Hi I'm new to this but I will just dive straight in. My mum and I have been very close and I just recently moved into a rental property that she owns but now she is trying to sell it. One of the conditions of sale is that the tenants (my friend and I) are to sign an 18month lease. They keep stuffing up the lease and so we have refused to sign. Now my mum is getting really upset with me because she has basically said that if she loses the sale then it will be my fault. I don't know what to do or how to deal with this because on one hand I really want to help my mum sell the property but on the other I don't want to be stuck in an agreement that could be bad for me. I am so upset and anxious because I am starting to believe that this IS my fault when I truly know that it isn't. My mum has bipolar and it is hard enough to deal with her mood swings normally but I am really scared that if the sale falls through then she will go into major depression and I will be to blame. My anxiety levels are through the roof and I feel like I am between a rock and a hard place. I just needed to release it all because the tension was building up so much that I felt like I was going to explode but any advice or even just goodwishes would be really helpful.

dear Roo, thanks for posting your comment and welcome to the forum.

It's never a good idea to work with or in your situation rent from your mother in a property that she owns, because along the way problems will happen, where you would think that naturally she would fix them for you as you're part of the family, but she maybe short of funds and can't afford to repair whatever is broken, however there are legal prerequisites that she has to full fill under the tenants law that by law she has to fix.

Whether you sign the lease or not, if the property is sold then the new owner has a decision on whether he or she wants to keep the tenants in or evict them, legally you have no choice on whether or not you want to stay, it's up to the new owners to make that decision, so if settlement is 90 days and they don't want you as a tenant you have to leave.

So getting back to you and your friend not wanting to sign the lease, well you could for a 2 year lease, but as soon as the property is sold that contract becomes null and void, because the new owners will make a decision.

I'm sorry but try and stay away with any business with any of your family, invariably it turns out for the worse.

Geoff.

Hi Roo,

I too would like to welcome you to the community here at Beyond Blue.

I am sorry to read you have found yourself in this predicament. It must be tough knowing your Mum suffers from bipolar and now you are having your own moments of depression and anxiety. That is enough to deal with let alone having the added stress of your Mum selling the place you are renting.

Am I right in thinking the sale is dependant on you and your friend staying on and you are not happy with the terms of the new tenancy agreement?

I don't know anything about the issues with selling/renting/new agreements. Can you speak with the real estate people and ask if they can suggest an agency or organisation that will help to sort all of this out.

Selling anything can be stressful at the best of times!

I hope you and your Mum are able to talk about all of this, if not, do you have a mutual friend or family member who could mediate for you so you can try and sort all of this out.

My Mum has depression and other mental health problems and I am always feeling like I need to be careful what I say and how I act with her. I too have depression, so I do understand the awkwardness you find yourself in.

My Dr and counsellor recently explained to me again that I am not responsible for how my Mum feels and acts. I know it is easy to say that but harder to do in real life!

Hopefully you will find some answers. Maybe there is a Residents Tribunal or some organisation like that that you can go through.

Wishing you well in all of this. Cheers for now from Mrs. Dools