I'm sure I am but...

[Feelslikea1sttimer]

Our landlord in the house we've been renting for the past 3 years has had the house on the market for about a year now, I'm not overly happy about it but he has his reasons so fair enough... We've done all the viewings without question and without any of the usual tricks of scuppering sales etc...

Anyway back to my AIBU... He calls up today and asks if he can do a viewing himself, fine not a problem with that, what I do have a problem with is him saying it has to be done at 9am tomorrow morning! I have 2 teenagers that I prefer to leave in bed til at least 11 as they are horrible otherwise, a 7 year old stepson who it autistic and can't always cope with strangers in the house (which he knows) so I'm now going to have to get all 3 of them up, sorted and out of the house before 9am (oh and to add to it, I am 25 weeks pregnant and suffering from sciatica!!)

WIBU to say sod em, and leave the teenagers in bed and have a 7 year old making the viewing unpleasant with a meltdown that is almost inevitable just to prove a point that when I ask for a later time I'm not just being awkward?

Lrdy. I am a private tenant myself, with an excellent landlord. I don't see how you can say I am tenant bashing.

I just get fed up with landlord bashing when they are not always the one to blame. The ll may be desperate to sell for a number of reasons, and that is the issue with renting. It's not your house so you need to be ready to move.

And how am I making landlords sound bad. I am just pointing out that its the LL house and if he needs to sell he needs to sell

The 48 hours notice thing is utter bollox, ll does not have the right to enter the property at all during the tenancy, regardless of what's in the rental contract. OP does not have to let potential buyers into the property at all, far less disturb her teenage dc at/well before 9am on a weekend, during the holidays!

However, Op has agreed to the showing. She still doesn't have to disturb any bodies still kipping at 9am.

At the weekend.

In the sodding holidays.

Grr.

I wasn't particularly having a go at the OP, but to say about leaving teenagers in bed till 11 because they will get grumpy otherwise just sounds like an excuse.

I don't think I said you were tenant bashing, but you are making LL sound pretty awful.

There's no reason to assume her LL is an unreasonable pest, which is how you make it sound. Nor to imply he'd scaremonger her out - why do you think so?

OldLady is quite correct. You obviously don't understand what rights tenants have. It annoys me you're saying these things when you have no evidence the LL would even have thought to be such a total arsehole.

It's typical MN, someone always has to take a minor disagreement the OP describes and make out it's as polarized as the Cold War, instead of something that can probably be resolved quite easily with a little mutual goodwill.

So old lady what do you propose. Being obstructive to a landlord that has to sell for whatever reason?

And what makes you think the LL has no right to enter. If an agreement cannot be made on a suitable time then normally a LL or they agent will be able to enter ( be it for an inspection or repairs etc)

It sounds like the LL doesn't want to sell, and being obstructive doesnt help anyone

....but she isn't being obstructive ...

And no, normally a LL or agent can't enter.

Are you not in the UK?

Stop stressing, leave them all in bed and start looking for somewhere else to live.

What can you do really? Cos he doesn't owe you anything, even with 3 kids and you pregnant...(sorry).

Why is the landlord selling? If you were paying your rent on time and were a good tenant he would have no reason to sell without a real need to.

Sorry, am I missing something? An owner of a house can sell it anytime he or she wants to, or move their kids/parents/friends/boss/granny in there, I thought...he doesn't need to give a "real need to"

life is a bitch, I know

OP is not being obstructive, she is being very helpful given the threat of "two months notice" is hanging over her head, and those of her family. I propose nothing different; Op might need a reference from her ll in future.

What makes me think the ll has no right to enter, is the basic law of the land, which says a tenant is entitled to peaceful occupation of the property for which they pay rent. It may come as a surprise to you, Ilovemyself, that ll cannot change the law by writing a contract which subverts that law, but the notion of "unfair contracts" (google it) is not a new one.

Marialuna. What I was getting at is that he sounds like he wouldn't be selling if he didn't have to.

YY, she isn't being obstructive at all.

Most likely thing is, the LL simply doesn't realize he's worried her.

She only posted wanting a bit of reassurance she wasn't being unreasonable.

For what it's worth, we have paid our rent on time for the past 3 years and maintained the house ourselves because the LL in all fairness is useless, as in the integrated fridge broke, we then had 4months without a fridge, so we had to buy our own free standing... We are far from annoying tenants!!

He does have a good reason for selling, his wife is ill and they need to take the equity out of our house for adaptations to the new one, which is why I accept he needs to sell and haven't put obstructions in place...

But what I'm not happy about is the not asking but telling us he is coming to show buyers round and us as a family being inconvenienced!!!

But I have to add that I do feel a little guilty that his son has had to come and do the viewing because the LL was taken into hospital last night.

Hope it went well and you get the house that you want as well. I was never getting at you personally - I just think a lot of LL"s get a hard time for no reason.

You wouldn't be U to tell him 9 am isn't any good. You have no obligation to enable viewings, especially those which inconvenience you.

Thanks oldlady I did not know about the ll not actually being legally entitled to enter a property, I've always had the 48 hour rule in my contracts.

As a long term tenant in various properties I agree that it is important to maintain a good relationship with your LL. I always think of it as employer and employee type relationship. The LL has the responsibility to maintain the property but if you mistreat it

I have brilliant lls myself; the boiler broke down one winter and it was replaced within two days, couldn't have done that so fast if I owned the place! And we've been here about eight years, with no inspections and no rent increases. The agreement is that we report any maintenance that needs doing (shower died, replaced in 2 days, roof started leaking, that took a bit longer but was done as fast as possible) and leave the place habitable when we move out, and we will. In the meantime it is our home, and we are entitled to peaceful enjoyment of it.

Lls and EA often write contracts to include regular inspections etc, but you don't have to let them in, no matter how much notice they give. Of course, you run the risk that'll you'll be given notice as per the law, so you need to balance that one out.

In OP's case, she's bending over backwards to accommodate her ll's needs, and seems a very gracious lady. I hope ll isn't incapacitated for too long.