For years, Jane Sayner believed she would have to keep working well into her 80s just to afford rent.
Key Takeaways
- Jane Sayner had rented the same home since 1998 and feared she would have to work into her 80s to keep paying rent.
- Her landlord, John Perrett, was known for personally checking on his properties and building friendly relationships with tenants.
- Before his death, Perrett surprised Sayner by leaving the home to her in his will.
- His estate also donated millions to charity and rewarded people who had been part of his life.
The cancer survivor had been living alone and paying rent on the same home since 1998. Like many long-term renters, she often worried about what would happen if her landlord ever passed away. Finding another affordable place to live would have been incredibly difficult.
But what happened next completely changed her life.
When Sayner’s landlord, John Perrett, died, she received a phone call that left her stunned. He had left the home to her.
Perrett, a wealthy chemist and property owner, had always been known as a thoughtful landlord. According to Sayner, he took his responsibilities seriously. If something broke, he would quickly send someone to fix it, and he made a point of visiting his properties in person each month to collect rent.
Those visits gradually turned into long conversations between the two. They would often talk for an hour about life, family, and Perrett’s career. Over time, what started as a simple landlord-tenant relationship slowly grew into a friendly connection.
Sayner also took pride in caring for the property as if it were her own.
“When I first came here there was no garden out the back,” she explained. “Because I was living here, I planted lots of plants and flowers, which are still here today.”
Perrett noticed her efforts and appreciated how much care she put into the home. At one point he even brought over several large pots that had belonged to his father, hoping she might use them to add even more plants to the garden.
As Perrett’s health declined, he eventually moved into a care facility, and their regular visits became less frequent, especially during the isolation of the pandemic.
Then one day, Sayner received a surprising phone call.
Perrett told her that his solicitor was with him and asked for her full legal name. Confused, she asked why.
“He said, ‘My solicitor’s here. I need your full name because I’m leaving you your unit,’” Sayner later recalled.
She could hardly believe what she was hearing.
When Perrett passed away, it became clear that he had carefully planned how his wealth would be distributed. A large portion of his estate, about $18 million, was donated to a hospital. He also left money to staff members who had worked with him over the years.
And for Sayner, the tenant who had cared for her home for more than two decades, he left the property she had been renting all that time.
After years of worrying about whether she could afford rent, she suddenly had the security of knowing the home was hers.
For Sayner, the gift meant much more than simply owning property. It meant peace of mind after years of uncertainty and the ability to live comfortably without constantly worrying about the future.
Perrett may have built his wealth through business, but in the end, he chose to share it with people who had been part of his life.
And for Jane Sayner, that decision became the unexpected gift of stability she never imagined she would receive.
It’s stories like these that bring people together and remind us of what truly matters. Small moments of care, empathy, and love can leave a lasting impact – not just on those involved, but on everyone who hears them.
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