AIBU to be really angry that my landlord's agent came into my flat without warning, while my son was in bed asleep?

[Solopower]

Well, he did send an email, two days ago, but I didn't see it, as there was something wrong with the server.

According to my son (aged 17) he knocked on the door and called out, but when he got no reply, he just let himself in. Clearly he had come prepared with the keys.

My son, half asleep and thinking that I was in the flat and dealing with it, didn't get up (it was 9.30 am and he was on holiday) until a woman half pushed open his door. When she saw there was someone in the room, she didn't open it fully. She must have told the factor, who then called to my son to get up and get dressed so that they could come into the room. Which my son did, very quickly, and only just before the door opened fully to admit 3 strangers. No one apologised to him.

The agent was there because they were surveying the cracks in the walls, btw.

I am livid!

But aibu?? And what should I do?

Driving past regualrly could constitute harrasment if the tennant took it as such and for a landlord that can be a criminal offence. I hope you have a complete and well evidance invantory that is signed by both parties and that you have protected the deposit - but even then you may struggle to 'take the cost of any damage from the deposit'. And as for giving notice - great but that doesnt actually mean the tennant will leave - especially if you have been an interfering landlord - you do get that a section 21 notice to quit is a nice bit of paper but it can atually take a court order ( expensive and can be prolonged processs) to really get atennant out, don't you? Much better to just get good tennants, you have vetted yourself and stop getting your knikers in a twist

Not read the whole thread and it sounds like the LL didn't handle it well but he probably assumed, since the OP is a good tenant and has never refused access before, that the property was going to be empty and she was ok with him going in.

It's not ideal but he probably had assumed she would consent, didn't hear back so assumed all was fine, got the relevant people together to do the visit, and then discovered the son in the bedroom. If that were me I would have thought it was better to get it over with then retreat and start again on another day since the son had already been disturbed and I'm guessing he didn't say "go away" because he's probably too young to stand his ground so they sort of fell into doing this a bit awkwardly but probably without any bad intent.

To be honest, I would put it down to miscommunication and ask the LL to ensure that he receives your express agreement in future so that the server problem doesn't happen again.

i have a wonderful tennant,

i would hate to have some one who feels they can change what they like when its not theirs.

btw my knickers are lovely ironed and perfectly straight.

and those renters who think that LL want to look round your stuff your sorely mistaken.

it's not about that though is it? It's about a stranger letting themselves into your home whenever they like because they have a spare key. How would you feel if your mortgage company did that? Who and how are we to know these people are trustworthy anyway? can be trusted with our children?

we don't

and really it's not that difficult to understand if you have an ounce of self awareness and life experience

In case anyone is still interested, as advised by the CAB, I have written a letter to the factor asking him to communicate with me by letter or phone in future. I write in the letter that his treatment of my son is unacceptable.

I have also discovered that he went into another tenant's flat without her knowing anything about it. I was the one who told her that her name had been on the email he had sent me.

Thanks for all your help.

Just to let you know - the agent rang me up and apologised. Not for coming in without notice, but for upsetting my son (which I he didn't really) - but at least he has acknowledged that his behaviour was unacceptable. Let's hope he doesn't do it again.

And Mrs Bucket demonstrates yet again why I would only ever rent from a "professional" landlord who understands letting for the business transaction it is and doesn't get hung up about a fucking Arts and Crafts door what changes we might legally make while living there so long as we return the house to its original state on moving out.

MrsB you really should not be a landlord. I would be leaving asap if I were your tenant, you sound unhinged.

So long as the Arts and Crafts door isn't "unhinged" by the tenant, Spotted...

Are we still engaging that bucket woman?

It all, like most things in life, depends.

Sometimes it is not a good idea to allow unsupervised access by landlords or their chosen contractors. But sometimes it is much more convenient, if you think they're trustworthy. I'd be okay with my present one organising maintenance visits while I was out, for example. But I'd prefer not to.

But anyway, when I was a teenager, money went missing from my money-box, for example. A ten pound not, in particular. "How do you know there was money to lose, and it wasn't you spending it and forgetting?", I hear you say. Well, I used to obsessively keep an account book in a different part of the house! And I was never allowed friends over, so it wasn't them.

Before that, there had been a few things that were odd when we came back home. Things moved mysteriously. But my family thought we'd just put things down somewhere different, and forgotten. But when the money went missing, then we knew it wasn't us going mad, or forgetting.

And my family did win legal proceedings against that LL, over some different issues, I think.

MrsB should remember that it may be easy to get tenants, but to KEEP good tenants is another problem.
It is also not easy to 'get rid' of tenants .

Don't Tesco and other supermarket deliveries specify that they cannot deliver if there is no-one over 18 on the premises? And local councils specify someone over 18 has to be on the premises during gas checks for council properties?