top of page

Landlord vs tenant cartoon: Is the idea of "home" an illusion for tenants?


Black and white cartoon drawing of an annoyed girl on her knees trying to hold onto a giant snail shell attached to her back which a mean landlord is trying to pull off. in a speech bubble the girl says "You can't just take it now that I'm attached!" Caption reads: "Landlord vs. Tenant"

Not this again.


It'll be the third year in a row that a greedy landlord...


...has wrenched away my home and I've had to start over.


The dreaded news landed in my inbox yesterday morning that it might happen, and I'm currently in negotiations - powerless, but always hopeful - because hope is all I have.


It occurred to me after a conversation with a friend, in which they seemed more affected by the news than me, that I have become so accustomed to the instability of being a tenant, that the prospect of being evicted felt completely normal.


I even justified it on behalf of my landlord, saying - "It's not personal, it's just business."


My friend pointed out that having a roof over your head is an essential human requirement, and that it shouldn't be "Just business".


They're absolutely right, and so now I'm cross, because actually... it is personal.


This time last year I was evicted and made redundant at the same time - that was fun! And the year before I was job-hunting when I got my section-21 through the door. Both were no-fault evictions by landlords who wanted to make more money.


Thankfully, I'm employed this time, just, but I've finally settled into my cottage after having to leave London last year because I couldn't afford to live there anymore, and I jolly well don't want to move again.


I've been putting down roots by weeding and planting the front garden, and was even on the verge of buying a shed-full of logs in preparation for the cold winter ahead, which would have been a costly mistake if I won't even be here to use them.


It seems a tenant can't really plan ahead or risk getting attached, when the idea of 'home' is an illusion.


And now, all of this has got me thinking about money. I work for a good company, I'm qualified, I work hard and I'm good at what I do, but my salary doesn't empower me.


It's easy to find yourself accepting, and often even expecting, less than you deserve, because you're just grateful to have a roof over your head and be able to put food on the table. But we're being exploited from all directions in the name of 'business', and it's not right.


My current landlord appears to be trying his luck to get me to pay a year's worth of rent upfront, again...


I was lucky enough to be able to loan this amount of money last year in order to secure this cottage and prevent myself from becoming homeless, after being evicted from my previous flat in London because my previous landlord had wanted to increase the rent by about £400 a month - ouch!


I knew that if I wanted to kick the other contenders off the playing field, I was going to have to essentially bribe the landlord with a chunk of money upfront. How do I know this? Because that is exactly how I managed to get the flat in London after being evicted from the one before that due to the landlord of that one wanting more money too - anyone see a pattern forming here?


I'm, in my early forties and yet I'm in exactly the same insecure situation as I was in my thirties and my twenties - living hand-to-mouth, and not knowing if I'm on the verge of losing everything and having to start over again.


This is not how I envisioned my life.


Something has to change.



UPDATE: You'll be pleased to know that I did manage to negotiate staying in my cottage and I have now signed another 12-month contract with a 6-month break clause - and I didn't have to find a way to pay the year upfront again.


I guess I can buy those logs now.


But I'm sure we'll be revisiting this scenario again in the future, because I am an eternal tenant, and this is how tenants live.



Enjoyed this? Scroll down to subscribe to my free weekly newsletter and I'll keep you updated on new cartoons, blog posts and news. 

Commentaires


bottom of page