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!

WHO THE HELL CARES.......

You do obviously since you went to the effort of posting on the thread.

Wow! You are paying rent. But it's not your house. So the landlord can tell you not to put up a poster up in the window.
Otherwise you'll find yourself out on the streets when he decides to kick you out by selling up.
Be a militant when the glorious (ahem), Labour party ever take over and give everyone a low rent house (AHEM).

slarti I don't give permission for the property to be used for political gatherings or other political purposes including putting posters up for the purpose of being seen by the general public. What my tenants choose to do in terms of political activity is not any of my business but I don't want my property involved.

Putting up political posters inside their home for them to look at is fine. If they want to be involved politically then by all means go ahead but I don't want a building I own involved regardless of the party being mainstream or not. Find another LL if you want that. You are aware that plenty of employers prohibit political activities in the workplace? This is the same thing.

Perhaps if more people got involved in politics outside of election times the country would be in less of a mess than it is. So you lot who think it's so strange to advertise your political allegiance presumably aren't really interested in politics other than at GE time?

As a landlord, I've got far better things to worry about than political posters put up in the windows of a house that I rent to tenants. Such as whether they are using the extractor fan in the bathroom properly so that I don't have to treat the walls for condensation again when they leave; that they don't have a fire and call the fire brigade to put it out without telling anyone about it and hide the water damage behind balsa wood partitions without drying it out so that I have to re damp proof the whole house as a result; that they don't leave the bath overflowing so it damages the ceiling, leaks downstairs and ruins a new carpet; that they don't wreck the new oven and hob through carelessness - and lots more. So, a poster in the window of the house they pay me rent to live in is by far and away the least of my problems and not something I would ever have thought about were it not for this batshit crazy thread.

What my tenants choose to do in terms of political activity is not any of my business but I don't want my property involved.

Then don't rent it out. You can't have your cake and eat it.

You are aware that plenty of employers prohibit political activities in the workplace? This is the same thing.

It's not the same at all! You aren't their employer and you aren't paying them to perform duties they would be neglecting if they were engaging in political campaigning at work. Thanks for shining a light on how you view your relationship with tenants though. As per my previous post you clearly see yourself as something akin to a feudal lord.

But it's not your house. So the landlord can tell you not to put up a poster up in the window.

NO THEY CANT.

Want2bsupermum

toad Damage to the property is the responsibility of the LL and not the tenant. If the home was subject to arson because of a a nutter the LL would be left in a terrible position and the tenant homeless. The OP has the poster of a mainstream political party but what if it wasn't a mainstream party?

I'm not a landlord although I'm well-off enough to be one if I chose and to be honest I find these scruples of yours a bit ridiculous. I would be more concerned about finding and keeping tenants who paid the rent on time and left the property in good order on termination of the lease.

Frankly I doubt that putting up a political poster really creates much of a risk of getting a brick through the window let alone arson. However, if it really bothers you that much, my suggestion is that you sell your rental and perhaps buy another one in a nicer area rather than engaging in petty attempts to control your tenants' right of free expression and political engagement.

And as to your second point, I doubt that a Lib Dem poster would attract a brick or arson either.

More seriously, if the poster isn't unlawful at general law (ie, obscene or inflammatory) then I simply don't see the problem.

He wants to see the type of 'political' posters I used to put up, then!!!

So if you own your own house and put up a UKIP poster and the neighbours don't like it, who do you complain to? What if the next door neighbours also have 2 noisy dogs but own their own home but the neighbours rent, who can you complain to?

If your neighbours are a noise Nisan W then you complain to environmental and follow their procedures

@Ceto. I have. I was just joking.

I couldn't believe how many times OP had to reiterate herself about the tenancy agreement!

PoisonousSmurf, landlords can't kick tenants out just be selling up. If they do, all that happens is that the new owner becomes the tenant's landlord.

Totally agree with Huppopapa. I am a landlord. Once a property is rented, as I understand it the place is their HOME with all the rights that entails. Including posters in the window, what flowers they plant etc. My only involvement from then on if the rent is paid on time is an annual inspection of the fabric of the place and any repairs to that as needed.
If one of my tenants put up a poster saying, “ kill immigrants” no matter how much I would hate it, it’s not my business. ( Although the police might have something to say)