CF landlady or AIBU?

[Highheels1]

Hi all,

I am prepared that I may be being unreasonable here due to various history between the landlady and myself. (It was agreed that I was buying the house from them privately, they recently changed their mind without telling me and now are not selling but I have lost over £3000 & chance to buy my "home" as a result of this late withdrawal)

So I have lived here c.2yrs & my property is fully managed by letting agents. I have two inspections per year as stated in my contract, with the letting agents. My landlady lives close by.

My landlady is now pestering me to have access into the house so she can "look around". I am really not happy with this. This is not as a result of any repairs required, nor is it in place of the official "inspections" that the agent will be doing. It is literally to just "have a look inside".

My landlady is very nosey and has form for knowing every single detail of what I'm doing in the house, watching my movements and recalling better than myself what I have been up to so I already feel "inspected" enough by her.

Whilst I am always friendly and cordial, the house sale debacle has obv left a really bad taste in the mouth (aka livid) but I haven't been angry, made a fuss or said anything about it as there is no point.

I really feel like ringing the agents and saying that I'm not comfortable with her just coming in. I really do not want her to come in right now. I just don't. (Childish? Perhaps)

As far as I can see legally, her wanting to "have a nose around" doesn't fall under her 24hr notice access rights as a landlord, I'll still have the inspections etc and whilst I will probably just let her in I want to know if I am being unreasonable (judgement marred) in how strongly I am feeling about this.

Aibu?

I'm a landlord, you don't have to agree to any access that isn't in your tenancy agreement.

Alotfuss, from what I read on MN, a tenant doesn't have to allow access even if it is written in the tenancy agreement, except in certain limited circumstances.

Don't ' remive your personal feelings' to accomadate your landlady. Stick to the law - tell her to fuck off - find a new better place to buy.

But I don't think it's unreasonable for the LL to want to look around every so often to see for themselves the state of their investment

She can want. But she has no right to do so if her tenant says no. Especially if there have already been interim inspections carried out.

She might not have any legal right but it's not unreasonable for her to want to. It depends on if the op wants to keep her home. The LL may decide to serve her notice if she feels there is no co operation.
It could be that if she's decided not to sell, that she wants to see for herself the state of the place with a view to doing it up more. After all it's in her interest to not to let it deteriorate too much. I wouldn't want to rely on inspection reports if I was intending spending lots of money.

Whatever her intentions, uncooperation could result in her notice being given. is this a risk the op wants to take?

It's your home you have a right to privacy and personal choice as to who enters it
she's running a business and should stop being so unprofessional

Put this on legal. I think there is a legal right to quiet enjoyment of your property and as such you don't have to allow this. I'd get advice and then formally say no via the agents.

I would go out of my way to make life difficult for her after what she's put you through

I'm afraid I would do this, too. Stick exactly to the terms of your lease - inspections via letting agent only.

She has no right to nosey round your home - unless she would like to let you look around her, of course, in which case perhaps you could come to some sort of cupboard inspecting arrangement, just for fun!

Ignoramusgiganticus I hope you aren't a landlord, you'd be on the wrong side of the law!

I am a LL and I do stick to the law. I'm actually a very considerate LL and go above and beyond (eg refitting a bathroom when a repair would have done.) I don't even have the inspections carried out that legally I could, because I know I have a good tenant and don't want to encroach on her privacy. But if I had an uncooperative tenant for a reasonable request (and one visit in years is reasonable) then I may not want to keep that tenant.

I do believe she has been treated badly here but one request to visit isn't unreasonable.

After all it's in her interest to not to let it deteriorate too much

She should put a damp course in then - that's the best way to stop deterioration.

YANBU. I'd tell her no.

Alotfuss, from what I read on MN, a tenant doesn't have to allow access even if it is written in the tenancy agreement, except in certain limited circumstances.

Havaina, sorry, I should have phrased that better. Yes, you can deny all access as a tenant and a landlord or letting agent is tresspassing if they access the house without your permission. In fact there's legally nothing to stop the tenant changing the locks and refusing access that way (even though that would probably be a breach of the tenancy agreement) However, I think in this case, it's best to keep the letting agent on side and allow the inspections they've put in the agreement as long as the landlord isn't involved. On both sides of the fence, I've found, generally, it's best to be a "good tenant" in that respect, unless their behaviour is unreasonable, because it helps when you want something later

Maybe that's what she's thinking of schade

YANBU

she has no right to have a look round your home.

