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Original poster

Landlady selling our flat, discussions about cleaning and tidying

119 replies

Summerbreezes · 21/10/2019 21:13

I live in a small flat with my DH. Our landlady has been trying to sell for a few months. We've had several viewings and I've insisted that all estate agents give me notice of viewings. It's a very good flat but no offers so far, because the housing market has slowed right down. The price has been reduced but still no offers. It's the sort of flat that would've been sold within a week if this had happened five years ago. We don't want to move anyway.

Also we renewed our tenancy agreement a couple of months ago. LL wants to keep us on as tenants to get money for as long as possible.

LL phoned me this evening to say she's had feedback from a couple of estate agents to say that our flat apparently isn't very clean or tidy. I'm not sure if this is the agents' view or the viewers' view. I personally believe that agents in general have an unrealistic view of how clean people should keep their homes, plus it's none of their business anyway.

LL has now said she's coming round later this week to inspect our flat. The thing is we already know she's a bit of a hygeine freak and a minimalist and she's already commented on how much stuff we have, even though we have an average amount of stuff with no storage space so it's visible. I already said on the phone that it's not our job to market the flat or make it look perfect. We live here. She's obviously desperate to sell but also wants to keep on good terms with us so that we cooperate but this is getting way too intrusive. We pay our rent every month and we're good tenants, but at the same time I'm not about to start moving my stuff and have a spring clean just so that someone else can sell my home.

We have been more than reasonable with the estate agents and not turned down one single viewing, even though we know we technically don't have to let anyone in at all so we've been very fair and far more cooperative than we need to be.

I know different people have different cleaning standards but this is our home and I don't need to be tidying up for visitors that I don't even want.

OP posts:
rookiemere · 22/10/2019 08:52

Even if flat is messy OP is paying full agreed rental amount to live there, provided her actions aren't causing actual damage e.g. scuffing wallpaper or leaving stains on carpets, then the landlady has no grounds for complaint.

OP I like the idea of asking for a reduction to keep it tidy for viewings, or a cleaner coming in prior to them . If not I'd just start refusing her - time to look for another flat anyway I think.

JMAngel1 · 22/10/2019 08:53

. If she really wants to sell, she should give you notice and then market it empty. The current situation isn't tenable for either of you.

Renting sounds really stressful - sorry you're going through this.

heatingsoup · 22/10/2019 09:00

Why don't you meet with her and discuss a plan? Rather than just being awkward and refusing to do anything, if she doesn't want to sell with vacant possession maybe she's in a situation where she is forced to sell for financial reasons. I think compromise should be the key here.

heatingsoup · 22/10/2019 09:04

We don't clean the stove every day FGS! Just clean it every so often.

Seems an easy fix for you to wipe it clean after every use.

What else was on the list?

Disfordarkchocolate · 22/10/2019 09:07

If I were you I'd start looking for a new place. Put yourself in control and leave her to do what she wants with her flat.

TechnicalSergeantGarp · 22/10/2019 09:10

I'd hide and move your stuff for photographs for the particulars but I wouldn't put it into storage. Your LL probably doesn't want to draw the lack of storage to attention but you need to live in the flat.

Blueuggboots · 22/10/2019 09:11

Wipe the oven clean after every use??!!!

Fuck that.
**

Bofster37 · 22/10/2019 09:14

I’d say no to the viewings.

Bofster37 · 22/10/2019 09:15

I’d also say no to the inspection.

Even if it’s in your contract, the contract doesn’t override the law.

funkylittleboatrace · 22/10/2019 09:15

Clearly I'm from a different planet why wouldn't you clean the top of the oven after it's been used?.

thatwasMauijustmessingaround · 22/10/2019 09:17

I think I'd just move out. You'll have to anyway, so go sooner rather than later?

Then you don't have to fuck around with landlords, viewing, estate agents etc.

BigChocFrenzy · 22/10/2019 09:20

OP:
Her need / wish to sell is not^ your problem^

You are under no obligation to go beyond the terms in your tenancy agreement - but do obey all those terms.

No need for extra cleaning or tidying - unless she pays for a weekly cleaner, times to suit you and you actually want this.
No need to put things in storage either, if it reduces your enjoyment / convenience

As a former LL I never tried to sell with a tenant in a UK property (totally different in Germany)
precisely because it is unreasonable to expect the clean minimalist look that helps sell, epecially in a slow market

BigChocFrenzy · 22/10/2019 09:21

"Clearly I'm from a different planet why wouldn't you clean the top of the oven after it's been used?."

