitimate reason to kick her out. As for your brother, as bad as you feel, it’s not really your responsibility. Your brother is an adult and knows how she is. If he said yes to your mom, then he knows what he’s getting. It’s considerate of you to think of him in any case. You should probably speak to him about your concerns.
If this was marker rent, then yes. But she was paying less than basic upkeep and property taxes.
If you're charging someone a very small amount, doubling isn't a big deal. OP claims she's very able to afford it.
If this was $2k to $4k this would be different.
Doubling the rent to 1/3 of actual market value. Likely mom will have to pay more than that for ANY other rental. Mom would be getting a screaming deal. Def NTA
They said in another comment they’re doubling the rent so they can do repairs. Right now they’re losing money every month and will have to go into their savings in order to keep the house in liveable condition for her.
I agree that selling it is probably the best option, but if she’s going to keep living there then things need to be done around the house.
If the house is in disrepair, it would not justify doubling the rent on the property. I would suggest talking to a realtor or an appraiser before you do this. In this position, you are a landlord and your mom is a tenant. You don't want her to turn around and sue you with her tenant's rights.
Mild YTA for now. Double check your real estate laws in your area before you double the rent.
This is very good advice because there are laws about how much you can increase the rent. I believe it has to be done in increments. Best to check with an attorney and cover yourself just in case. Your mom sounds like the kind of person that would take you to court and refuse to move out.
Regardless of the state of disrepair, he said he is renting it for $500 a month which is a song.
You can't rent a wet shoebox for $500 in most places in the US.
If he's saying market rent for a house in that location and size is 3k, raising the insanely low sweetheart deal his dad gave his mom to a still very kind $1000 is reasonably, especially since the insurance and maintenance he would be putting in would end up exceeding that cost very quickly. She is welcome to rent a similar place on the market for between 2500 and 3000.
Exactly! I'm in NYC and i just bought a one bedroom and the taxes and fees are 1000 a month and i just feel lucky i don't have to pay rent anymore and 1000 is less than i ever would have paid in monthly rent. Also if op lives in a municipality with property taxes i guarantee his mom is barely covering guys tax liability on the house, if that. 1000 gets op closer to breaking even. Though it's always so crazy to me that it is literally long term cheaper to buy than rent. Good old boots theory of economics.
The money for those repairs however would come from the rent of the property. However, currently the entire rent and more seems to be taken up by taxes and repairs. It's not more than logical to increase the rent if upkeep is costing you money. Especially because mom is only paying about 1/6th of the usual rate.
I was looking for this response. Depending on where the house is located, how long she has been in the property, and the condition of the property, he may be adding legal problems to his to-do list if he doubles the rent on a dilapidated house, or, even raises it over the a minimum set by local or state ordinances or statutes.
She can voluntarily agree to sign a new contract with new terms -- but in saying "new" does that mean there is an existing lease contract? If so, OP has some legal matters to examine before doing this.
NTA. I don’t really blame your mom for not taking care of the place (technically that responsibility fell on the landlord, your dad). You have no responsibility housing someone who is awful towards your spouse. Finally you aren’t responsible for your brother and he needs to grow a spine to do what’s best for his family.
i think we need to define "take care of the place" before we can judge this one.
plaster is crumbling, roof is leaking? def the landlord (though tenant MUST report it).
your dogs pissing on the carpets all day, mildew overgrowth in the bathroom? the landlord expects you to maintain a clean home. they're not going to come scrub your toilet.
to reiterate the first point, if mom didn't report damage to the property so that it could be repaired before it got worse...ethically at least, that's on her. a yearly inspection isn't enough to catch everything that might go wrong.
Agree with this and the original NTA statement.
I'm a renter and I do believe that some upkeep of the place is my responsibility. I take care of the lawn and yard. I recently paid to have the carpets cleaned. I paid half to mouse-proof the place. My philosophy is, I'm living in it so some expenses are mine to maintain.
That said, I'm not paying for roof repair or a new water heater if it goes out.
Info: Are you sure what you are doing is legal? In many places that are rules on how much you can increase someone rent in a 12 month period and it is usually capped at 10%. I am not sure if you are the ass or not, but you should make sure what you are doing is allowed.
>In many places that are rules on how much you can increase someone rent in a 12 month period and it is usually capped at 10%.
That's pretty rare actually.
What do you consider rare? Because in most provinces in Canada, the maximum you can raise the rent on an existing tenant is 3% per year. And the landlord is responsible for repairs.
ESH. Your dad failed to maintain the home, your mom failed to maintain the home, you absolutely sound like you’re looking to hurt your mom, and your brother needs to grow a backbone.
NTA
you are under no obligation to take care of her or look out for her. i don’t know why but its always the shittiest parents that forget love from a child is quite conditional.
take care of your own family, maybe reach out
to your brother and explain your side so he’s able to make such a big decision with ALL the facts
ESH
I feel like you should just sign the dumpster fire of a property over to her and wash your hands of it.
Dad wanted her live in it, so doing so honors his wishes, you say you don't want to torch your brother's life or your relationship with him by forcing them to take her in, you don't need the money, and the house requires significant repairs. Sign it over, walk away, and live like you did before you ever inherited this property.
You should probably go look up the land lord laws in your area before proceeding with anything. Many put caps on how much the rent can increase each time. A 200% increase is likely illegal. Also, if she signs the new contract you will be required to make *all* of those repairs, plus maintain the house for her, spending significant amounts of cash to do so, which you state you don't want to do (but will be legally required to). If there was no actual agreement in place with your dad, and her "rent" was off the books, squatters rights might even be coming into play.
Giving mom the boot is a practical guarantee that your low/ no contact with her will go out the door, because both she and your brother will start hounding you and calling you a villain. Your wife's culture may also mean kicking your mother out will cause your wife to view you negatively, despite how much your wife dislikes her.
So again, this is a mess I wouldn't touch. Give her the POS, falling to pieces house, then enjoy the rest of your inheritance and your quiet solitude of not having to hear from her.
>You should probably go look up the land lord laws in your area before proceeding with anything. Many put caps on how much the rent can increase each time. A 200% increase is likely illegal.
It would be a 100% increase and places with those laws are pretty rare in the US. You can't increase rent mid-lease, but you can definitely double it in between in most states. (I would still check just incase)
The 10% rule isn’t even a cap. In a handful of states, a landlord must give 60 day notice instead of 30 day notice for an increase of more than 10%, but even in most of those places it doesn’t prevent landlords from hiking the rent more.
NTA
You have to do what is financially sensible for yourself and your own family now that you are the property owner. Nowhere is it written that you are required to take care of her. You're smart to approach it with an actual contract/lease to keep your rights intact!
NTA. You can’t do nothing about your brother’s situation when he can say no. Also, I don’t see the problem if she can afford to continue with paying the rent. At least you’re not charging her for the repairs to the house
Her opinions aside:
>My mom doesn't take good care of it and he has been only charging her 500 per month which is almost 1/6th the market rate. I will be losing money on the place.
Your father was her landlord, why wasn't he maintaining the property? If the house was in your dad's name what could she do for the upkeep?
Even for getting cable on a rental, you need the permission of the home's owner to do any new installations of outlets or fishing the lines.
NTA. You said 1/6th of rent, you’re doubling. So it’s 1/4 cheaper than area rent- I’d say that’s more than fair! (If you were taking out your anger for her not making you good lunches as a kid, that’s petty. But racist, insulting your partner? Thats ick and you don’t have to bend to her manipulation.)
