Help me take letting agent to account

[daffyducked]

I am a tenant. I have lived here for about 3 years and am a good tenant.

I thought the other day that things had been moved around in the garden.

Yesterday, I got home from work and found a business card from the managing agent on my worktop!!

They had been in and carried out an inspection without me knowing!! I am livid!

I emailed them today - apparently the landlord has been through (only way to access garden) to fix the guttering at the rear of the house.

Apparently the agent emailed me about the inspection- I have checked both mine and my partners emails and there is nothing from them.

Surely they cannot enter my home without my express permission unless it was an emergency??

Surely if they emailed me and got no response then they would try to phone me, they have both of our phone numbers.

Any advice?

It is in your interest for repairs to be carried out. They must give 24 hours notice in writing. You do not have to give permission but they may not enter if you object. Sounds as though the agent messed up. S11 Housing Act

I am more than happy for any repairs to be carried out and that includes inspections. But to have someone in your house when you had no idea they were coming is not on.

Yes clearly someone messed up. What do you want to do? If you are within the fixed term perhaps a letter advising them of the law and a request that in future they follow it. If outside the fixed term be careful, they may issue a s21 if they perceive, wrongly I am sure, that you might be 'difficult'. Depends what they have been like to date.

Well, they screwed up.

But believing they gave the required notice they are legally entitled to make entry unless you say no. The law doesn't require your positive response.

So, you have to consider:
Are they usually good
Is the landlord usually good
What actually are you annoyed by
Did you sustain any loss
What outcome do you want

That they left their card is a good sign, they were acting in good faith. I do that whenever I am in a property without the tenant (I'm an independent clerk, not an agent)

As far as I can tell you could email them and remind them of your preferred contact method and details, letting them know you are not impressed. But, as the work, presumably, needed doing I am not sure what else you could achieve.

All I want is for no one to be in my home without permission. I don't want them to send an email in future which we don't receive and then go in without permission.

I will put it in writing to them thank you.

The law says they do not need permission. Just to inform you with 24 hours notice. You then have the opportunity to object and the repair will not be able to be carried out at that time.