To refuse the landlord to do viewings?

[charlieandthechocolatecake]

I am moving home soon. The majority of my belongings has been moved into storage until I take up my tenancy next month. I surrendered my tenancy during a 6 month AST. It was only after this that I found out I never had to sign a new 6 month tenancy. Now i have to pay my private LL 'fees' not listed in my contract. Anyway, I moved the majority of my belongings about a week ago. Landlord asked if she could do a viewing the same evening I moved. I allowed her but let her know I wouldn't be able to clean/repair any damage yet. Landlord emailed me the same night saying I needed to redecorated the flat. I came home to find the rest of my things moved to a corner. I didn't allow this. I still live there! In my opinion it doesn't need redecorating, I just need to clean and fix damage (screw holes etc). I didn't give her permission to do an inspection! I am spending the time between moving to my new house caring for my terminally ill aunt who will pass very VERY soon. Landlord has emailed me several times telling me she wants access to the flat for this that and the other. I have a month left on my tenancy and I would prefer it if she didn't access it freely until the last 2 weeks when the rest of my belongings have been removed and I can clean and repair any damage. Is this acceptable? I was open to her doing viewings without me present until she sent me an inflammatory email after the first day I moved my things. I'm not comfortable with anybody going back until I am ready. I feel like my landlord may think I'm being unreasonable but I've been a good tenant and now she feels she can come and go as she pleases. Please help!

Hi OP, I am sorry you are having a terrible time with your LL.
I am curious, tho. Why are you not going direct to the agency?
Why is the LL doing the inventory herself?
We use an agency for our family home in the U.K. As we are abroad.
We never speak with the tenants except to meet them before they move in and if they happen to be in when we visit the property. So far none of our tenants have never been there when we could go.

Our agency also use an independent inventory clerk to go through the house and make notes and write a report. So there is no bias on any side.
It protects both tenant and property owner. Did the agency not do this before hand? We were given no choice, it had to be done.

I'd be worried that your LL will charge you for replacing items that are not your responsibility regarding the inventory. Good to hear you won't be redecorating. That's a ridiculous thing to ask a tenant to do. Especially after a year.

She sounds particularly unscrupulous. I do however, think you ought to be reasonable about granting access. What I mean by that is, don't be awkward just because she's pissed you off. You are leaving, you have a new property to go to.

Get in touch with shelter or whomever you choose, get your paperwork all sorted and get yourself up to date on the law. Sounds like intimidation and LL had overstepped the boundaries.

Best of luck.

She said she will now make me liable for the rent until she finds new tenants
how can she make you liable
her rent guarantee insurance isnt connected with you and they are the people who pay out if she has a claim, not you
Or does she actually employ a team of goons who to extract money with menaces from her tenants

what a vile woman she is trying to intimidate you into handing over money
empty threats
surely landlords accept that there will probably be a void period between tenants and that just goes with the territory
If they cant afford to run the show then they clearly dont have a viable business

OK well I'm a LL for my sins and have been so for some 20 years now. In all that time I think I've just had one troublesome tenant she was simply nuts bless her;!. As to access never a problem there either, i have the keys i do a lot of the maintenance myself excluding gas have a very good engineer for that, I communicate things and issues to them. I keep them informed. What I do not do and will not do is to let a Lettings agent in the way!

On a local newsgroup there are more complaints about them and their practises then most anything else. No need to have them I can do all that they can without the grief and costs that seems to go with them.

Access for re letting?. Not a problem there as one of our places is very long term they've been there 10 years, the other a young single mum and child shes a damn hard worker has been late with the rent a few times but she tells me if that's to happen the others let to young people mainly medic staff they if one moves out invariably get a replacement all good there too.

Take pictures once a year and give them copies too so we have some visual evidence of the state of the property but all in no problems. Except one lady who moaned about the fact there was a burn mark form a smoothing iron. Went to all the expense of changing the carpet and moving her stuff out what happens?, barley Six months later she does the same thing with another Iron! That came out of her pocket that only fair!

Keep them all on a "friendly" basis but not too close in case push does come to evict but never been there yet. Check and vet them myslef and a bit of that is intuition ;) Treat them like humans just cos they cant afford a deposit and mortgage does not make hem second class citizens there's no shame in renting these days. It is their HOME something that's easily forgotten

As to the OP?, well your LL should not have moved your stuff around OK i have done that but its only to access something like a radiator and not just for the fun of it or otherwise!. As to your money grief well you could call her bluff but if she has your deposit then shes got one over you and if you want to rent elsewhere then the one your renting off will want a referewnce and well that could go wrong. Suggest you keep at shelter for advice on that one .

sad situation but if she'd managed that better it wouldn't have come to that!.

Treat us LL's with a bit of care after all the FRICS says that more rental property is needed;!

I think the reason people don't use agencies is that they charge £500 before you even move in around here, like modern day dick turpins

Pisssssedofff Yes and that sort of bollix;!

Thank you Ineed. . I find with most people, treat them with respect and they will be respectful too.

Do you have a copy of the inventory?. Look through it. If the state of the decoration isn't discussed, she doesn't have a leg to stand on.

I'm confused. It sounds from your responses that she uses the agent as a tenant finding service and manages the property herself. However, the agent was involved in negotiating an extension to the tenancy agreement, is that correct. If so, they will be able to advise you. Have you spoken to shelter or cab?

I also think you can probably piece together that she has agreed to release you early or an exit date from your emails. You need to show these emails to someone, who knows the law to ascertain if she can blackmail you in this way.

Charlie - if you haven't been able to get through to Shelter, ,please post your questions on the "Residential Letting Question" forums on www.landlordzone.co.uk

There is a wealth of information on this site and you will get good, accurate advice on your predicament (the 'amateur' landlords i.e. your LL are severely admonished for treating their tenants so badly).

The forum is an eye-opener for sure! Btw there is a 'sticky' at the top of the page for Residential Letting Questions which has the title "LL's right of access for inspection or viewing?" - you will almost certainly find your answers there but if not (due to your early termination of your contract) then perhaps you may wish to post your own question.

I hope this helps....and good luck! (AFAIK her claims would never stand up in Court).

As an aside the usual wording for release from an ast early includes the right for showings to take place so that loss of rent is kept to a minimum. Maybe that is why she is saying you'll need to pay rent until the end of the original term because she isn't able to show the property.

It was probably a term of the insurance too that the tenant would allow showings to keep rent loss to a minimum. That is why she is referring to the insurance. Hope that makes sense (it does in my head).

i know this thread is old but i'd just like to update and ask for some advice. After receiving various emails from my landlord saying i need to sort out the flat/get my stuff out (my tenancy is until the end of the month) i emailed her and asked her kindly not to enter the flat without me present.

She has since done various viewngs without my permission at times i was unable to be there. i'm not happy with this at all. she has already asked me to fix various things she believes are damaged which i have no knowledge of. im scared t go back there incase she has purposely damaged or stolen my property. really dont know what to do. please give me some advice!