[Alberta's Child]

One of the things that has changed since the Industrial Revolution is that it has become commonplace for people to do business with total strangers -- as employers, employees, customers, vendors, etc. -- in ways that they never did before in human history.

As an employer, I will never hire someone who isn't a family member, a friend, or a friend of a trusted associate whose referral carries a lot of weight.

The same goes for tenant-landlord relationships, to the extent I have some measure of control over that.

[bella1]

Heavens! Never rent to a relative, ever, unless it's your child. That's rule #1 for this landlord

[moovova]

Apparently, the tenant was “family” in some form or fashion, and received a rent discount.

“And if, second, I hadn’t given the tenant a break on the rent, charging him less than the going rate (for familial reasons not essential here).”