Landlord told us to take political poster down

[Thedriftofstars]

We live in a nice rented house. Been here for three years, no problems whatsoever. We both work full time, have two DC. Just your average family and have never caused any problems! We take most minor maintenance on ourselves as well. Have yearly inspections from the letting agents, however last week after the inspection the LA told me the LL wanted to come inspect the property for himself.
So when he came round, he explained he wasn't happy with the Labour Party poster we have displayed in our front room window. DH and myself are both active in our local Labour Party, and do a lot of leafleting, etc, so are known by the neighbours as the go to people for involvement with the party.
The landlord said he doesn't want his house being used to promote politics, particularly when it's not something he supports himself.
AIBU to think he has no right to tell us what we can and cannot display when we pay the rent? There is nothing in our tenancy agreement about it, and he is fine with us having photos, paintings and so on hanging on the walls, as well as letting us redecorate to our tastes!

1. dunno, hope someone else will answer that

1. depends on the right.

1. me too but there will be case law.

Archery - that’s why I said I didn’t know anything about the legals side of things at the start but I’m not the only one who has passed a personal rather than legal opinion on this thread - so why pick on me?!

I’m baffled by responses on here. I’m a landlord and can’t see at all how I would have grounds to object to a poster, even if it was UKIP. I guess if it was offensive that would be a different issue but it’s not.

Ah but Efferlunt - define offensive...

A residential tenancy agreement covers the tenant having reasonable enjoyment of the house for residential purposes. It doesn't cover other types of activity. Having a political message on permanent display could be challenged as being outside the terms of a residential AST.

Come off it, how is that anything other than normal residential use? If it were business use, then every property displaying posters during elections would be contravening planning laws.

what efferlunt said. Bleeding obvious, really.

If the sign said 'BNP rally here' then I'd think very hard about renewing the tenancy as the tenants have a high chance of trouble. But I still wouldn't have any ground to insist that it was removed.

Sounds like a typical Tory landlord. Ordinary people need a Labour government. He’s probably terrified that Labour will get in because he won’t be able to wallpaper his own house with fifty pound notes. You might have to give in on this one, because he could find an excuse to evict or increase the rent exponentially. Put a poster in you car rear window and park it outside or on the drive instead!

Your landlord quite likely has to give you just 2 months notice. Are you really inclined to argue about a poster when you could be out on your ear in January?

I wouldn't want any posters regarding politics or religion on show in any property I had if I were a landlord.

I think it is completely unreasonable of the landlord but I would also pick your battles rather than risk a row with a landlord when you are in a nice house that you like.

I live in a very right wing area - our local MP has voted in despicable ways at every opportunity and says child poverty does not exist in our area - when it very painfully and clearly does. So lots of folk, who are a bit more left leaning, have left their posters up - I have noticed and initially I wondered why but I think it’s to continue to show the groundswell of support for the left around here. This area is very well established as right wing, the Tories overspent on an election campaign to get rid of UKIP - and the MP is up in court for alleged election fraud in June - and he still got voted in - so this is a solidly die hard right wing area. So whether your LL is in the right or not - I do understand why you still have the posters up.

YANBU. He has no right at all to do this. He's infringing your right to freedom of speech.

What's going on this country? First we can't talk about transgender issues, now no political posters.

Stand up to him and if he squeals get your local party involved. What a bully.

Perhaps he's worried a brick will come through the window and he'll have to repair it!

I think that the landlord is not entitled to tell you to remove the posters. You are entitled to ‘quiet enjoyment’ of the property. However, you are bound to be an Assured Shorthold tenant. This means once the fixed term has expired, the landlord is entitled to get you out if he has served a correct 2 month notice. If you are on a periodic tenancy, then again, all he needs to do is serve a 2 months notice. For this reason, if you can not persuade him, I would do as he asks. If you annoy him, even if he is in the wrong, he can get you out.

Yeah because no "ordinary people" vote Tory and all landlords are rich.

What a blinkered view!

Except the OP could stay in the property and await for a court eviction. Which I would do if he does not renew your tenancy because of this.

What happened to free speech!
You are not inciting violence, you are not promoting anything that can be construed as racist or even rude.
You are entitled to your opinion and choices.
Though I don’t agree with your poster choice! Hehe!

:07
"Perhaps he's worried a brick will come through the window and he'll have to repair it"

But that wont happen will it. After all ive heard many say on here and in RL that its left wing ppl who are nastier ...............

Hmm dunno. If he is trying to censor the politics then it’s not on. If you had a “ no free newspapers “ sign up would he be the same?

You are not allowed beliefs of your own OP, you are renting, not owning. ROFL @Sirzy

Ringle and user1465893880

Re the law; the Human Rights Act, Article 10

[https://www.equalityhumanrights.com/en/human-rights-act/article-10-freedom-expression]

Article 10, Freedom of Expression says that "Article 10 protects your right to hold your own opinions and to express them freely without government interference"

To very briefly paraphrase from the text linked to above, Article 10 Protects the right to freedom of expression aloud and through leaflets, art etc and the government cannot stop you except for lawful and good reasons eg national security, public safety, health, protecting reputations, incitement of hate etc.

So if the government cannot stop you from putting up a simple Labour party poster, then I don't see how the hell anyone else can!!

Your landlord quite likely has to give you just 2 months notice. Are you really inclined to argue about a poster when you could be out on your ear in January?

Receiving two months' notice does not mean that a tenant will be out on their ear two months later. It means that the landlord may try to go to court to gain possession, which in itself will take time. Furthermore, if he tries to get a possession order based on the tenant displaying a poster when there is nothing in the tenancy agreement forbidding it, he will be laughed out of court.

I wouldn't, brasty. Any new landlord is likely to want a previous landlord's reference and if the notice is valid, the OP would be ordered to pay the landlord's costs. Ok so it's likely to be fixed costs and they aren't that high, but it's still a few hundred quid of wasted money that you could be spending on something better!

Wrong, ceto. 2 months' notice at the end of the tenancy is the whole point of an AST. The motive is irrelevant - the law recognises a landlord's right to take back his property, provided he jumps through the statutory hoops. This is section 21.

The arguments about a breach only come into play during the fixed term. Then the landlord has to prove to the court why it should terminate the lease. This is section 8.

As I said above, most landlords wouldn't touch section 8 with a barge pole for something like this. They'd just wait until the end of the term and then refuse to renew.

OP have you checked your tenancy agreement?
There might be something about it in your tenancy agreement, in case you didn't know.

You say yourself your ll id reasonable letting you hang photos, pi tutes and decorate how you wish inside the property. The poster being in window is inflammatory. He does not want any political material on display on his property. I am ll and whilst I let tenants decorate how they like inside of property i would not allow political posters of any party on outside of property and if tenant refused to remove at renewal date I would terminate tenancy.