AITAH for evicting a tenant because he didn’t want pay for not using the place while he goes on vacation?

You had a tenant who wanted to stop paying rent while he went on a two-month vacation, claiming that since he wouldn’t be using the apartment, he shouldn’t have to pay for it. Despite your attempts to explain that rent is a fixed cost regardless of occupancy (using various analogies), he insisted on not paying. After you informed him that he could either pay his rent or move out at the end of the month, he chose to vacate. Two months later, he returned, seeking to re-rent the apartment but requested a lower rent due to the costs he incurred from moving and storing his belongings. You informed him that the apartment was quickly rented out at a higher price and ended the conversation, feeling amused by his situation.

AITAH for evicting a tenant because he didn’t want pay for not using the place while he goes on vacation?

So one of my tenants, who’s been with me for the past 4 years, called me up back in May, and told me was going on vacation for 2 months during the summer out of the country. My knee j**rk response was “that sounds like fun, have a great time . Are you calling because you want me to check in the place every so often to make sure everything is ok why you are gone? I don’t mind…”

And he was like ,”uh no, the reason why I called is because since I won’t be there for 2 months , and not using the place , I shouldn’t have to be paying rent for those two months while I’m not using it ….is that correct?”

I was flabbergasted. I double checked to make.sire it wasn’t April 1st and not an April Fool’s. But the guy was dead serious. He was complaining about how difficult it was with inflation, rising cost of things, how expensive a plane ticket was overseas, how expensive living accomodations for 2 months abroad is now, and he needs to save money from the rent to pay for his trip…. I s**it you not.

So, I’m trying to keep my composure for not losing my s**it and blasting him for being an i**iot, and trying to reason with him “well, of you rent a car for 2 weeks , and don’t.ise it in the middle of the week, the car rental company still charges you, id you use your credit card and don’t pay the balance off at the end of the month, they totally buttfuck you and you still pay for that 19+% apr loan even if you don’t use your credit card next month…..and a dozen or so other examples….

The tenant finally says “that’s tried but is there anything I can possibly do about this situation?” So I basically told him “well since you are on a month to month lease your two basic choices are either 1)pay your rent , which by the way I have not raised over the past 4 years because up until now you’ve been a pretty uneventful tenant or 2) choose to move out at the end of the month. Your choice….”

Now, the rationale.side of me was thinking he would finally get some common sense and say “oops my bad, forgot that I asked”…but what does he do? He says ok fine I’m moving out at the end of the month….I s**it you not… Well it’s been 2 months, and this guy calls me back up yesterday.”

Hey Mr. X, I’m back and Id like to re rent your place …but if you don’t mind, could lower my first month rent , because last time when I moved out, I had to pay for a mover to move and then pay for 2 months of storing my stuff….”

Again, I’m about to lose my s**it but tried to put on my most professional voice and said “Well Mr. Y, I’m sorry but literally the first week after I moved out, and within 24hours of posting the availability of my rental on Zillow, I had 24 people that wanted to rent it, at a price that was 30% higher than what I had been charging you for the past 4 years,

and one moved in within 48hrs after you left and even told me to skip the cleaning since they didn’t mind doing it if they could move in right away….so not only did I not lose any money that month you moved out, I actually had a surplus because of the 30% higher rent someone willingly paid…I’m sorry, I did warn you this ight happen 2montjs ago, but you decided to cancel the month to month lease anyway ….”

This guy gets into a rant about how unfair this was, how he can’t find another place anywhere close to the amount he was paying , and that he can’t even find a single room others rent out from their house for the same price he was paying for his own place to me for the past 4 years.

At this point, I was laughing so hard, and simply said “this sounds like a ‘you’ problem. Good luck to you and best wishes..” and hung up and blocked his number. I know the availability of affordable housing is not a lighting matter, but in this case… AITAH for letting him self-evict 2 months ago knowing he was making a terrible decision,.then being apathetic and laughing when he complained about it 2 months later?

Here’s what people had to say to OP:

Starbuck522 says:
Actually, my daughter is in college. All of the off campus apartments are rented aug 1 to Aug 1 (or similar), even though plenty of students only want to live there from August 25 to May 20. It’s just the way life works!

SpecialpOps says:
You are a damn fine landlord. You did the right thing for him and your other tenants. I rent below market so that the person renting can have a better chance at having a decent life. My CPA just takes the difference between the rent in the market value and writes that off as a loss. I would rather do that than squeeze somebody who needs a chance.

IBuyHomes2023 says:
You know, the request caught totally caught me off guard. Especially since he’s an engineer and making over $120k/year and his rent cost was less than 16% of his annual salary, probably even less if you include the bonus and stock grants that the company gives. I really thought he was kidding.

Jovet_Hunter says:
I worked at an apartment complex and a guy tried to pull this. Argued with me for so long and just didn’t get he couldn’t take off for a few months, leave all his stuff, expect us to hold the apartment for free, and he could come waltzing in later like NBD.

He was either an i**iot, being ESL kept him from comprehending, or, my opinion, he knew what he was doing and was trying to b**lly me into agreeing. He did NOT get what he was asking. Oh and he had a blow up doll that lived in the bathtub. The maintenance guy saw it a few times and told us all. s**ck it, Eray.

LaLunaLady1960 says:
NTA. I wonder if he tried the same thing with his car loan (if he has one.) “Dear Lender, I’m going to be out of the country for two months. Since I won’t be driving the car that I have a loan on, I don’t have to pay for those two months, right?”

What a m**ron.

gaurddog says:
…I’m almost always on the side of the Tennant in landlord disputes but nah bro you sound like you gave this guy every chance in the book and were very reasonable. NTA. He sounds like a delusional former rich kid who doesn’t understand the difference between the reality he wants to live in and the one he does.

NuMarkyMark says:
NTA , I too would find that whole suggestion to be a joke. If money was such a problem why not go for one month only and pay the needed things all around. Would still have gotten a vacation. Especially in that situation of not having an increase in 4 years. Tenant did it to himself.

officepancakes says:
NTA. What some people (including this guy) don’t comprehend, is that rent isn’t paid for the time the person spends inside the property there, it’s more about paying for the ability to occupy the space for the time agreed in the lease terms.

For example – if a tenant works out of town for 1 week a month, does that mean they get a 25% discount on rent? No, because even though their person isn’t in the property for that week, their possessions still are, with no other person being able to become a resident there. Also you didn’t evict him, he decided to end the lease himself and you complied with his wishes as he shot himself in the foot.

NTA. You provided your tenant with clear options and explained the situation thoroughly. His decision to stop paying rent while being on vacation was not only unreasonable but also ultimately self-destructive. You acted professionally throughout the process, and his subsequent inability to find affordable housing is more a reflection of his choices than your actions. Your amusement at his complaints later is understandable, given that you had warned him about potential consequences. It’s not your responsibility to accommodate someone who didn’t respect the terms of the lease or the nature of rental agreements.