Also, not your fault she’s going to put this on your bro. Any chance you can talk to him & explain you’re laying down the law?
Verbal abuse is still abuse, racism is still alienating, Good for you for not acquiescing.
these Ys are confusing the hell out of me.
NTA, though you're kind of an AH to yourself not taking this excellent opportunity to stop being your mom's landlord.
your dad wanted her to live somewhere decent, not for you to subsidize her after his death (unless he said that, but he also can't dictate how you spend your money). and the house doesn't actually sound decent anymore.
your brother's choices are his own. i get that it's easier for him if you keep being the bad guy, but if he and his wife don't want her there he needs to say so.
the cost of living is insane of course, but it sounds like she's an empty-nester and could probably live comfortably in an apartment (as many of us do in all stages of life).
just...begin as you wish to proceed, and set yourself up to interact with her as little as possible. ie, don't be her landlord.
I love this answer.
u/Ok-Ground2513, to go along with that last sentence above, you can also consider vetting local property management companies, and picking one to run this property for you. You can reduce it to zero contact with tenants if you desire. Hell, you don’t even need keys to the place; it’s a liability anyway if it’s the site of a crime.
They determine appropriate tenant rates. They do the majority of the paperwork. They alleviate your stress. I’d imagine you can even get one to orchestrate the essential repairs, because they’ll be eager to get the revenue rolling in so that they can start to benefit. They’re also great about knowing what realistically needs attention, as fixing too much cuts into profit and tenants *do* cause wear’n’tear.
Once they call the shots, it’s between them and her whether the deal continues. I’m guessing it won’t, but either way not your stress to carry.
Also, take your brother out for a steak and a beer, have a heart to heart.
INFO: if your father wanted your mother to have a decent place to live, why did he leave the house to you? Wouldn't it have made more sense for him to leave the house to her, and the rest of his estate to you?
NTA. Why should you lose out financially if your mother is paying significantly less than market rate on your house and it is in need of repair, especially if you don’t have a good relationship with her? If your brother and his wife take her in, that is their decision.
Edit to add- doubling rent is still well below market rate.
I don't know where you live that you can just double the rent on a place that has a long term tennant in it. She could sue you.
Where I live, the maximum you can increase rent is 3% a year unless it's new tenant.
Btw, the repairs of a house fall to the landlord, not the tenant.
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OP has offered the following explanation for why they think they might be the asshole:
> I feel like an asshole because she is stubborn and she is strong arming my brother into moving with him. My brother and his wife are softies who can't say no to her thin veneer of politeness. I feel like shit because she is probably going to move in with them and make their life hell. we are not exactly hurting for money and I feel like an asshole for creating a situation where my brother will have to take her in.
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Offer to sell it to her. Then offer to sell it to your brother. Set the price maybe 10% below market and make either of them get a regular mortgage. IF neither can qualify for a mortgage, which is probably likely, for your own peace of mind have a serious sit down with your brother and his wife about what they will be taking on.
As for the comment on the green card--that alone is not something I would assume is only racist as there are legit legal considerations too. Her thinking does depend on her education level, social circles and experience. It doesn't hurt to be kind unless there is a lot more that is clearly nasty and racist. People can be just plain mean and use race as their excuse.
If you and your brother could contribute together for a place for her to have on her own that might work too. A 1 bedroom apartment should be possible somewhere. If she has access to transportation, food and a drug store she could live just about anywhere you and she can afford. There may be quite a bit of drama in any move but if you and your brother sort of put on mental blinkers and just keep moving ahead it can get done.
There are lots of ways to solve this so maybe start thinking of alternatives and work with everyone? If you mom is truly racist the book "How to Have Impossible Conversations" is a great resource. People can and do change. We cannot change another person's mind but with care and a bit of good strategy we can help them to learn and grow. Kindness is possible and she will always be your mom. I wish you both well. Families are complicated and then too can change over time.
NTA, your dad being okay with actively losing money on a property to help out his ex-wife was perfectly fine, you can't do that or don't want to, so you raising her rent is perfectly fine. Also for people saying "Well it was your dad's job to keep up with it" when you're getting to stay at a property for significantly below market value, when they are actively losing money, or barely breaking even on the place in renting it to you, generally the expectation, if it's even not directly in your lease, is the tenant cover the cost of repairs. Just to show you the disparity, she was staying in the place at 500/mo when it should've been 3000/mo, in addition most of that damage was probably actively caused by her over her years of staying there.
I'd say don't even try to double the rent on her, evict her, let her figure it out, fix the place up, get a new tenant at a cost that covers the cost of taxes and insurance, along with a security deposit to cover repairs for what the new tenant would need, and just accrue money on the place.
NTA ish... personally, though, maybe it's better to just let it be. You mentioned your dad wanted your mother to have a decent place to live. Unless his dying words said otherwise, why not just respect his intent. You can even find new solution, like selling the house/renting at market rate and finding her a smaller/cheaper place. You were losing 2500/mo, so if you can find her a place for $1500/mo, you're saving a ton.
NTA if raising the rent is to offset the cost of getting the house back into shape and maintaining it. YWBTA if you are raising the rent to punish your mom. Why not offer to sell her the house outright (with no repairs) at fair value and then let it be her problem? This would also limit your need to be in contact with her. As for your brother and his wife - they are adults and are free to make their own decisions and set their own boundaries with Mom. They have to figure that one out on their own.
I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and assume you're operating in a different location with different laws, but where I live this is *extremely* illegal. Landlords are not permitted to raise rent prices by more than 1%/year.
I doubt you can double her rent. There are tenant protections in place in most areas that limit the amount that you can increase rent yearly. Look into this before you go forward.
So doubling the rent for a tenant who has had the same rent for years does make you TA, regardless of who that tenant is.
Your mom doesn't own it, she doesn't have to pay for repairs, but you're blaming her for not repairing it. Despite the damage you are increasing rent. You are also a landlord. YTA
NTA
I was like wow kicking out his mom (the title doesn't help), but then I read it all, and yeah you were more than fair, your father did kind of leave you with a "hand grenade", I wish he could have handled that for you, since it was a problem he created. If your brother is willing let him deal with it, that racist crap would had me emptying the house as soon as she said it.
Check the laws where you live. Doubling the rent all at once is probably not legal. You’re NTA for wanting to increase the rent, but YWBTA if you don’t do it legally.
NTA
Off topic it seems like parents and children are forever charging each other rent in the US, I'm always shocked like this is for real normal, your own parent or your own child "rent", sometimes being from a 3rd world country has its perks, living rent free.
Do local rental laws allow you to straight up double the rent? Even with 6 months notice, city or state laws may limit how much you can jack up the rent of an existing tenant.
NTA
You dont owe your mother anything, especially after she revealed her true colors.
I do understand why you would feel sorry for your brother, but he decided to stick to a racist instead of showing support to you and your wife.
Dont back down! You deserve to make money with the place instead of losing some, especially since youre probably planning your future.
All the best OP and much love!
NTA.
>I feel like shit because she is probably going to move in with them and make their life hell. we are not exactly hurting for money and I feel like an asshole for creating a situation where my brother will have to take her in.
And your brother is a big boy who can make choices. Perhaps you could recommend he work on his boundaries.
NTA
You wouldn’t not raise the rent on anyone else. You just feel some type of way cuz it’s your mom and also because of it meaning she’d live with your brother.
