Landlord wants to do "open house" viewings

[nutherissue]

DC is moving out of his student rental next month. The contract says the landlord must give them 24 hours notice for viewings. He has told them he wants to do an "open house" tomorrow afternoon. I've found a link here which suggests open house is not legally allowed while they still live there: https://goodmove.co.uk/blog/what-are-my-tenants-rights-if-my-landlord-wants-to-sell/#:~:text=Restrictions%20Around%20Open%20House%20Viewings,at%20reasonable%20times%20are%20allowed. But I can't find a more official reference for it, e.g. on gov.uk or citizens advice. I can only find out-of-date Covid-era references. Can anyone signpost me to something that they can use to help them say "no" to anything other than timed appointments?

Why is he opposed to this out of interest? I’d think a day of viewings is better for him than loads of viewings every few days? Certainly easier to keep a student house tidy for one day as opposed to numerous days.

Because they don't want people wandering around their home unaccompanied.

They can say no to any viewings at all. https://www.housingrights.org.uk/landlords/problems-tenants/accessing-property#:~:text=You%20should%20not%3A,is%20thoroughly%20cleaned%20before%20viewings

Who is conducting the viewings, will the landlord or their agent going to be there, are any of the students there tomorrow,

I wouldn't like this either. Open house is fine in an empty building but how can anything be guaranteed to be safe with potentially a dozen plus random strangers wandering around unaccompanied?!

I’d be worried about someone pocketing my things. That said when I was a student I went to view more than one place where student stayed in bed and just pulled blankets over their head. So some people really don’t care. I’d take valuables with me and ask them to be accompanied at all times.

See the bottom of this page: "viewings when the landlord is selling"

https://england.shelter.org.uk/housing_advice/repairs/repairs_and_inspections_access_to_your_rented_home

It doesn't answer your specific question about allowing access by appointment only, but it answers the broader question about access for viewings.

What does the tenancy agreement say?

It doesn’t matter what the contract says; the law comes first. He can refuse all viewings, no matter how much notice is given. You do not have to allow viewings. Until you move out, you have the right to quiet enjoyment of your home. Tell your son to refuse. And keep refusing, and to remind his landlord that he has no right to hold viewings until he has the property back.

I would check what the agent/landlord means.

An ‘openhouse’ isn't usually ‘just wander in off the street’ - the agent has viewers details - because they want to be able to contact them to follow up.

Usually the agent is present.

I liked ‘open house’ - it got through all viewings in one clean! 😀 Much preferred to ‘ there is a viewing on Friday…clean and go out, a viewing on Tuesday...clesn and go out, a viewing Thursday….you get the picture.

One afternoon if open house, flat let, job done!

Or as above, refuse ( unless he wants to relet with the same agent)

(Obv the landlord could engage with the legal route to force viewings, but your son will be gone by then so it doesn’t matter).

If I were him, I’d refuse all open house style viewings completely but give a list of dates when he is available for normal supervised viewings.

It's in their contract that they should allow viewings with 24 hours notice.

That doesn't override the law....I can write 'you must give me £10k every week' and get you to sign it....its still unenforceable

Should allow is meaningless,

Landlords always put that in but it is unenforceable. However there's no good reason to be obstructive about viewings and it would probably be politic to allow it since no doubt they would like the LL to be lenient about deposit return etc. I agree if he doesn't want the open day to happen it shouldn't, though.

I think we should respect that the student market often works on people moving every year and one year contracts. If everyone refuses all viewings, as per their legal rights, that market would collapse and with it the availability of student accommodation.

That said your son should insist that all viewers are accompanied. Viewers should queue and looking around in turn accompanied by the agent or landlord. One member of his house should take it in turns to stay in and make sure that this request is respected.

I’m all for it when they ask you for convenient days, or at least try to work with you along with the odd request for a different day. But allowing a bunch to view at once with only one estate agent around to show it and answer questions is not appropriate for a house with people living in it and all their stuff around.

Maybe they could arrange several viewings over one day, all of them escorted round by the agent. But not to have two or three different viewers in at once and allowed to be in any rooms unaccompanied.

I don’t think ‘open house’ means strangers wandering in unaccompanied. My estate agent has arranged an open house viewing, he basically collects interest from buyers, checks them first and then guides a group of approx 10 people through the property at an arranged time, rather than coming 5-10 times to show people round individually.

Is this a house aimed at the student market or does he just happen to be a student?

Because in the areas my dc have been at university, they move in/out at the start of July, but good houses are taken by November-January generally.

I wouldn't expect them to get many students looking round as most have gone home for the holidays, and it's too soon for signing for 2025/6 and very late for 2024/5.

@ClarrieMia hilarious that you think students would bother cleaning for a viewing. I went to many a viewing as a student where the current occupiers weren’t even dressed (or in one case were having very noisy sex). Generally students clean once, the day before vacating.

Open house just means back to back viewings. The landlord or agent should be accompanying the viewers so in that sense it isn’t different to having viewings on different day.

The contract doesn't superceed the law!!

But when you’ve got a group of 10, you’re not exactly able to watch them. Very easy for people to lift stuff. That’s fine if you own the house and live in it and want to take that risk yourself. It is not OK to decide that your tenants must take that risk. So no, I wouldn’t say yes to the landlord.

True!
As a student, I viewed a flat and thought that the current student tenants must have had a party the night before ( empty bottles, food, rubbish, clothing all over, not a clear surface ( or much floor)).

When I returned a week later it was just the same…that was how they lived all of the time!😱

In this case at least they only have to hide their valuables.😆