Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think this was an outrageous request from our landlord and to be a bit suspicious?

398 replies

pinkowl · 14/09/2017 09:24

We rent our house and have been here for 3 years, so it is very much our home.

Some background. The landlords aren't buy to lets, they inherited this house and we are the first tenants. Before letting they completely refurbished the property - new bathrooms, kitchens, windows, carpets, roof extension, the lot. They did it themselves to a high standard and it's lovely. I can imagine that they're proud of it (relevant)

We have a good relationship with them. They're not local but come down to see family sometimes and tend to use the opportunity to do any maintenance that needs doing. Recently they've been sprucing up the exterior.

Onto the outrageous request! She text me yesterday and explained that she was coming down with a girlfriend who knew the house as it was before, and would love to see what it looks like now. And could they come round today so the friend could have a look round the house.

I feel pretty disgruntled. This is our home and of course I don't want a complete stranger traipsing around looking at it out of curiosity. Surely as a landlord once a property has tenants, you leave them be unless there's a real reason. We have annual inspections with the leggings agency which is bad enough, but obviously accept as being part and parcel of renting.

I also feel a bit paranoid. It seems such an unreasonable thing to even ask that I'm concerned there could be an ulterior motive. Perhaps the friend is an estate agent who could cast an informal eye. I'd like to think that if they had plans to sell that they'd be upfront, but you never know.

They do have photos of the house as they were used in the original advert - can't they just show the friend those?! Why would the friend herself want to impose upon strangers in their home?!

I politely replied that it wasn't convenient today. But should I be concerned?

OP posts:
existentialmoment · 15/09/2017 17:52

A landlord only has to give 24 hours notice to come into the property so is being perfectly reasonable

That one just never dies, does it. LL cannot enter at all no matter how much notice is given, unless you say its ok or the place is on fire.

Nanny0gg · 15/09/2017 17:54

Some let you make it home, sadly some don't.

The harsh side of renting.

clarkl2 · 15/09/2017 17:54

If they have photos show them. Well within your rights to tell her to bog off.

forceslover · 15/09/2017 17:56

Tissue so soft, so your landlord expects you to live with bare walls 😱How depressing and do they live in a house with bare walls I doubt it 🤔

mumtomanygirls · 15/09/2017 18:08

We had similar a few years ago and it turned out the "friend" was an estate agent come to value the property.

scaryteacher · 15/09/2017 18:09

We did the soffits and guttering on the house we let out. No ulterior motive, they needed doing and we had saved up the money to do it. Houses are an investment, and it costs less to keep up to date with the maintenance than to let it slide and cause longer term damage.

twinkletoesfairy · 15/09/2017 18:13

I don't think it is outrageous, a friend of your LL wants to have a look at a house she remembers, you have said 'No', end of, my parents once had people knock who had known someone who'd lived in their house years ago, they saw what my parents had done, knocked and asked if they could have a look, came in, looked around, said thank you and left, no harm done.

KnowsStuff · 15/09/2017 18:28

Landlord is being unreasonable. You could suggest you have a look at friends house as you too are curious ;). Seriously though just stick to old school manners and start to distance yourself. I'd be tempted to discreetly change the locks...

samqueens · 15/09/2017 18:47

Ive only read up to page 7(!) of this thread but it has made me feel really sad... the level of suspicion and vitriol amongst posters to each other's views, as well as toward this LL and LLs more generally has really shocked me.

To me an amazing landlord is someone who takes genuine pride in the property (maintains and furnishes it well etc) and is, in addition, pleasant to deal with and responsive to the tenants needs.

Being a person who is pleasant to deal with and goes the extra mile for others seems a rarity these days - as many of these posts suggest. I'm surprised people jump to suspicion quite so fast.

I'm always encouraging my DD to ask if she needs help or is curious about something - the worst you can hear is usually 'no'. I hope she will take that attitude through life and respond kindly to the requests of others too. I didn't realise the worst was actually a 'no' followed by 14 pages of outrage on mumsnet.

Asking politely if something is possible is rarely unreasonable in my view - although behaving in an entitled manner and making demands of others almost always is.

I think the key to the request is that they did a lot of the work on the house themselves. Surely on a human level it's slightly understandable that they have taken considerable pride in their work and they may well have spent many hours talking to their friends about it while it went on. That's probably all there is to it.

It's fair to say no but I do think it's U, or at least unnecessary and unhelpful, to feel as though this is a personal attack or a prelude to one.

Your LL probably thinks you take great care of the place and she wasn't trying to catch you out - she may not imagine you'd feel you should do extra cleaning etc on her account.