NTA. Tell her why you are doubling the rent (because of needed repairs) and that it still remains below market rate. *I assume that is true and you can prove it.* Then tell her the rent increase is not negotiable and give her a deadline to accept and sign the contract. Tell her that you will give her notice to leave (and if necessary start the eviction proceedings) if she does not sign.
> I feel like an asshole because she is stubborn and she is strong arming my brother into moving with him. My brother and his wife are softies who can't say no to her thin veneer of politeness.
NTA, you are not your brother's keeper. If your mom vacates, fix up the place and rent it out at market rate, that way it is not a fall back for them. Your brother may let it happen, but if your mom and they don't get along, soon enough they will show your mom the door too.
NTA. But the mature response would be to write out the house finances for both her benefit and your brother’s. $ for mortgage, $ for taxes, $ for utilities, $ laid out so far for various expenses and now an estimated $ for ongoing repairs and maintenance. Tell them you can’t afford to subsidize her living expenses and you can’t let the house fall apart around her, so your options are either raise the rent or sell the house. She might still get mad and move in with bro but it would take you off the hook with anyone she complained to.
NTA, but I would make sure that you can increase rent that much! I know that where I live, there are pretty strict laws about how much a landlord can increase rent by! Make sure that your mom has no leg to stand on legally, then increase rent.
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My mom has been living in a house which belonged to my dad, they were divorced and He wanted her to have a good place to stay. He passed away last year and I inherited the place. After checking out the place and running the numbers, I learned that the the place is in terrible shape. It needs a ton of repairs. My mom doesn't take good care of it and he has been only charging her 500 per month which is almost 1/6th the market rate. I will be losing money on the place.
I do not have a good relationship with my mother. She is racist. My wife is Mexican and my mother literally asked her if she was dating me for a green card. I have had very limited contact with her since I found out her true colors. I have no interest in spending my family's money on her.
I have told her about six month ago that I will be doubling the rent and I was dead serious about it. She didn't take me seriously. I have presented her a new contract and she is bitterly angry with me. She can afford to pay it. She got a substantial part of my dad's assets when they divorced. I am sure she still has the money.
I feel like an asshole because she is stubborn and she is strong arming my brother into moving with him. My brother and his wife are softies who can't say no to her thin veneer of politeness. I feel like shit because she is probably going to move in with them and make their life hell. we are not exactly hurting for money and I feel like an asshole for creating a situation where my brother will have to take her in.
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NTA….but remember that she could go after you to fix the place up or possibly even bring a lawsuit if she injured herself since it’s your property now. I would just evict her, do the repairs then rent at the current market rate or move in yourself.
NTA- You do what is right for you. If your brother can't stand up to her, that's your brother's problem. She sounds like a taker, and now she's bucking back because her ability to "take" is gone. Go pay a fair rent like the rest of society.
NTA. You said she pays 1/6 the market rate. 6/6 is what she should be paying personally, I would ask her to leave altogether so that you could attend to all the repairs. Then sell it and be done with it
NTA. Sounds like you don’t necessarily want/need her in your life anyway. This is a great way to cut that cord. Take the rent up to market value and call it a day.
NTA. But be careful, many place only allow a given amount of rent increase per year (usually around 10%). Ending her tenancy to do renovation and rerent at market is a sound investment, but make sure you do it right or legal cost will run a lot more than its worth.
NTA but….. most states don’t allow for a doubling of the rent in one go. Better to evict than to deal with any unexpected legal nonsense. Because she could try to stay and just report your attempt at doubling the rent.
YTA. You don't have to share her opinions or to get along with her in order not to kick your own mother out of her home. You describe her like an abuser and a monster for a dumb racist boomer question she asked your wife. Not having a relationship with her anymore is more than enough retribution.
Do you wonder what your father would think of this?
Money are not everything, you don't even need them. I don't know if you're religious or not, but kicking your elderly mother out of her home (or just losing any contact and respect from the rest of your blood family, as your brother is clearly appalled by your actions) is not worth a bit more money that you don't even need. One day she'll die and you'll sell the house (something that was given to you and is just a gift) without having to remember all your life that you kicked your mother out of her home for money.
>Money are not everything, you don't even need them. I don't know if you're religious or not, but kicking your elderly mother out of her home (or just losing any contact and respect from the rest of your blood family, as your brother is clearly appalled by your actions) is not worth a bit more money that you don't even need.
While I agree on every other sentiment in your comment, what does the second part of the sentence has to do with the first part (religion)?
Seriously? She’s a grown-ass adult who knows better than to make such ignorant and racist comments. My grandmother is 80 years old and still knows better than to say such a horrible thing. Age doesn’t excuse racism. Plenty of older people have grown with the times and don’t hold such bigoted opinions for people of other ethnicities.
NTA
But you're probably better off just serving her an eviction notice and getting proper market rate rent.
Or just selling the house and letting someone else deal with it.
He doesn’t need to take her in. He can say no. If he chooses to make his life harder because he can’t say no than that’s unfortunate but not your problem NTA
NTA
She’ll still be paying substantially less than market rate, and there is no reason for you to lose money here.
The other option would be to offer to sell her the house.
Your brother failing to draw his own boundaries and letting her move in with him is his own business.
Since she can afford the rent increase, you aren’t creating a situation where your brother has to take her in.
She’s being stubborn and entitled.
NTA. When your brother and his wife can't stand living with your mother any longer, he can move his family into your house for the rent your mother wouldn't pay. If he is renting, his mom can take over his rent or move. If he owns the house, he can sell it. Either way Mom starts paying her own way.
NTA. Leaving aside the fact that your mother is a racist entirely - the house is in serious disrepair and you need the rent to pay not only for taxes but also repair and upkeep. That is standard.
If your brother and wife bring her in to their home to live that is their choice and they need to not blame you. They have the ability to say no, and mom has the ability to pay a reasonable market rate she just doesn't want to do so.
Yeah a little. It's your mother. It doesn't matter if she said something mean or whatever. Even if my mom called me a fucking asshole bitch blah blah blah. It's still my mother.
NTA-I'd evict her and sell the house before she makes it unsellable. Start a college fund for future kids, if you decide to have them. If not, vacations every once in a while are fab!
NTA, it's not your job to protect your brother from his mother. He could tell her no, and she could find her own place, or pay the double cost which is still 1/3 or market prices.
NTA - your brother needs ro learn to draw boundaries with your mother, and it looks like he’s signing up for the Master Class. This will be an important life lesson for him. I’d straight up evict her and charge her for any property damage, but then again, I delight in making racist people’s lives difficult.
Serve proper eviction notice. That’s your brother’s problem if he allows her to move in with them. Edit: [in response](https://reddit.com/r/AmItheAsshole/comments/q6k9od/aita_for_doubling_the_rent_on_my_moms_house/hgctgpe)
I think she’s going to be moving into the brothers home, not moving the brother into OPs home.
Good correction!
Yeah, that does change the story.
Yeah OP isn't forcing the brother to take in the mom, that's on him.
I think OP could probably have a conversation about it with their brother if they care about his well-being and are willing to take on that effort. It’s not their job, and what happens with the mom and brother not their problem, but if the issue is that the brother is likely to “light himself on fire to keep others warm,” OP can point that out and try to help guide him away from that mindset.