She’s been a knob regarding the sale, you already allow regular inspections, she can fuck right off with her nosiness now

She might be cutting off her nose to spite her face if she sticks to her legal rights though!
At the moment she's still got an ok relationship with her LL whilst being understandably livid with her Does she want to run the risk of being given notice? The LL has already shown her true colours and it's not beyond the realms of possibility that she'll give her notice.

YADNBU, she's bang out of order on all counts. In your situation I'd move as soon as possible and I've done so with a similar landlord, the place had mould appearing all over, never did a thing about that or any of the other maintenance issues. When we left they said via the agent, oh but they were such good tenants! Well they should have thought of that before they lost us, mainly due to demanding a guarantor for my partner due to calculating ability to pay for me and him separately, "because you might split up". Er, right, you wanted to treat us as silly teenagers when we were in our 40s and rock solid as a couple. Byeee! She honestly sounds like a nightmare, really not on to even watch over the house like that.

Ask the letting agent if you have to let her in. Find elsewhere to rent. Hope you can save up to buy soon.

She might be cutting off her nose to spite her face if she sticks to her legal rights though! So, she's down £3K and still has to play nice? Why?

If OP has an y sense she will spend the next few months preparing for her home to be out back on the market. Why does she need to placate the LL who has put her in that position?

If she gets given notice now it won't be for any time before Christmas...

I'd let her look round (while I was there), then start looking for somewhere else to live.

You arent being the cf here by any means

Wow thanks so much for all your replies! I’m relieved that it seems pretty agreed that my landlady is a CF.

I can understand her wanting to have a look at the house (she definitely looks at the outside/garden/windows/my car enough - which I’m not ok with but can do little about).

However because of the lack of “giving a shit” around the way they behaved with the house and that the £3k (inheritance that I could ill afford to waste) makes me not want to pander to her. I’m still very angry and might not be able to hide it if she’s here... then I will be given notice!

I found out they weren’t selling the house by accident. I dropped round some post and was informed (after I had mortgage sorted, solicitors etc) that Knight Frank had been round when I wasn’t in and had told them not to sell until Spring. Now they apparently aren’t selling at all.

I just don’t trust or believe a word they say now and it has made me less kind and flexible wrt wanting her in my personal space. I know it’s her house but nevertheless.

I am going to start looking for somewhere else to buy/rent. It is very chocolate box here but if you look inside this situation the chocolates are actually more like little turds!

Living in this damp is terrible and is ruining my furniture and clothes. I really really appreciate all the replies. Thank you all so much

This is ridiculous and I would advise you speak with your letting agency about her behaviour.

As a landlord myself with properties managed by a letting agency I would never ask to have a look around a property for no reason?? I have no idea what she’s playing at.

Unfortunately there’s nothing you can do about her withdrawing from the sale unless there was an agreement in writing. As frustrating as it is for you it is her property and it’s up to her if she sells or not. I know it’s not fair.

As for the damp—speak to your letting agency because that’s ridiculous too. That could harm your health besides being just horrendous in general. Don’t approach the landlord about anything. If she’s hired a letting agency to deal with the property she shouldn’t really be contacting you at all. The agency need to put pressure on her to pay to have the damp fixed because it’s really unacceptable.

Maybe that's what she's thinking of schade

Perhaps asking OP if a builder can have a look to see what's necessary might be more appropriate.

Knight Frank had been round when I wasn’t in and had told them not to sell until Spring

That Sir Frank Rutley causes more bloody trouble . . . .

schadenfreudpersonified

Sadly she’s def not coming in to look at putting a damp course in!

I had a builder and damp specialist in when I “thought” I was buying it. The damp man said it was illegal to rent and currently uninhabitable. I am in two minds whether to formally complain.

The landlords genuinely don’t care, they think it just needs to be lived in a certain way; they blamed the last tenant’s complaints re damp on the fact they apparently cooked a lot of pasta....!!?!

How would they even know the carbalicious diet? (Cameras? says the voice in my mind again 😱😱😱)

I’m complaining to letting agents tomorrow! Thanks to everyone for clarifying the situation for me x

Can you contact environmental health about the damp, have you got a cooy of the damp specialist report, i would send that to the letting agents and anyone else who is involved in safe rentals, maybe the council, I am not sure. Id be refusing to pay rent if it's deemed uninhabitable and looking to move elsewhere asap.

Have you previously notified letting agents of damp issues? If so I would contact environmental health. (But be prepared to be given notice to quit).