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AIBU?

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Original poster

Frustrated with tenants?

462 replies

thankunextex · 25/03/2019 10:13

I’m trying to view a house and the tenants have refused to let me view it both times. Appointments been booked in advance and then they say it’s not a good time an hour before.

I get it if you don’t want to actually leave the property (not sure if that’s the situation or not) but I’m just being messed around now.

OP posts:
JessicaWakefieldSVH · 25/03/2019 10:16

Are you the landlord or prospective tenant?

SummersOnMars · 25/03/2019 10:17

Sounds like a PITA, ditch it and find somewhere else.

ILoveMaxiBondi · 25/03/2019 10:17

I would forget about that house tbh until the tenants are actually out. They’re just going to be a nightmare.

Original poster
thankunextex · 25/03/2019 10:26

I’m buying the house.

OP posts:
JessicaWakefieldSVH · 25/03/2019 10:28

Okay. Well, it’s frustrating but technically they actually can’t be forced to permit anyone. They are in fact paying to live there and are entitled to ‘quiet enjoyment’. You can keep trying or look for another house that doesn’t have tenants.

Tomtontom · 25/03/2019 10:30

The tenants are not obliged to allow access to potential buyers.

Are they being evicted or are they staying in situ? If the former, I'd be more sympathetic to them, it is their home. If the latter, I'd take this as a warning of things to come.

OKBobble · 25/03/2019 10:32

I definitely would not be exchanging contracts until the tenants have left the property (unless you are buying it with them in situ as your tenants(

VimFuego101 · 25/03/2019 10:34

If they don't want to leave, they will make the buying process extremely difficult. The owner may have to go through a long eviction process before you can complete. Unless this is a one in a million house, I'd steer well clear.

ILoveMaxiBondi · 25/03/2019 10:34

Yeah I wouldn’t be progressing at all until they were gone. This is the risk you took when you bought a tenanted house. They’re entitled to stay there until evicted and don’t have to allow access at all. You have to accept that when you decide to go ahead with the purchase.

Mermaidkisses · 25/03/2019 10:35

You could try going back to the tenants and asking them when would be convenient with them and perhaps ask the estate agent selling the property to accompany you ... I was a tenant in the same situation and was sad to be leaving my home but cooperated as much as possible with the estate agent and purchaser. Are you buying the house as a buy to let so the tenants could stay?

jimmyhill · 25/03/2019 10:35

Do you let people traipse round your house at their convenience?

Chances are the tenants are being evicted from their home so that their landlord can sell it to you.

AirMass · 25/03/2019 10:35

Would they agree to having the landlord show you round?

SarahAndQuack · 25/03/2019 10:37

Did you agree with the tenants, or with the agent/LL? I wonder if perhaps the agent hasn't mentioned these visits to the tenants until just before, which would explain them suddenly saying it's not a good time.

Does seem a bit off, though. I know they're not required to allow visits - is it possible they're not happy about the house being sold and want to put you off?

Badwifey · 25/03/2019 10:38

When are they due to leave? Can your viewing wait til then. I'm selling a property with tenants in it at the moment and they have been really good at letting prospective buyers view. I had it written into the lease they signed that they have to give reasonable access for viewers.

ILoveMaxiBondi · 25/03/2019 10:40

I had it written into the lease they signed that they have to give reasonable access for viewers.

It’s nice that they’ve abided by that but they don’t have to regardless of it being in the lease.

Spookydollshouse · 25/03/2019 10:40

thankunextex I was on the other side of this situation.
The landlord told us we could have the property as long as we wanted and then put it up for sale two weeks after we had moved in.

It was a nightmare. He was telling us not to tell the letting agent about the sale of the house and viewings.
We had a six month contract for rental and within three weeks were getting a lot of viewings (we once had four in a day) meaning we had to let people walk round our home without us being there or we had to stay in and waste our weekends constantly to no benefit to us and with no timeline to end . We also had to keep everything constantly showroom tidy.

We didn't know we could refuse or I would have. It was a nightmare. Someone offered to buy it and we looked for somewhere else to live. The sale backed out and he tried to get us to stay threatening to take our deposit if we didn't even though he had given us notice to go .

For this reason I would never buy a tenanted house unless tenants were part of the package.

Barrenfieldoffucks · 25/03/2019 10:40

They sound like they could cause trouble later down the line. If they don't want viewings then fine, but cancelling an hour before is annoying. They may be peeved at having to move, but it is the landlord's property. I'd look elsewhere.

Tomtontom · 25/03/2019 10:43

They may be peeved at having to move, but it is the landlord's property.

It is the tenant's home. They have a right to quiet enjoyment.

SarahAndQuack · 25/03/2019 10:43

I had it written into the lease they signed that they have to give reasonable access for viewers.

You can't enforce that, though. It's a standard clause in every lease I've ever seen, but it doesn't mean anything.

Spookydollshouse · 25/03/2019 10:43

And in regards to them only letting you know an hour before. If he is like our landlord that's when they would have been told!

Dragongirl10 · 25/03/2019 10:44

Tell the seller ie LL, that you will give up on purchasing if you cannot view, it is his responsibility to deal with his tenants.

DarkDarkNight · 25/03/2019 10:44

I would forget about the house and look elsewhere, and I would tell the EA why. They could refuse to move, let it be somebody else’s hassle.

SarahAndQuack · 25/03/2019 10:50

YY, spooky. I had one LL who never warned me about anything, so I'd have embarrassed tradesmen turning up saying 'erm ... I was told you'd be expecting me' as I dashed out of the shower or whatever. If he'd thought of selling the place I'm quite sure the first I'd have known about it would have been someone showing up on the doorstep with an appointment to view.

BettyDuMonde · 25/03/2019 10:51

I was the renter in this position.

I bought the house from the landlord, at a pretty substantial discount, because it was easier for him to give me that discount than it was for him to sell the property to someone else with me as the tenant.

If the tenants really aren’t cooperative you are better looking elsewhere.

JaneEyre07 · 25/03/2019 10:51

I'd get the EA to get the LL to deal with them.

I'd be wary if they're being difficult, I must admit.