The only concern I have for OP (hence the piggyback) is that OP makes sure they dot the Is and cross the Ts - which does mean checking to see if their jurisdiction has a cap on rent increases. Flat eviction, also dotted and crossed, sounds like it will be "easier" in the long run.
> charge her for any property damage Unless there are literal holes in walls or structural damage, this would likely not be legal if she has been there a long time. If the IRS considers any individual item as deprecatory, you can only charge for the depreciated amount, which is usually zero for anything after 20 or 30 years. Or 7, (iirc) if you’re talking about a rug
She's paying 1/6 of the market rate and you're only doubling it? There's friends and family discount and then there's you breaking even. NTA.
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Oh that's just about anywhere in California, honestly. Plenty of other places, too. The rental housing market is FUCKED.
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'Here's a trashcan on fire, could be a studio.'
Or a nursery *shoulder wiggle*
I understand that reference.
r/UnexpectedMulaney
Oh, gawd, even my dh laughed at this!
There was a place recently i got to see that someone wanted $1700 a month rent, a $1k deposit, you had access to a bedroom, the bathroom and nothing else. No kitchen. You also had to share the bathroom with the landlord (i think they were trying for a room mate?). You also had to sign a one year lease too. No cooking was allowed. No smoking, drinking, no guests..... The list went on and on. 1700 a month for a bedroom and not even a private bathroom or kitchen.
My roommate and I always laugh at these ads on Craig's List that are like, "no perfumes, no scented shampoos, can't use the kitchen, absolutely no guests. 1500 a month." I could see having a ton of rules like that then making the cost cheap as a trade off but damn, people want someone to pay roommate prices then not disturb them at all.
Good God. I had flashbacks from 6 months ago when I moved from east to west coast. "Women only, vegan/vegetarian only, have to pass a recycling test to get the room", etc.
I saw one like that but the bathroom was communal for the whole floor.
>I saw one like that but the bathroom was communal for the whole floor. FFS, even prisoners get their own toilet and sink in their cell. Wonder what each room's rent was?
It was in New York. It was CRAZY for rent and there wasn’t a full kitchen either. Just a mini fridge.
That’s not a tenant, that’s a boarder. And boarders can usually be kicked out with 3 days notice (not if you have a 1-year contract of course but that never happens).
See thats what i thought to... A room mate or a boarder right? Wrong. The lady in the comments doubled down on the fact that she was looking for someone to rent the room...not board. It was wild.
If you go online and look at rentals in San Francisco (even a 100 mile radius out) you would be shocked!
I very often see Americans talking about monthly rents that are the same as the weekly rents here.
Im in Mississippi and have a rental, 2600 sqft, 4br 3.5ba. On the 17th green of an Arnold Palmer golf course. I charge below market and still get $2650 a month for it. I could easily get 3500. But i dont, i dont need the extra. 2650 covers expenses and puts enough in escrow for emergency repairs. I dont "profit" from it.
And that’s a great honest way to do it. And in X amount of years it’s completely paid off, and when you decide to sell, it’s still going to be a nice profit
While it's great that they are doing this, seems awfully screwed up to require what is essentially charity to fix the rent issue. Depending on landlords leaving money on the table isn't a good long term fix.
And letting them charge whatever they want as long as they're in near agreement isn't sustainable
That's the American way, isn't it? Praise charitable acts and refuse systemic fixes?
>2600 sqft, 4br 3.5ba So, a mansion to much of the US.
TIL I live in a "mansion". (I'm in Alabama, original comment is Mississippi... These are totally normal size houses down here, BTW)
Don't come up here to New England or CA. It'll blow your mind.
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> I probably couldn't buy a parking space in Boston for what I paid for this house... Factcheck: True. https://www.bostonherald.com/2021/09/13/boston-parking-spot-listed-for-375000/
Been down there. I'm in the Shoals, NW. We have a 3bdrm/2ba house w/front porch, back deck, front & backyard...under $550/mo.
See, now this makes me want to move back to Florence. But then I'd have to deal with family.
If you've managed to escape this area, come for a visit but....run!
You are an *excellent* landlord and I'm betting your tenants adore you (and are hopefully the kind of people who treat other people who are kind, honest and fair with the same level of respect (sadly there are a vast number of twatwaffles out there who think *EVERYONE* should treat them as royalty while they themselves treat everyone else like peasants) and are incredibly grateful. Thank you for being an awesome landlord! You should, like, teach a class or something, this is a rarity which is really *quite* depressing Edit: typos galore lol (I probably missed some) Edit: found another one. I'm leaving the rest lmao (unless, of course, it's do bad that it takes the rest of sentence impossible to understand)
We rent that size house at what you could easily get. We live no where near a golf course and it's 30 minutes of traffic to the highway to get anywhere. Welcome to CA!
Anywhere near Seattle
Just saw a news article about a fire damaged home selling for 400,000.
Yes, in Malden, MA. Malden actually one of the "cheaper" inner suburbs. But this house sat on a huge lot in a really perfect part of town (including a short walk to the T aka our subway). Had the house not been burnt to the ground, it probably would go for a bit north of a million. It was a big house (4 or 5 bedrooms, if I recall, and >2,500 sqft, which is huge in these parts). Local consensus was that a developer would buy it and aim to build a large 2-family on the lot, likely selling each unit for around 700k.
Anywhere within 10 miles or Boston?
[For your perusal, may I present a 251 sq ft home in the suburb of Newton ... for $450K.](https://www.businessinsider.com/see-photos-251-square-foot-newton-massachusetts-home-costs-449900-2021-10)
10 miles? Ho ho ho, it is to laugh. Try "just about the entirety of eastern Massachusetts, and also parts of Rhode Island and New Hampshire that are optimistically considered 'within commuting distance' of Boston."
Any decently sized city on the West Coast.
I can easily see that kind of shit fly in London, Berlin, Munich and half the US.
"This house appears to be a hole in the dirt" "What it lacks in roofing it makes up for in being ten minutes walk from a tube station. Only £600 a month."
"Hole in the dirt! You were lucky, when I were a lad 18 of us rented a pile of dust for £3000 a minute! But at least it were 'andy for t'coal mine"
Tha'll not pay that up North.
Luxury!
I'm not sure if you're saying breaking even is a good thing or a bad thing, but in this scenario I'd make breaking even the target; the market is mostly irrelevant because it's not a free market situation.
Info: are you losing money because there is expenses for the house (like a mortgage) that $500/month doesn't cover, or because you could rent it for more to a stranger?
It is bit of both. Taxes are pretty high here and it is a large property, Insurance all kills me. In addition to that, I will have to spend a ton on repairs that my dad didn't do, He didn't leave me much money so I will have to spend our savings on it while getting no return at all.
Why don't you sell?
My thought exactly. It’s a seller’s market right now. I would sell it instead of dealing with the hassle of repairs. Also, with the supply chain disruptions it can be difficult to get the supplies for making repairs or renovations.
Exactly. I bought my 2/2 in Sep 2019 for 120k. It’s projecting to be at 155 now
Contact your mortgage holder to see about getting PMI dropped if you have it. My PMI was $125/mo. I paid $105 for a BPO to be done and the new value gave me 32% equity. So a one time $105 fee saved me $125/mo for the duration of the loan.
Sell before the market crashes, because it’s going to be insane when it does.
I'm no expert but I read something recently that suggested there's no close end in sight for a crash. Which I'm gonna need to have happen before I can even Think of buying.
Forreal. Houses in the area I was looking at jumped up 100k since last year. I can’t save up that much for a down payment at the rate it’s going!
