to refuse to let the agents in to show new tenants round?

[EricNorthmansmistress]

So, my letting agents are cunts. Long story of shitness, starting with a report saying we were not keeping the flat clean enough. When pushed they could not give any concrete examples. More recently they mentioned the mould in the bathroom over winter (too cold to leave bathroom window open) and candle wax on the tile mantelpiece, and the grubby carpet (toddler) all of which are completely fixable.

So they served notice to sell the flat, LL changed her mind but decided they wanted us out anyway due to the report. One year after we moved in and paid £480 in fees.

Fine. We want to move anyway, need a garden. Yesterday agent left me a voicemail asking if they could bring tenants to look this afternoon. I only picked it up this morning. I called them and explained that DH's stock was in the flat, and that we had gone out without knowing they were coming, so hadn't tidied.

I just received another voicemail at 6pm, saying they will be bringing people over tomorrow at 5pm, and to please tidy up because it was very messy.

1- the tenancy agreement says no less than 24 hours

2- the tenancy agreement only specifies access, does not specify tidying up

3- she was a bitch

I have left a voicemail saying no, they can't bring someone at 5, as that is less than 24 hours notice. I have suggested they do not leave voicemails in future and call me tomorrow to rearrange.

They write in their letter that it is better if we tidy up so as to minimise disruption to us as they can let it quicker. Frankly, I don't care. I have seen the house and it's ok, it's messy because DH has a lot of stock in the flat and DS has toys. Frankly it's fine, according to my standards. AIBU to not want to spring clean a flat I'm moving out of in a month, in order to do a favour to a letting agent who I hate, when I'm not legally obliged to do so? I just feel like asking her who the fuck she thinks she is to be honest. That's the problem with this agency - their report referenced how messy the flat was (they hadn't given proper notice and we didn't know they were coming) but the mess was ours, nothing to do with the actual flat. They don't seem to understand that they cannot dictate how people live inside their flats as long as it doesn't cause any damage or nuisance to the LL's property.

So, AIBU to say they can't come tomorrow at 5?

i thik you are trying to pick a fight with them.

if they had said they would come at 6pm would you have been okay with that?

YANBU!

I'd be doing the absolute minimum necessary to fulfill my legal/contractual obligations and not be going out of my way to help the letting agents at all.

I think I'd stick to the letter of the contract tbh - they give you 24 hours notice, & you do no tidying beyond your usual routine.

Well, you could just say yes to the viewing and no to the tidying up, you don't have to acquiese to her if she is being an arse. And as a landlady, I don't really care how tidy my tenants are (they are immaculate as it is, how they keep a toddler so tidy I don't know!) as long as the flat and my belongings are kept as they were.

Have you found somewhere new?

Surely much easier to tidy it than get so wound up?

I would, because I could have tidied a bit before they came. It's impossible to tidy in the morning before we go to work. I am trying to pick a fight though, yes. I specifically called to warn them I hadn't tidied and anyway it's a messy flat atm. I could shove some stuff to the edge of the room but I can't make it look like a show home. I'm furious to be honest.

agree with ravenAK

I'd let them come round at 5 but smear shit over the walls first, pay a neighbour to play some dance music very loud and stare at prospective tenants throughout the visit, then laugh- have a couple of friends to giggle away with you too
No, you are not being unreasonable, surely you are just recognising the law?

nope, it's not tidyable at the mo. DH has had to store some things as his usual storage is closed. We are looking for a place with a garage or shed or just space for a shed to solve the problem but right now we are living round boxes and bags and pottery all over the landing floor!

Fuck 'em. I wouldn't tidy up jack shit. It's not in the contract.

I wouldn't give a rat's arse, either, or be flexible.

Are they going to be flexible about the desposit or move-out date?

No. Well, then why bother?

You're moving in a month. My places always look like a bombsite a month before moving.

