Man lives in his sister's house cheaply for 15 years, refuses to leave after being given a 1-year notice: 'I had no choice but apply for a court order to evict them'

Author image for Emmy Pratt
Emmy Pratt • Senior Editor
May 12, 2024 8:00 PM EDT

We have one of those family members who, when given an inch, takes a mile. It's natural to want to help your kin in their times of need or in your time of bounty, but it isn't easy to maintain boundaries once you've already offered endless assistance. If you let your sister and her husband stay at your house for a couple of months to get back on their feet after some financial hardship, you would probably be annoyed if, three years and minimal attempts at getting a job later, they're still living in your guest room and eating all of your snacks.  Not everyone is willing to give up a good thing, even if it ruins their relationship with their family. 

A 34-year-old man recently severed his relationship with his sister after she was forced to evict him from the house she inherited. She let him live there for a below-market rate for 15 years, and he refused to leave even after being given a year's notice. 

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  • 01
    r/AmltheAsshole u/Accomplished Mango209 19h AITA for evicting my brother and his family from the house I have inherited so my daughter can live there?
    via u/AccomplishedMango209
  • 02
    I(40f) have a daughter "Caroline" (17f), my brother "Adam" (34m) is married and has 2 kids under the age of 5.
    via u/AccomplishedMango209
  • 03
    Back when I was in my twenties our great grandmother ended up with an illness which required someone to take care of her. This ended up being me as everyone else was busy with their lives and I have only recently graduated from uni back then. Due to this when she passed away I have inherited the house she lived in, which is a small 2 bedroom. I have lived there until I got married and me and my husband ended up moving to a bigger
    via u/AccomplishedMango209
  • 04
    property. About a year later my brother asked if I'm willing to rent it out to him, which I agreed to do, but have warned him I will need it back when Caroline turns 18 (She was 3 at the time) since it is very close to universities and city center. Legal agreement was drafted for the rent (significantly below market value) so everything was followed by the book.
    via u/AccomplishedMango209
  • 05
    About a year ago I have informed my brother about needing the house back as my daughter is going to be 18 and I would like to have some repairs done before she moves in. My brother ignored me, so I have issued him notice to vacate, which was also ignored. As he continued to ignore me, I had no choice but apply for a court order to evict them, with hearing taking place last month. Last week him and his family were officially evicted. Upon getting into the house I have noticed it in horrible condi
    via u/AccomplishedMango209
  • 06
    I have raised this with my brother since he was meant to look after the house and let me know of any repairs, but this talk ended up in an argument where I was called an for evicting him and his family so my "spoiled" daughter can live by herself and not giving them enough notice (they had just over a year to find something suitable). He also said I have inherited the house by "cheating". My parents are on his side since Adam and his family live with them.
    via u/AccomplishedMango209
  • 07
    tictactoss 18h Enthusiast [9] NTA. He's lived there for roughly 14-15 years paying substantially below market rent prices, which should. have allowed him to save a considerable sum to put towards a home of his own. He clearly chose not to, as he had to move in with your parents. His life choices are not your problem. Regarding the state of the home, did you not visit him over the years and notice the deterioration? Or is there 'revenge' damage caused shortly before they moved? Reply 12.3k
    via u/tictactoss
  • 08
    Accomplished Mango209 OP. 18h A bit of both really as well as clever placed furniture so it wasn't noticeable up until now 5.3k
    via u/AccomplishedMango209
  • 09
    Unfair_Look_665. 16h I would sue him for the cost of repairs. I understand that it might damage your relationship but it sounds like he's already done that. You gave him notice 14 years ago as well as a 1 year reminder notice. You went above and beyond for him and he's acting this way, plus calling your daughter spoiled. It sounds like he's probably not going to act reasonably so you might as well sue and recover what you can. ... 4.6k
    via u/Unfair_Look_665
  • 10
    ktc653 • 16h Unless OP can't afford the repairs, the dollar value wouldn't be worth the amount of stress and drama that would cause within the family. Just call it a day now that he's out and move on with your life. NTA 1.8k
    via u/ktc653
  • 11
    Aggressive-Let8356 • 16h Screw that, hold people accountable and stop being an enabler. ... 1.1k
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  • 12
    • cppcrusader 16h Partassipant [1] There's nothing enabling about it. Most of the time suing a former tenant that you evicted will rapidly enter sunk cost fallacy territory. That's before you even factor in the complications of family. Getting a judgement is the easy part. I just went through this with my SIL who I was forced to evict. She has no assets, primarily works under the table gigs so wage garnishment wouldn't be an option. I was ready to push for it on principle, but everything reaches
    via u/cppcrusader
  • 13
    NTA thirdtryisthecharm • 19h Sultan of Sphincter [759] But I don't know why you're raising the issue of repairs when you evicted him. That sibling relationship is clearly fractured and I don't know what you're expecting to get from any conversation. ← Reply 2.4k
    via u/thirdtryisthecharm
  • 14
    Accomplished Mango209 OP. 18h According to the rent agreement he was meant to keep the house in a good condition and inform me if anything needs to be done, so I could get it fixed 1.9k
    via u/AccomplishedMango209
  • 15
    thirdtryisthecharm. 18h Sultan of Sphincter [759] And? Are you going to take him to small claims court? You certainly could, but that's probably your only option here. This is how things get messy when you mix business and family. And while you're not wrong, nothing you're doing here is gonnal make family relationships any smoother. So choose what you want more - you're not going to get both good relationships with family & money for all the repairs. 927
    via u/thirdtryisthecharm
  • 16
    Particular_Lemon_817 • 17h The family dynamics are ruined by this point anyway. Might as well take him to small claims. Things getting messy aren't OP's fault in my opinion. Brother got a sweet deal and always knew at which point it was going to be over. He's had more than enough time to look for something else, but instead just decided to completely ignore the eviction notice. ... 1.1k
    via u/Particular_Lemon_817
  • 17
    FeuerroteZora • 17h . Enthusiast [5] the Yeah, the brother pretty much relationship up already - he deliberately put OP in the position of either giving up and letting brother do whatever he wants with the house, or evicting him. It's not like he tried to work out a solution, he just decided if he ignored OP, OP wouldn't dare hold him to what he agreed to. Small claims court would at least hold him financially accountable even if no one seems to want to hold him morally accountable for being an
    via u/FeuerroteZora
  • 18
    celticmusebooks • 18h So, Adam has known he had to move since your daughter was three and now she's seventeen-- so that's a math problem. Math tells us that Adam has known for 14 years that he would have to move out of YOUR house. In what loonytunes world is that not enough notice? Curious, was Adam just lazy and let the house fall into disrepair OR did he trash the house intentionally because you evicted him? Reply 1.6k
    via u/celticmusebooks
  • 19
    Dittoheadforever • 18h Craptain [166] You're NTA. they had just over a year to find something suitable). No, he had 15 years to make a plan. He failed to do so. I hope you sue him for the damage. Reply 1.3k
    via u/Dittoheadforever
  • 20
    lemon_charlie ⚫ 12h Aficionado [10] Fifteen years of saving by paying less than market value to buy or build up rent money for something else. ... 277
    via u/lemon_charlie
  • 21
    Ihateyou1975 • 18h Partassipant [2] NTA. Of course parents are on his side. They don't want him living in their house. They can whine and moan all they want. You had a legal agreement. You went through proper channels. He chose to ignore it all. Too bad. Hope your daughter enjoys the house! Reply 204
    via u/Ihateyou1975
  • 22
    NOTICE OF EVICTION Court Case Number: 493-An
    via Allan Vega

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