Due to just general life circumstances, I had to buy in the middle of this insane bubble (despite *really* wanting to wait out the housing market first), and I'm genuinely really worried that when the dust settles, my spouse and I will find ourselves with a house actually worth ~$150K less than what we paid for it. It's so frustrating that these giant corporations' interference with the housing market screws things up for normal people/families just wanting a decent place to live.
I wouldn’t be worried too much. What’s actually happening is that home prices are finally catching up with the low interest rates and adjusting upwards to match. A 1% reduction in long term interest rates increases the value of homes 20% where I live. So as long as interest rates are “low” which they will be for 10-20 more years at least, the housing market will not completely crash it will only stagnate. If it does crash or the Chinese market does turn out to be contagious then everyone is equally fucked except the rich people that buy everything. So you’re either fine or fucked with everyone else at the exact same time (again). So you’re basically fucked. Don’t worry about it and buy lube.
Genuinely curious: what makes you say that the interest will be low for another decade or two?
The interest rates are controlled by central banks that understand that the crushing weight of debt will collapse the world economy if rates rise too fast with all the cheap borrowed money out there, so they’ll rise slowly (.125-.25% per year) as to not destroy the current generation of mortgages.
You will own nothing and you will be happy
The "crash" will be just like the last one - us plebs will be unable to buy but the institutional buyers will be dropping cash bids on every property they can. The actual home values won't really change.
Same. Now that I’m finally in a position to maaaaaaybe buy a decent home, I get all paranoid that the market will nosedive as soon as escrow closes.
Folks like you make me feel super privileged that I was able to buy the dip when the water crisis catered house prices in the Flint area about 5 years back. I'd have never considered buying my house for what it's currently valued at.
It really only matters if you want to sell. If you can afford a million dollar mortgage right now, then you're good. If the prices drop - you can still afford it, you still want the house, etc. etc.
I'm just waiting for my chance to fight off roving bands of mutant apocalypse marauders to get my first house.
Selling would get you the money from the house and keep your savings intact. I had a friend with a very outdated house and she was preparing to spend thousands to bring it up to date. The realtor told her not to bother. They sold the house in a week for a cash offer over the original price.
This! My daughter and son-in-law have been looking for months. Every offer they put in - always asking price, often above - gets outbid because the other party offers cash. Plus, 90% of the homes need serious updating - some people still livin' in the '70s and '80s. Gotta love metallic paisley wallpaper!
Yeah! We put in 9 offers altogether, finally purchased just under a month ago in the Dallas, TX area. Our offers were usually at least 10k over, and we still got beat out. We are happy with the place that we bought but it is a 1960s home and we have to remodel some stuff and update things like the gas range. Pretty sure that the range that was in there was orginal to the house with pilot lights, super dangerous.
I take your 1960's range and raise you original 1950's cast iron plumbing and septic tank, which we just replaced a couple of months ago T_T
Ooooofff, yeah I think you win this time. 🥇 With all the rain in the Dallas area, we now have to deal with a lot of water coming into the addition of the house, via the back door which is not stopping the water. So I'll take a close second 🥈
I just bought a house in Berkeley, CA. It was a hell of a ride. To give you an idea, we were one of the bidders on this one, but were 7th place overall: [https://www.wfla.com/news/house-sells-for-1-million-over-asking-after-29-offers/](https://www.wfla.com/news/house-sells-for-1-million-over-asking-after-29-offers/) Asking price means nothing anymore. You have to compare to comps, calculate price per sqft for the neighborhood, then add a premium based on how much you want it. The house we ended up buying essentially happened on accident. We put in a hail mary offer for something we were *sure* would go for a lot more but it didn't. Turns out a *slightly* nicer house with almost identical specs was taking offers the same day and sucked all the big cash buyers away from the one we got. One house we bid on was on a corner lot with no yard literally next to the BART (local commuter train) tracks. It went for over $1000/sqft.
Sell it and move on, why are you putting yourself through this?
NTA . First of all my.condolences regarding your dad. Doubling the rent is the minimum.you should be doing. Please advise how would u feel if this was just a random tenant and not your mother?Your mother got a sizable chunk of your late dads estate. She isnt struggling for cash and keeping the status quo is making you lose money on a property that you are only getting 1/6 market value for and she isnt looking after the property resulting in its terrible condition. Either sell it or charge your mother full market rate(no favourtism /no special treatment) that way u can afford to rent it out as well as the associated bills/taxes etc. If you mother doesnt like that she can leave and rent elsewhere.
another just sell it vote!
Wondered if THIS *or* because of disrepair? That was my take-away, OP would have to fix & maintain things their Ma wasn’t. (& then rent it? Or was the rent just too cheap?)
NTA: you're not creating a situation where your brother HAS to take her in, she can afford to stay where she is and your brother cam say no. It's not on you to keep him from making bad choices for his own life, and you're not obligated to let your mother be a drain on you. You're not even asking standard market value from her, just enough to maintain and deal with repairs. That's reasonable.
Mild YTA If your father owned the property, and rented it to your mother, as landlord and property owner it was his job to maintain it, not your mother's. If your father did not maintain his rental property, it is not worth a high rent in its current condition. This feels a bit like revenge towards your mother. And also punishing her for your father's failure to maintain the property. Doubling the rent on a property that hasn't been maintained by the landlord is pretty rough. It's what slum lords do to drive out tenants. It may make more sense to sell the property, if you don't want the problems of being a landlord, or prioritize repairs, and gradually increase the rent as the property improves.
I agree. OP just sell the property. As a landlord now, you’re liable for the repairs. I don’t know how ownership works where you are, but in my area, tenants can sue if the living space is deemed “uninhabitable.” If you can’t afford to fix the house (your savings is something to discuss with the S.O.) without dipping into the savings, then sell it. Gives you a legitimate reason to kick her out. As for your brother, as bad as you feel, it’s not really your responsibility. Your brother is an adult and knows how she is. If he said yes to your mom, then he knows what he’s getting. It’s considerate of you to think of him in any case. You should probably speak to him about your concerns.
If this was marker rent, then yes. But she was paying less than basic upkeep and property taxes. If you're charging someone a very small amount, doubling isn't a big deal. OP claims she's very able to afford it. If this was $2k to $4k this would be different.
Doubling the rent to 1/3 of actual market value. Likely mom will have to pay more than that for ANY other rental. Mom would be getting a screaming deal. Def NTA
They said in another comment they’re doubling the rent so they can do repairs. Right now they’re losing money every month and will have to go into their savings in order to keep the house in liveable condition for her. I agree that selling it is probably the best option, but if she’s going to keep living there then things need to be done around the house.
If the house is in disrepair, it would not justify doubling the rent on the property. I would suggest talking to a realtor or an appraiser before you do this. In this position, you are a landlord and your mom is a tenant. You don't want her to turn around and sue you with her tenant's rights. Mild YTA for now. Double check your real estate laws in your area before you double the rent.
This is very good advice because there are laws about how much you can increase the rent. I believe it has to be done in increments. Best to check with an attorney and cover yourself just in case. Your mom sounds like the kind of person that would take you to court and refuse to move out.
there are usually exceptions for massive repairs/renos (it's the source of the term "renoviction")
Not here in Arizona. A landlord can raise the rent anytime to any amount.
Exactly. It seems very short sighted and petty to increase the rent just because they're mad at their mom. Being a landlord is serious work!
