Not severe with about nine unfortunately tenanted (7)

I believe the answer is:

lenient

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'not severe' is the definition.
I can't tell whether this definition defines the answer.

'about nine unfortunately tenanted' is the wordplay.
'about' indicates putting letters inside.
'unfortunately' is an anagram indicator (a bad or unfortunate spelling).
'tenanted' becomes 'let' (I've seen this in another clue).
'nine' is an anagram of 'nien'.
'nien' put within 'let' is 'LENIENT'.

'with' acts as a link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for lenient that I've seen before include "Forgiving, gentle" , "Clement" , "Mild and tolerant" , "Indulgent, lax" , "Light" .)

I've seen this clue in The Irish Independent.

Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.