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?

These days your deposits have to be lodged with the Tenant Deposit Scheme by law. When your tenancy ends you will get it back, the landlord would have to make a case to keep any or all of it back, and you have the chance to appeal. The tenants nearly always win an appeal because it's hard for the landlords to prove who caused what damage.

Landlords get tax allowances for repairs/repainting/carpets. They can't honestly expect a tenant to never have an accident/be super clean.

most agents are jumped up little twats!

Regarding carpet cleaning, our turdy agents tried to charge us for steam cleaning the carpets- I asked them for receipts to prove the carpets were steam cleaned before we moved in, naturally they were unable to produce them so they backed down on that one.

We had them dragging poor prospective tenants round all the time, DH finally flipped when one turned up when he was in the bath, and they agreed to give us 24 hours notice, and to actually get agreement from one of us rather than leaving a voicemail. I would stick to whatever it says in your contract as you can always brandish it at them when they complain - I assume they drafted the thing in the first place.

That's the thing that irkes me though Belle, I left my last house in far better condition than I found it and am still having to fight to get my deposit back.

Bad news for me is that he seems to have got statements from people who work for him (he owns alot of properties and they rely on him for income) so its my word against his.

They have actually have a statement saying they had to hire a tractor to remove my garden table, chairs, barbecue and bike rack - these are all in my new garden!!!

I agree sb6699. Some landlords / agents are great, but unfortunately it sounds like the OPs are of the OTHER variety unfortunately. A tenant shouldn't have to clean the carpets, that's the landlord's responsibility!

We left our last house in an immaculate condition - had completely redecorated (including window frames) and it looked much better - and went within 2 viewings when we were moving out(whereas it had been on the market for weeks when we took it on).

The scumbags still tried to withhold about £500 from our deposit (carpet cleaning etc), which we vehemently opposed and pointed out the state of the house when we moved in. Eventually they backed down and agreed to give us credit for the state that we found the house in and called it quits. Scum....

AND they tried to arrange the inventory checkout for 9.30am on moving day ffs. Made it for Monday am instead after a lot of me telling them how stupid that idea was.

stick to the contract time of 24 hrs. Don't see why you should tidy up?

Tenants like you give the rest of the propert-renting population a bad name.

Have you no sense of pride or shame, at letting people see you live in anything other than a clean and tidy manner?

In my opinion, it sounds as though you are being very unreasonable and, more to the point, are getting arsey about this probably because you secretly resent being shown up for being a bit of a scummy tenant.

How can you expect or demand a positive reference if this is how you carry on??

Barmy indeed.

Ignore Barmy - it's a name well chosen!

Stick to your guns about 24hrs notice and if they stuff you about, make it 24 hours written notice and tell them you are not legally obliged to do so and that if they don't like the state of the place they can feel free not to show it until you have moved out.

Sod cleaning the carpets until you move out, if they want it done they can arrange it and pay for it to be done at a time that suits you and to be honest, with all the stuff you have there, no time would be a good time surely?

Yep, Barmy is a well-chosen name.

Ignore.

Bwahahahaha

Yes Barmy. You are right.

Have had a good chat with the agents today. They have agreed to make more effort to speak to one of us to arrange viewing when we are there. He said he would speak to the bitch who left that message and agreed that she should not have done so. He said he understood why I felt intruded upon. I have stated that we will not tidy over and above our usual level and that's that.

I think Barmy was being sarcastic.

EricNorthmansmistress, that's great news about the agents, especially that the cow's colleagues have been made aware of her Freudian bitch

'Landlords get tax allowances for repairs/repainting/carpets.' No, we don't, the Inland Revenue does not allow this. We can take costs of maintaining the property off the taxable rental income, but cannot claim for any upgrades to the property.

Barmy, any sane person would know that mess is a natural part of living with a toddler. The LL knew there would be a child living there when s/he rented it.

OP - I think you're being pretty restrained, actually. I would be insisting on written notice just to piss them off - leaving a voicemail is completely out of order and rude. Another time, why not pretend you didn't get it?

Yes, but we don't get an allowance was the point - and recarpeting can be seen as a capital improvement.

scaryteacher 'We can take costs of maintaining the property off the taxable rental income, but cannot claim for any upgrades to the property.'

I am sure you are right but isn't repairs and carpet cleaning etc. maitenance not upgrading?

I would ask for an inspection now about any deposit they may return....because if you're arsey then maybe you won't get it back.

Thanks everyone. I can't ask for inspection now, as a big thing will be the carpets, and we have to move out before we can clean them. I think it will be ok, the guy I have been speaking to on the phone has actually been very reasonable. He's not the same guy who did the inspections or called me about the viewing.

I have also heard the key in the lock as the first notice of a visit - when I was in bed in a studio flat, only a corner between them and my dignity! Needless to say I refused to let them in (they had prospective tenants with them). They tried to lie and say they had called me. Really? Mobile phones tend to show when you have been called...different agents though, but they don't vary that much

LMHF - I didn't know about not having to allow viewings in the last month?
My old LL overpriced our last house so ridiculously that it was really obvious it would never rent.

We also had numerous letting agents and in the end I got so fed up that I didn't return voicemails.
Unless I had 24 hours verbal consensual notice I wouldn't even consider a viewing.

I also realised that agents were saying yes to times for proposed tenants before contacting me, then getting annoyed when i said the babies were asleep and no they couldn't just pop their heads round the door in an hour!

Tidying up - no chance!