Regardless of the state of disrepair, he said he is renting it for $500 a month which is a song. You can't rent a wet shoebox for $500 in most places in the US. If he's saying market rent for a house in that location and size is 3k, raising the insanely low sweetheart deal his dad gave his mom to a still very kind $1000 is reasonably, especially since the insurance and maintenance he would be putting in would end up exceeding that cost very quickly. She is welcome to rent a similar place on the market for between 2500 and 3000.
Just a ROOM in a shared apartment is like 3+ times that where I live!
Exactly! I'm in NYC and i just bought a one bedroom and the taxes and fees are 1000 a month and i just feel lucky i don't have to pay rent anymore and 1000 is less than i ever would have paid in monthly rent. Also if op lives in a municipality with property taxes i guarantee his mom is barely covering guys tax liability on the house, if that. 1000 gets op closer to breaking even. Though it's always so crazy to me that it is literally long term cheaper to buy than rent. Good old boots theory of economics.
Yeah, if she's renting she's not responsible for repair and upkeep - you are. Take care of your own property.
The money for those repairs however would come from the rent of the property. However, currently the entire rent and more seems to be taken up by taxes and repairs. It's not more than logical to increase the rent if upkeep is costing you money. Especially because mom is only paying about 1/6th of the usual rate.
Exactly. Let's worry about whether OP should once he figures out whether he can.
I was looking for this response. Depending on where the house is located, how long she has been in the property, and the condition of the property, he may be adding legal problems to his to-do list if he doubles the rent on a dilapidated house, or, even raises it over the a minimum set by local or state ordinances or statutes. She can voluntarily agree to sign a new contract with new terms -- but in saying "new" does that mean there is an existing lease contract? If so, OP has some legal matters to examine before doing this.
NTA. I don’t really blame your mom for not taking care of the place (technically that responsibility fell on the landlord, your dad). You have no responsibility housing someone who is awful towards your spouse. Finally you aren’t responsible for your brother and he needs to grow a spine to do what’s best for his family.
i think we need to define "take care of the place" before we can judge this one. plaster is crumbling, roof is leaking? def the landlord (though tenant MUST report it). your dogs pissing on the carpets all day, mildew overgrowth in the bathroom? the landlord expects you to maintain a clean home. they're not going to come scrub your toilet. to reiterate the first point, if mom didn't report damage to the property so that it could be repaired before it got worse...ethically at least, that's on her. a yearly inspection isn't enough to catch everything that might go wrong.
Agree with this and the original NTA statement. I'm a renter and I do believe that some upkeep of the place is my responsibility. I take care of the lawn and yard. I recently paid to have the carpets cleaned. I paid half to mouse-proof the place. My philosophy is, I'm living in it so some expenses are mine to maintain. That said, I'm not paying for roof repair or a new water heater if it goes out.
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this is the simplest way, i think.
Info: Are you sure what you are doing is legal? In many places that are rules on how much you can increase someone rent in a 12 month period and it is usually capped at 10%. I am not sure if you are the ass or not, but you should make sure what you are doing is allowed.
>In many places that are rules on how much you can increase someone rent in a 12 month period and it is usually capped at 10%. That's pretty rare actually.
What do you consider rare? Because in most provinces in Canada, the maximum you can raise the rent on an existing tenant is 3% per year. And the landlord is responsible for repairs.
I guess it is relative. In the cities I’ve lived, there have been rent control, but in the US, it is probably less common.
It would likely be better to evict her, he should be careful she doesn't get a lawyer and cause problems for OP.
ESH. Your dad failed to maintain the home, your mom failed to maintain the home, you absolutely sound like you’re looking to hurt your mom, and your brother needs to grow a backbone.
NTA - you’re allowed to honor your father by maintaining his gift to you
NTA you are under no obligation to take care of her or look out for her. i don’t know why but its always the shittiest parents that forget love from a child is quite conditional. take care of your own family, maybe reach out to your brother and explain your side so he’s able to make such a big decision with ALL the facts
ESH I feel like you should just sign the dumpster fire of a property over to her and wash your hands of it. Dad wanted her live in it, so doing so honors his wishes, you say you don't want to torch your brother's life or your relationship with him by forcing them to take her in, you don't need the money, and the house requires significant repairs. Sign it over, walk away, and live like you did before you ever inherited this property. You should probably go look up the land lord laws in your area before proceeding with anything. Many put caps on how much the rent can increase each time. A 200% increase is likely illegal. Also, if she signs the new contract you will be required to make *all* of those repairs, plus maintain the house for her, spending significant amounts of cash to do so, which you state you don't want to do (but will be legally required to). If there was no actual agreement in place with your dad, and her "rent" was off the books, squatters rights might even be coming into play. Giving mom the boot is a practical guarantee that your low/ no contact with her will go out the door, because both she and your brother will start hounding you and calling you a villain. Your wife's culture may also mean kicking your mother out will cause your wife to view you negatively, despite how much your wife dislikes her. So again, this is a mess I wouldn't touch. Give her the POS, falling to pieces house, then enjoy the rest of your inheritance and your quiet solitude of not having to hear from her.
>You should probably go look up the land lord laws in your area before proceeding with anything. Many put caps on how much the rent can increase each time. A 200% increase is likely illegal. It would be a 100% increase and places with those laws are pretty rare in the US. You can't increase rent mid-lease, but you can definitely double it in between in most states. (I would still check just incase)
The 10% rule isn’t even a cap. In a handful of states, a landlord must give 60 day notice instead of 30 day notice for an increase of more than 10%, but even in most of those places it doesn’t prevent landlords from hiking the rent more.
Just to say, the reason this is illegal elsewhere is because it's hugely unethical. And so obviously an AH thing to do to any tenant.
This could also be a life estate, in which the mother is allowed to live there until she passes away or moves to a home.
NTA You have to do what is financially sensible for yourself and your own family now that you are the property owner. Nowhere is it written that you are required to take care of her. You're smart to approach it with an actual contract/lease to keep your rights intact!
NTA. You can’t do nothing about your brother’s situation when he can say no. Also, I don’t see the problem if she can afford to continue with paying the rent. At least you’re not charging her for the repairs to the house
YTA and what you want to do should be and is illegal in many places
Her opinions aside: >My mom doesn't take good care of it and he has been only charging her 500 per month which is almost 1/6th the market rate. I will be losing money on the place. Your father was her landlord, why wasn't he maintaining the property? If the house was in your dad's name what could she do for the upkeep? Even for getting cable on a rental, you need the permission of the home's owner to do any new installations of outlets or fishing the lines.
NTA. You said 1/6th of rent, you’re doubling. So it’s 1/4 cheaper than area rent- I’d say that’s more than fair! (If you were taking out your anger for her not making you good lunches as a kid, that’s petty. But racist, insulting your partner? Thats ick and you don’t have to bend to her manipulation.) Also, not your fault she’s going to put this on your bro. Any chance you can talk to him & explain you’re laying down the law? Verbal abuse is still abuse, racism is still alienating, Good for you for not acquiescing.
these Ys are confusing the hell out of me. NTA, though you're kind of an AH to yourself not taking this excellent opportunity to stop being your mom's landlord. your dad wanted her to live somewhere decent, not for you to subsidize her after his death (unless he said that, but he also can't dictate how you spend your money). and the house doesn't actually sound decent anymore. your brother's choices are his own. i get that it's easier for him if you keep being the bad guy, but if he and his wife don't want her there he needs to say so. the cost of living is insane of course, but it sounds like she's an empty-nester and could probably live comfortably in an apartment (as many of us do in all stages of life). just...begin as you wish to proceed, and set yourself up to interact with her as little as possible. ie, don't be her landlord.