I wasn't expecting to be depressed by a thread about a LLs outrageous request - I thought I'd have a bit of a giggle! Sigh...

theftbyfinding · 15/09/2017 18:52

Oh god, this thread reminds me of renting in Edinburgh decades ago, with a friend. I came home early from work early one Friday afternoon and lay down on the bed. Heard a noise, got up to investigate, got some water and as I was coming out of the kitchen, there was the landlord, sneaking out of my bedroom Shock He'd been hiding in my fitted wardrobes! Muttered something about loose screws in the doors and made a swift exit. I was too dumbstruck to say anything. Didn't help that he looked awfully like Peter Sutcliffe.

Needless to say we were out of there that weekend.

Cordeliana · 15/09/2017 19:08

How can a request be outrageous? They request, you reply, that's the way it works ☺

Will you lend me £50?

SingingOutOfTune · 15/09/2017 19:22

The landlord is usually allowed to inspect the property as long as they have given enough notice. It is usually in the contract. If you've been there for 3 years and have good relationship with them I would allow. It is a bit of a pain but he can always lie to you and show it anyway.Few years ago I had landlord who would visit ever 6 months (They acted as if it was a friendly visit but it was definitely an inspection Smile

Original poster
pinkowl · 15/09/2017 19:33

I allow inspections. The agency does them annually. This wasn't an inspection!

OP posts:
QuiteUnfitBit · 15/09/2017 19:41

To me an amazing landlord is someone who takes genuine pride in the property (maintains and furnishes it well etc) and is, in addition, pleasant to deal with and responsive to the tenants needs.
This is surely not an amazing landlord, but a landlord who is carrying out their responsibilities. Just as a tenant who looks after the property well is maintaining their half of the business arrangement. Smile Are there such low expectations on both sides?

Mummy2Will · 15/09/2017 19:45

DP and I let an inherited house and are in the same position as your landlord.

You have the right n law to peaceful enjoyment of your home and we would never suggest showing someone around for any reason once the property is let. As you suggest, if anyone was curious as to the 'after', we'd show them the photos used to advertise the home for let .

Have a look at your tenancy agreement to verify your rights then assert them, or complain to letting agent if you have one.

QuiteUnfitBit · 15/09/2017 19:52

Mummy2Will I think there are a few of us in that situation on this thread, and we've all said the same as you. Smile

QuiteUnfitBit · 15/09/2017 19:54

Cordeliana This issue, though, is the imbalance in power. If a teacher asked your child if he or she would give them £1, that would be a bit off, because the teacher has all the power. If the teacher asked a fellow teacher for the £1, that would be totally different, because they are equals.

HoorayForBoobies · 15/09/2017 20:03

Is the thing about landlords being able to come in with 24 hours notice really not true? I looked it up recently and that seemed to be the standard answer on the internet. They can come round for 'maintenance', which is pretty vague.

cheval · 15/09/2017 20:14

House adjoining mine is rented. Have stayed in touch with one previous tenant. They visited from abroad and I asked new tenants if they could pop in. But totally their call. They said yes, would have been fine if no. Slightly odd that landlord is involved in your case. Think I'd suddenly have different plans for that day.

paranoidpammywhammy2 · 15/09/2017 20:24

Some landlords/ladies can be really unprofessional, others just try it on. My old landlord used to let himself in and check for mail/have a snoop/make a cup of tea. It got very uncomfortable as we were all girls and he caught us sunbathing and coming out of the bathroom with towels on. He just didn't know the rules.

I've always gone for letting agents after this.

Ginburee · 15/09/2017 20:34

First time letting in inherited house, I can kind if understand the landlord wanting to show changes to an old friend as F I was in those circumstances I might want to.
I would probably have showed old friend before anyone moved in but it is thier first time and I would give them a bit of grace.

BoffinMum · 15/09/2017 20:40

LL can enter if it says they can on the tenancy agreement!!

PowerPantsRule · 15/09/2017 20:41

They are absolutely selling. She's embarrassed - this is not a friend, it is an estate agent come to value it. Sorry OP. I would just bring it up with them and clear the air.

Minaktinga · 15/09/2017 20:42

Sorry, I think YABU. You said you are friendly with them, so they probably don't think it's a big deal. And it isn't. Unless your home is in a state you wouldn't want your landlords to see.

BearFoxBear · 15/09/2017 20:52

Wow, there are a lot of cheeky bastards on this thread.

It's the OP's home, of course she has the right to feel comfortable in it and do so without the expectation that it'll be a show home as and when the LL feels like it.

Swipe left for the next trending thread