Tough shit.

you know what, our downstairs neighbours are aging ravers and occasionally play 80s music at weird times (8.30pm til 11, or 5am) very very loudly. We don't mind too much and tolerate it in exchange for them not minding our crap in the hallway. Maybe I could ask them to do their thing whenever the agents come round They own so they would have nothing to lose!

Agree with Hairytriangle. (Guffaw at name btw)
Just do some low level tidying up.
It's one hour short of the notice period.

Actually they have agreed to an extra day. I'm sure they plan to charge for it though. But they have booked a check out visit for 9.30am on our last day - ie our moving out day what are they on? They really do see tenants as cash cows, not people with lives paying them for a service

Do it, Eric! These LL's and agents have been so shitty to you.

I wouldn't do FA for them beyond the contract.

It's not your job to let the place, it's theirs.

but hairy and cheese - low level would make no real difference. I mean today the breakfast dishes needed doing, and DS had some toys on the floor, but other than that the mess is entrenched! Really not something I can do anything about.

Ok tomorrow when I have calmed down I will explain that I cannot tidy to their standards but they are welcome to show as many people round as they wish, as long as I get a full 24 hours' notice, and do not make any further comments to me on the tidiness of my house.

You always knew they were going to fuck you over on the deposit, anyhow, so fuck them over on finding a tenant.

Thanks expat. They really have been awful. It's DH's first experience of letting agents in the UK and he's flabbergasted. I have never had anything like it in 10 years of renting. Grrrr whenever I think about it I get more cross.

they're robbing bastards, the lot of them.

Check your tenancy agreement carefully. Ours actually said 24 hours WRITTEN notice. So, after they started being twats, that's what we insisted on.

Just a word of caution - do you need a reference from these people for your new place?

I can understand your anger towards them but you don't want to alienate them or to end up homeless cos you can't get a reference

We had a similar issue, landlord selling house so they wanted to show people around.

I was quite prepared to be reasonable but they just tried to take the piss.

After they'd let the estate agent in to do the valuation they rang me and said the carpets were grubby (beige carpet in a hallway - well duh!) and could i clean them. I said we'd get them cleaned when we left. They then rang back and said the landlord had asked that we have them cleaned before viewings! I politely explained that I wasn't going to pay to get the carpets cleaned now and then again in 1 months time. I said if they wanted to pay for the carpet cleaner I would do it which I thought was more than generous when I have better things to do with my time.

They then carried on with various ridiculous demands and were puzzled when we didn't want to stay until the house sold (which unsurprisingly they were keen for us to do) and instead moved out one month after being told it was on the market.

I'm in almost the same situation. Except we discovered that claiming we were untidy was a front for the landlord being to cheap to fix any of the repairs that need doing (faulty boiler etc!), hence why he's selling the place.

Agree with LimaCharlie - if you antagonise the agents unnecessarily, they can very easily refuse to give you a reference, which will be very problematic when you find the new place.

If I were you, as much as they agents are annoying you, try and be conciliatory, rather than annoy them deliberately.

Tenancy agreement actually says 24 hours written notice - but I'm not going to be unreasonable - if they aren't. I probably do need a reference but I've made an appointment to go and speak to the manager face to face about the issues he raised, I'm going to take photos of the (cleaned) bathroom walls and mantelpiece, (oh that's another thing - they took photos on their last inspection without us knowing - not mentioned in the tenancy agreement) to point out that it's easily remedied surface dirt. I'm going to discuss (calmly) the issue of references and get an assurance from them that they will not give a negative one. I can be charming face to face whereas I come across brash on the phone so i think that's the best I can do. It's not in my nature to be walked over though, so I won't roll over for them.

The thing that gets me the most was her tone. You know, if she had said 'sorry to ask, but it was a bit cluttered, i wonder if you could possibly move some things to the sides of the rooms, we don't want to step on your things!' I would have been fine. But 'can you please tidy, it was very messy' just sounds like a school teacher talking to a naughty pupil.

Do they actually have the right to insist on viewings at all?

Many tenancy agreements only allow access for inspection and repairs and not for viewings.

Worth checking.