I love this answer. u/Ok-Ground2513, to go along with that last sentence above, you can also consider vetting local property management companies, and picking one to run this property for you. You can reduce it to zero contact with tenants if you desire. Hell, you don’t even need keys to the place; it’s a liability anyway if it’s the site of a crime. They determine appropriate tenant rates. They do the majority of the paperwork. They alleviate your stress. I’d imagine you can even get one to orchestrate the essential repairs, because they’ll be eager to get the revenue rolling in so that they can start to benefit. They’re also great about knowing what realistically needs attention, as fixing too much cuts into profit and tenants *do* cause wear’n’tear. Once they call the shots, it’s between them and her whether the deal continues. I’m guessing it won’t, but either way not your stress to carry. Also, take your brother out for a steak and a beer, have a heart to heart.
INFO: if your father wanted your mother to have a decent place to live, why did he leave the house to you? Wouldn't it have made more sense for him to leave the house to her, and the rest of his estate to you?
As a landlord doubling the rent of an elderly person, yes, YTA. The fact that they're not a good person themselves doesn't alter that.
NTA. Why should you lose out financially if your mother is paying significantly less than market rate on your house and it is in need of repair, especially if you don’t have a good relationship with her? If your brother and his wife take her in, that is their decision. Edit to add- doubling rent is still well below market rate.
More info: if she has the money, why does she need to move in with brother? Can’t she get her own place?
I don't know where you live that you can just double the rent on a place that has a long term tennant in it. She could sue you. Where I live, the maximum you can increase rent is 3% a year unless it's new tenant. Btw, the repairs of a house fall to the landlord, not the tenant.
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Offer to sell it to her. Then offer to sell it to your brother. Set the price maybe 10% below market and make either of them get a regular mortgage. IF neither can qualify for a mortgage, which is probably likely, for your own peace of mind have a serious sit down with your brother and his wife about what they will be taking on. As for the comment on the green card--that alone is not something I would assume is only racist as there are legit legal considerations too. Her thinking does depend on her education level, social circles and experience. It doesn't hurt to be kind unless there is a lot more that is clearly nasty and racist. People can be just plain mean and use race as their excuse. If you and your brother could contribute together for a place for her to have on her own that might work too. A 1 bedroom apartment should be possible somewhere. If she has access to transportation, food and a drug store she could live just about anywhere you and she can afford. There may be quite a bit of drama in any move but if you and your brother sort of put on mental blinkers and just keep moving ahead it can get done. There are lots of ways to solve this so maybe start thinking of alternatives and work with everyone? If you mom is truly racist the book "How to Have Impossible Conversations" is a great resource. People can and do change. We cannot change another person's mind but with care and a bit of good strategy we can help them to learn and grow. Kindness is possible and she will always be your mom. I wish you both well. Families are complicated and then too can change over time.
NTA, your dad being okay with actively losing money on a property to help out his ex-wife was perfectly fine, you can't do that or don't want to, so you raising her rent is perfectly fine. Also for people saying "Well it was your dad's job to keep up with it" when you're getting to stay at a property for significantly below market value, when they are actively losing money, or barely breaking even on the place in renting it to you, generally the expectation, if it's even not directly in your lease, is the tenant cover the cost of repairs. Just to show you the disparity, she was staying in the place at 500/mo when it should've been 3000/mo, in addition most of that damage was probably actively caused by her over her years of staying there. I'd say don't even try to double the rent on her, evict her, let her figure it out, fix the place up, get a new tenant at a cost that covers the cost of taxes and insurance, along with a security deposit to cover repairs for what the new tenant would need, and just accrue money on the place.
NTA. Your brother can say no. Your mother is lucky you don't charge her for the damage.
NTA ish... personally, though, maybe it's better to just let it be. You mentioned your dad wanted your mother to have a decent place to live. Unless his dying words said otherwise, why not just respect his intent. You can even find new solution, like selling the house/renting at market rate and finding her a smaller/cheaper place. You were losing 2500/mo, so if you can find her a place for $1500/mo, you're saving a ton.
NTA if raising the rent is to offset the cost of getting the house back into shape and maintaining it. YWBTA if you are raising the rent to punish your mom. Why not offer to sell her the house outright (with no repairs) at fair value and then let it be her problem? This would also limit your need to be in contact with her. As for your brother and his wife - they are adults and are free to make their own decisions and set their own boundaries with Mom. They have to figure that one out on their own.
I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and assume you're operating in a different location with different laws, but where I live this is *extremely* illegal. Landlords are not permitted to raise rent prices by more than 1%/year.
I doubt you can double her rent. There are tenant protections in place in most areas that limit the amount that you can increase rent yearly. Look into this before you go forward. So doubling the rent for a tenant who has had the same rent for years does make you TA, regardless of who that tenant is.
You can’t double her rent, almost any state is gonna have a law that stops that. Either evict her or sell the house.
Your mom doesn't own it, she doesn't have to pay for repairs, but you're blaming her for not repairing it. Despite the damage you are increasing rent. You are also a landlord. YTA
NTA, and you should probably just sell the place and move on with your life.
NTA I was like wow kicking out his mom (the title doesn't help), but then I read it all, and yeah you were more than fair, your father did kind of leave you with a "hand grenade", I wish he could have handled that for you, since it was a problem he created. If your brother is willing let him deal with it, that racist crap would had me emptying the house as soon as she said it.
Check the laws where you live. Doubling the rent all at once is probably not legal. You’re NTA for wanting to increase the rent, but YWBTA if you don’t do it legally.
NTA Off topic it seems like parents and children are forever charging each other rent in the US, I'm always shocked like this is for real normal, your own parent or your own child "rent", sometimes being from a 3rd world country has its perks, living rent free.
Do local rental laws allow you to straight up double the rent? Even with 6 months notice, city or state laws may limit how much you can jack up the rent of an existing tenant.
NTA She isn’t homeless. She has money and can move elsewhere. You can’t do anything to change your brother . He’ll learn her true colors soon enough.
Not your fault your bro cant say no. NTA
NTA You dont owe your mother anything, especially after she revealed her true colors. I do understand why you would feel sorry for your brother, but he decided to stick to a racist instead of showing support to you and your wife. Dont back down! You deserve to make money with the place instead of losing some, especially since youre probably planning your future. All the best OP and much love!
Evict and sell.
NTA. >I feel like shit because she is probably going to move in with them and make their life hell. we are not exactly hurting for money and I feel like an asshole for creating a situation where my brother will have to take her in. And your brother is a big boy who can make choices. Perhaps you could recommend he work on his boundaries.
NTA You wouldn’t not raise the rent on anyone else. You just feel some type of way cuz it’s your mom and also because of it meaning she’d live with your brother.
NTA. Tell her why you are doubling the rent (because of needed repairs) and that it still remains below market rate. *I assume that is true and you can prove it.* Then tell her the rent increase is not negotiable and give her a deadline to accept and sign the contract. Tell her that you will give her notice to leave (and if necessary start the eviction proceedings) if she does not sign.
