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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To hate rental inspections?

58 replies

Mortallie · 23/05/2018 09:20

Letting agent is coming anytime between now and 5:30. I absolutely dread these things. I know they are necessary, but I find the whole thing really intrusive and if I have any problems with the house I tend to ring them and tell them!

OP posts:
EssentialHummus · 23/05/2018 09:22

I don’t blame you. There’s nothing worse than someone making you feel that your home isn’t yours, and keeping you hanging around all day to boot.

9amTrain · 23/05/2018 09:23

As long as there's no damage you're fine. Even if the house is untidy they can't actually do anything.

And 9-5.30 is a ridiculous window.

BananasAreTheSourceOfEvil · 23/05/2018 09:23

Im sorry I read the title of this thread as 'to hate rectal inspections'. Then thought WTF?! (I havent had my coffee yet) Blush

I hate rental inspections- it feels like your life is being scrutinised rather than your home. My HA conducted one yesterday and I had been dreading it. Necessary evil though.

SachaStark · 23/05/2018 09:27

I also read "rectal" first, Bananas! Oh dear.

We are lucky to rent from a friend now, who never "inspects", but often comes over for dinner/drinks/parties, and always compliments us on what we've done with the place. But I HATED inspections when we were with an agency.

My pet hate was when they'd just let themselves in on inspection day. Knock, ffs. There's still a person living here, don't just wander into my home...

BitchQueen90 · 23/05/2018 09:28

It actually doesn't bother me that much. I prefer to be out when they do it though so I always make sure I'm not there!

TonTonMacoute · 23/05/2018 09:29

The inspections are horrible and invasive, but if it’s any consolation I am an accidental landlord, and my letting agent once sent me some photos of my flat after an inspection, because she thought the tenant had made it look so fantastic!

adaline · 23/05/2018 09:30

I'm eternally relieved that the only time I rented was from a private landlord who never insisted on inspections.

As long as we paid rent on time, he was happy. He even let us paint and redecorate and would pay us back if we presented him with a receipt. We were allowed pets and he even let us put up mesh screens so we could open the windows around the cats.

I read some of the threads on here about renting and landlords and just shudder! I would find constant inspections really stressful.

Glumglowworm · 23/05/2018 09:35

YANBU

I have one today too and I hate them! They don’t require me to be home though, and I prefer not to be. Ironically both this and my last inspection were shortly after I’d had their contractors in to do repairs (nothing major but both definitely needed doing, and neither was remotely my fault) so they knew I hadn’t trashed the place.

I’m off work today anyway so have zoomed round doing last minute bits, trying to decide when to go out to avoid them but not have too much time to kill! (Like yours, they don’t specify a time)

Yummum19 · 23/05/2018 09:39

Totally with you on this OP. We have ours next week and it's protocol apparently for the letting agent to take photos of every room and send it to the landlord so he can see them himself too. He only lives next door, he may as well just knock and come in!!

maxthemartian · 23/05/2018 09:40

Yes. It's demeaning and intrusive and makes one feel like a child. Hate renting in the UK and so happy to be moving back to our own owned house in a couple of months. Never again!

Mabelface · 23/05/2018 09:44

You don't have to agree to the photos. I took great exception to this when I was letting through any agent and told them no, as I found it highly intrusive.

Kamma89 · 23/05/2018 09:56

That is a ridiculous time frame! I've experienced good & bad lettings agents but always was given a specific time. I'd tell them to give you an hours slot next time. I'd never let them come round while I was out either. Not a "profession" that should be trusted in my opinion. We've just bought first home in a falling market to escape renting privately. We need better tenant protection!

user1493413286 · 23/05/2018 09:58

I don’t mind them but I do dislike the inconvenience of having to wait in all day when they must have a vague plan of where they’re going and could give a 2 hour window at least. I normally request that though and they do it.

TheHodgeoftheHedge · 23/05/2018 09:59

Completely with you OP. I know they are just keeping an eye on making sure you haven't destroyed the house (and I'm sure some tenants are truly from hell), but I absolutely detest it too. I hate being made to feel that my home isn't my home.

user1493413286 · 23/05/2018 10:01

I’ve not had them take photos unless there’s been something to report so I wouldn’t be keen of them just taking whole room photos of my stuff/how I live.
They’re good in terms of having a record that you have reported issues as when we moved out of one place they tried to say we hadn’t reported issues

TonTonMacoute · 23/05/2018 10:21

Just to add insult to injury, the one time I did have a bad tenant the agents who carried out the inspections didn’t notice, or report, anything back to me! They didn’t tell me that the neighbours had complained about him several times either.

Original poster
Mortallie · 23/05/2018 10:24

BananasAreTheSourceOfEvil Grin now that would be something reasonable to dislike!

I'm glad I am not unreasonable to detest them, or about the ridiculous time frame! What if I am in the shower, or on the toilet and they just come strolling into the house?

I am tempted to take myself out, but I have very little to actually do today and my dog can be a bit hyper when meeting new people (he is a big puppy at heart).

I don't like the idea of photos being taken Confused unless it's of something wrong with the house or something broken. I have heard so many horror stories of agents looking in wardrobes and in peoples own drawers.

At least the house is clean, bar a few dishes. Although I do wish I had cleaned the oven Blush

OP posts:
Original poster
Mortallie · 23/05/2018 10:26

Jesus TonTon - this is why I understand that they need to do these inspections, but to not actually tell you there were issues is just really bad form.

And Yummum19 that does seem a little bizarre. Then again he may see that as even more intrusive and overbearing?

OP posts:
CressyBessy · 23/05/2018 10:31

You don’t have to have inspections. They have no legal basis. Even if it’s written in your contract. You just reply to the email and say, no thank you.

If you decide to allow a rental inspection then you also have the right to ask for a narrow time frame. Call them up and say that you need to be present but that you need to go out (in the afternoon, say), so could they give you a smaller window of time.

Take charge Smile

maxthemartian · 23/05/2018 10:35

That's true Cressy but there's this fear of tenancy not being renewed if one is non compliant.

UnicornRainbowColours · 23/05/2018 10:36

Thing is my family own a lot of property we rent out and not everyone keeps it nice and tidy so it’s nothing personal it just needs to be done.

Also if your living in a home you don’t own your just borrowing it and with anything you borrow it should be taken care of properly.

maxthemartian · 23/05/2018 10:41

Unicorn I'm on both sides as we currently rent out our own property but I still hate it!
We were recently living abroad for work and it was great. Your house was yours for the duration. Pets, nails in walls, painting it... all good. They just factored in a maintenance team sorting it out when one left. We were treated like adults and valued customers.
Rude shock then dealing with the UK system!

CressyBessy · 23/05/2018 10:42

not everyone keeps it nice and tidy so it’s nothing personal it just needs to be done.

That’s why you have a deposit.

Ohcomeonn · 23/05/2018 10:45

I like to think of it as an opportunity to do the boring cleaning tasks that I wouldn't do as often as I do if I didn't have 3 monthly inspections, such as a good deep clean of fridge, freezer, oven, shower blind and weeding the garden. I do clean them regularly but it's more of a quick wipe than a hard scrub. It's basically an incentive for me to do these 'spring cleaning' boring tasks.

I never wait at home for the inspection though, I prefer to be out.

Tutlefru · 23/05/2018 10:45

I hate renting.

We are in the process of informing our landlords about repairs. (Again.....)

Will be escalated if not.

Awkward though as they're actually family!!

Would love to own. Hopefully one day eventually we will. when we stop paying hundreds in rent so we can actually save

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