But the OP normally doesn't
and there is no reason for her to change how she lives just because the LL wants to sell

Not her problem

Original poster
Summerbreezes · 22/10/2019 09:22

Clearly I'm from a different planet why wouldn't you clean the top of the oven after it's been used?

Mumsnet really is something else with its competitive cleaning.

OP posts:
PepsiLola · 22/10/2019 09:28

See I do clean the hobby after every use (mainly because we don't have a dishwasher and it takes two seconds to wipe over with a dish clothe).

But my house is messy and lived in for sure. I have two kids and a handful of animals! My shelves are for display purposes, they are for storing my books/letters and stuff that would be perceived as clutter.

I would say to LL if this is not working for her, you can find somewhere else to rent... I presume it's going to happen sooner or later anyway, it can't be nice being micro managed on how you live

PepsiLola · 22/10/2019 09:28

The hobby Grin I really should read my comments before I press post

53rdWay · 22/10/2019 09:31

I had a landlord once who gave me notice then asked if I could please make sure there weren’t any packing boxes around during viewings as it would put people off. Er, no.

Your landlord has a choice: market it vacant and take the hit from not getting rent payments, or market it when it’s still tenanted and take the hit from not being able to stage it like a show home. She can’t have her cake and eat it.

chatwoo · 22/10/2019 09:31

If your LL is that bothered about the perceived mess, she can give you notice, and do the viewings after you've moved out and she's turned the place into a show home. But oh no, of course that will mean no rental income for her.

Or as PP have mentioned, find yourself somewhere else to live and leave her to sort out the consequences.

Original poster
Summerbreezes · 22/10/2019 09:40

I had a landlord once who gave me notice then asked if I could please make sure there weren’t any packing boxes around during viewings as it would put people off. Er, no.

So they wanted you to pack up your stuff and leave, but without the use of packing boxes Grin

OP posts:
53rdWay · 22/10/2019 09:42

Pack up and leave with the help of magic packing fairies I think!

batvixen123 · 22/10/2019 09:51

Having recently sold a house, I can easily believe the estate agents have unrealistic standards. When we sold ours, what we were told was normal was to move a chunk of stuff into storage, get a professional cleaner and painter/decorators round, give everything a lick of paint and get some new pot plants - basically turn it into a show home for however long it takes to sell. You don't try and sell your home "as lived in" with piles of books in the corner or whatever.

Then you recoup the money from the house sale when it's done. I suspect that's what the estate agent and house viewers are used to.

havingamadmoment · 22/10/2019 09:53

OP I would just move. I have been in your situation and it wasn’t worth the hassle.
We were given 8 weeks notice to move so that the landlord could sell but she then started to claim that we hadn’t looked after the house and tried to keep the deposit - no doubt to cover a couple of months lost rent while she sold.

She didn’t manage to do it as we hadn’t done any of the damage she claimed but it was a really upsetting stressful time.

We don’t live in an area white moth many family sized homes available to rent and so because she was only giving us 8 weeks and because she was both withholding the deposit (We eventually got it back through the deposit protection thing - we had not damaged the house) and being a dick about references we had to move to a shitty little house in a area we hate or be homeless.

We are stuck here while we save up to move again.

It brightens my heart a bit though that the house she has listed for sale has now been sitting empty for over a year.

Thornhill58 · 22/10/2019 09:59

I'm a LL and we were in the same situation. We tried to sell but we offered £50 discount per month to make it up to our tenant.
It makes no sense to renew the tenancy if the flat is on the market.
I think you've been very good about the whole thing.
Your LL isn't making things easy for you and it's becoming intrusive to give an opinion about how you live.

Thornhill58 · 22/10/2019 10:02

PS: The flat is back in the rental market as after 9 months the flat is not selling.

B9ddy · 22/10/2019 10:24

I am a landlord and fully accredited managing agent
You have a right to peaceful enjoyment of your home and do not have to allow viewings
If you have been issued with a section 21 form 6a you should also have had at start of tenancy
EPC
gas certificate
Tenancy agreement
How to rent guide
Proper registration of deposit with proof
Without section 21 not valid
You do not have to leave
You can wait until you get taken to court
Even after that you can wait until bayliff comes
But you would oncur court costs
Most important
Pay your rent in full