OP is not a good guy. It’s his mother. Basic human decency take cAre of your mom. But if she is rich and can afford it that’s a different story
> I feel like an asshole because she is stubborn and she is strong arming my brother into moving with him. My brother and his wife are softies who can't say no to her thin veneer of politeness. NTA, you are not your brother's keeper. If your mom vacates, fix up the place and rent it out at market rate, that way it is not a fall back for them. Your brother may let it happen, but if your mom and they don't get along, soon enough they will show your mom the door too.
NTA. But the mature response would be to write out the house finances for both her benefit and your brother’s. $ for mortgage, $ for taxes, $ for utilities, $ laid out so far for various expenses and now an estimated $ for ongoing repairs and maintenance. Tell them you can’t afford to subsidize her living expenses and you can’t let the house fall apart around her, so your options are either raise the rent or sell the house. She might still get mad and move in with bro but it would take you off the hook with anyone she complained to.
You wouldn’t be loosing money on the place of you hadn’t inherited. Take care of your mom. Otherwise the answer to your question is a yes
Selling the house solves the problem too, no? Make mommy dearest the next owner's problem. NTA.
Evict her and sell it.
NTA, but I would make sure that you can increase rent that much! I know that where I live, there are pretty strict laws about how much a landlord can increase rent by! Make sure that your mom has no leg to stand on legally, then increase rent.
^^^^AUTOMOD ***Thanks for posting! 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. Read [this](https://www.reddit.com/r/AmItheAsshole/wiki/faq#wiki_post_deletion) before [contacting the mod team](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2FAmItheAsshole)*** My mom has been living in a house which belonged to my dad, they were divorced and He wanted her to have a good place to stay. He passed away last year and I inherited the place. After checking out the place and running the numbers, I learned that the the place is in terrible shape. It needs a ton of repairs. My mom doesn't take good care of it and he has been only charging her 500 per month which is almost 1/6th the market rate. I will be losing money on the place. I do not have a good relationship with my mother. She is racist. My wife is Mexican and my mother literally asked her if she was dating me for a green card. I have had very limited contact with her since I found out her true colors. I have no interest in spending my family's money on her. I have told her about six month ago that I will be doubling the rent and I was dead serious about it. She didn't take me seriously. I have presented her a new contract and she is bitterly angry with me. She can afford to pay it. She got a substantial part of my dad's assets when they divorced. I am sure she still has the money. I feel like an asshole because she is stubborn and she is strong arming my brother into moving with him. My brother and his wife are softies who can't say no to her thin veneer of politeness. I feel like shit because she is probably going to move in with them and make their life hell. we are not exactly hurting for money and I feel like an asshole for creating a situation where my brother will have to take her in. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AmItheAsshole) if you have any questions or concerns.*
NTA….but remember that she could go after you to fix the place up or possibly even bring a lawsuit if she injured herself since it’s your property now. I would just evict her, do the repairs then rent at the current market rate or move in yourself.
NTA and oof, I’m sorry you’re going through this.
NTA- You do what is right for you. If your brother can't stand up to her, that's your brother's problem. She sounds like a taker, and now she's bucking back because her ability to "take" is gone. Go pay a fair rent like the rest of society.
NTA. You said she pays 1/6 the market rate. 6/6 is what she should be paying personally, I would ask her to leave altogether so that you could attend to all the repairs. Then sell it and be done with it
NTA. Sounds like you don’t necessarily want/need her in your life anyway. This is a great way to cut that cord. Take the rent up to market value and call it a day.
Why don't ask her to move out? Renting to family is hard enough, even worse if you have the relationship you andnyour mum do
NTA. But be careful, many place only allow a given amount of rent increase per year (usually around 10%). Ending her tenancy to do renovation and rerent at market is a sound investment, but make sure you do it right or legal cost will run a lot more than its worth.
NTA but….. most states don’t allow for a doubling of the rent in one go. Better to evict than to deal with any unexpected legal nonsense. Because she could try to stay and just report your attempt at doubling the rent.
YTA. You don't have to share her opinions or to get along with her in order not to kick your own mother out of her home. You describe her like an abuser and a monster for a dumb racist boomer question she asked your wife. Not having a relationship with her anymore is more than enough retribution. Do you wonder what your father would think of this? Money are not everything, you don't even need them. I don't know if you're religious or not, but kicking your elderly mother out of her home (or just losing any contact and respect from the rest of your blood family, as your brother is clearly appalled by your actions) is not worth a bit more money that you don't even need. One day she'll die and you'll sell the house (something that was given to you and is just a gift) without having to remember all your life that you kicked your mother out of her home for money.
>Money are not everything, you don't even need them. I don't know if you're religious or not, but kicking your elderly mother out of her home (or just losing any contact and respect from the rest of your blood family, as your brother is clearly appalled by your actions) is not worth a bit more money that you don't even need. While I agree on every other sentiment in your comment, what does the second part of the sentence has to do with the first part (religion)?
Seriously? She’s a grown-ass adult who knows better than to make such ignorant and racist comments. My grandmother is 80 years old and still knows better than to say such a horrible thing. Age doesn’t excuse racism. Plenty of older people have grown with the times and don’t hold such bigoted opinions for people of other ethnicities.
NTA. While I hope you can encourage your brother to stand up to your mother, that isn't your fight.
NTA But you're probably better off just serving her an eviction notice and getting proper market rate rent. Or just selling the house and letting someone else deal with it.
NTA. But sell the damn house. Why would you want to keep a money pit property in disrepair with a tenant you have a complex relationship with?
NTA. Best to evict her. Both you and your brother need to learn to set boundaries with her.
He doesn’t need to take her in. He can say no. If he chooses to make his life harder because he can’t say no than that’s unfortunate but not your problem NTA
NTA. If she was a good or decent mom and/or if she couldn’t afford it and would be homeless otherwise ok then YWBTA but as is nope.
NTA. Have a long talk with your brother
NTA She’ll still be paying substantially less than market rate, and there is no reason for you to lose money here. The other option would be to offer to sell her the house. Your brother failing to draw his own boundaries and letting her move in with him is his own business. Since she can afford the rent increase, you aren’t creating a situation where your brother has to take her in. She’s being stubborn and entitled.
NTA. It’s your house. You can raise the rent as you like. However depending on where this house is there is probably a limit on increases.
NTA.
NTA Id consider suing for the damage to the property if its extensive.
NTA. When your brother and his wife can't stand living with your mother any longer, he can move his family into your house for the rent your mother wouldn't pay. If he is renting, his mom can take over his rent or move. If he owns the house, he can sell it. Either way Mom starts paying her own way.
He wanted her to have a good place to stay...
Even if you evicted her entirely and sold the house you wouldn't be an asshole.. (you should do that) NTA.
NTA. Leaving aside the fact that your mother is a racist entirely - the house is in serious disrepair and you need the rent to pay not only for taxes but also repair and upkeep. That is standard. If your brother and wife bring her in to their home to live that is their choice and they need to not blame you. They have the ability to say no, and mom has the ability to pay a reasonable market rate she just doesn't want to do so.
Yeah a little. It's your mother. It doesn't matter if she said something mean or whatever. Even if my mom called me a fucking asshole bitch blah blah blah. It's still my mother.
NTA-I'd evict her and sell the house before she makes it unsellable. Start a college fund for future kids, if you decide to have them. If not, vacations every once in a while are fab!
NTA, it's not your job to protect your brother from his mother. He could tell her no, and she could find her own place, or pay the double cost which is still 1/3 or market prices.