A woman has been left furious after their tenants threatened to rip out the "lovely" garden in front of her Victorian cottage to transform it into a parking space. In December 2021, the mum's aunt died and left the property to her, but as it's "too far" from her and her husband's work and neither of them drive, the couple decided to rent it out until they move there in a few years' time.
The historical cottage is surrounded by a gorgeous garden, filled with roses and a magnolia tree, as well as original railings. But the tenants asked to tear it all down to make way for a green space with a designated parking spot.
The couple claim they have "factored in" the lack of parking space with the price of their rent and are "charging a third below market value", the Liverpool ECHO reports. They added that although "parking in the road seems to be difficult" as it's a busy street, there are no double yellow lines or residents parking permits.
However, the "cheeky" tenant has threatened to have a parking space with a dropped kerb built without the owner's permission and said they will "charge" the mum for the costs. Taking to Mumsnet to express her fears and anger, the owner uploaded a post titled: 'Can my tenant change the front garden of our house to a 'off road' parking area without our consent?'
She explained: "We rent this through an agency who have spoken to us a few times about putting in a parking area and we have said no. Last September, our tenant emailed me directly and asked me when the work was going to start, I forwarded it to the agents and told them to speak to the tenants.
"In November, the tenants emailed me again asking about the work and said they would be looking to pay a reduced rent until the work is done, again. I forwarded it to the agents for them to deal with, but today I got another email telling me if the work is not done in three months they have the 'legal' right to get their own company to do the work and charge us afterwards.
"I want to forward it to my agents but it seems the agents are not making it clear about the parking area or the tenants are ignoring them so I think I am going to have to deal with the last email myself."
She confirmed that the tenants have never been promised a parking space and that she will absolutely not be changing her mind as it's her property and she wants the garden to remain. She said that despite her and her husband being registered as the sole owners of the house with the land registry, she is still concerned about the tenant's threats.
Fellow Mumsnet users flocked to the comments to leave their opinions on the situation as many suggested the mother finds new tenants who 'respect' her property. One replied: "Of course, they can't put in a dropped kerb without your permission. You are the owner and you need to contact the council for this kind of permission."
Another questioned: "What the hell are your agents doing? Tenants can't simply decide to make changes to your property without permission. Honestly, I'd serve notice to the CFs [cheeky f***ers]. And probably then to the agents."
A third responded: "I'm not an expert in this area but what the hell - surely not, it's your property. No a tenant cannot simply start major building work without the owner's permission! I would be going around and making that clear."
Another Mumsnet user commented: "No, they can't do the work without your permission. I would get new tenants who respect your property. A Victorian cottage with roses and a magnolia tree sounds lovely. I think a strongly worded letter about not touching anything, and if they do it's criminal damage needs sending."
Several others advised the woman to seek legal action and put it into writing to both the tenant and agent to make it clear there was never plans to put in private parking and that has been reflected in the price of the rent. In the follow up comments, the mum revealed the agents have told the bold tenants on several occasions that the garden will not be changed but they are very "persistent".
The mum added: "I have sent the tenant an email making it clear that the house does not come with a parking space and the rent reflects this and that I have seen emails from the agent explaining this to them. I have made it very clear to them that no work will be undertaken or considered and they do not have permission to do any work themselves I am going to wait and see how they respond but I think the next step is to get rid if they won't accept what I have said."
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