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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To say no to viewings on the weekend?

83 replies

PeetaSue · 21/09/2020 15:14

Landlords are selling our house, which is fine obviously and we have purchased anyway and are moving out in the next month or so.

I have been receiving emails asking me if potential buyers can view at X date or at Y time.

I am working from home at a high pressure job (I've just managed to step away to have a sandwich and a sit outside for 10 minutes) so I have said I can only accommodate either weekday evenings or ideally, during my lunch hour which I never usually take but will if necessary to accommodate this but that I don't want people coming at various different times during the day disturbing my work.

I've also said I'd rather not have people coming in and out at weekend either. We have two kids and I am heavily pregnant. During the weekday it's only me at home but at weekend it can get manic and frankly, I don't want to be running round tidying up every weekend, heavily pregnant, chucking the kids out of their rooms to let people in to look etc...

AIBU to say I can only accommodate viewings during my lunch hour, during the week? And maybe an odd early evening where I can chuck DH and the kids out to McDonald's or the park or something?

OP posts:
Bluntness100 · 21/09/2020 15:15

Well you don’t need to allow any but it’s fairly shit for your landlord.

Strawberrypancakes · 21/09/2020 15:16

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Marisishidinginmyattic · 21/09/2020 15:17

Yanbu. You don’t have to accommodate anything and most people wouldn’t considering you won’t be needing a reference now you’ve bought a house. Offering any type of viewings is kind on your side.

Calic0 · 21/09/2020 15:18

Surely the majority of people are going to want to view at the weekend as opposed to a random hour in the middle of the day? Your prerogative to say it of course, but I agree with the previous poster that it’s a bit shit for the landlord and for any prospective buyers.

TheDuchessofMalfy · 21/09/2020 15:18

You don’t have to allow it at all!
It’s kind of you to allow anything.

unmarkedbythat · 21/09/2020 15:19

Yanbu. You don't have to allow any viewings at all and have offered evenings or lunchtimes. That the landlords are selling does not mean you need to facilitate inconvenient viewings.

AriettyHomily · 21/09/2020 15:19

Well you don't have to agree but most people want / are able to view on weekends.

HirplesWithHaggis · 21/09/2020 15:19

YANBU at all. You're moving out soon anyway, LL will just have to wait. Who wants strangers traipsing round your home during a pandemic?

Original poster
PeetaSue · 21/09/2020 15:22

To be fair, most of the requests I've had so far have been for random times during the week say 10am on a Wednesday.... Which is a no, as I'm working!

I will talk about the block viewings on one particular weekend with DH tonight, that will probably work okay. But I don't want to agree to just any old weekend at random times, now for the next however long.

OP posts:
cupofdecaf · 21/09/2020 15:24

You're heavily pregnant in a pandemic. How many people do you want round your house? Maybe offer 1 Saturday in a couple of weeks for a block viewing and that's it. You can do a decent clean after and be done with it.

Original poster
PeetaSue · 21/09/2020 15:25

And I appreciate the landlords position but surely when you're selling a house you rent out its par for the course that the viewings have to be convenient for the person who lives in the house. If they lived here they could have viewings as often and whenever they please, but they don't, I and my family do so it needs to work for us too.

OP posts:
Thelnebriati · 21/09/2020 15:25

You tried to accommodate them, they haven't listened. Tell them a flat 'no'.

2me2u2u2me · 21/09/2020 15:25

I've just sold my house. My estate agent set up block viewings in a 2 hour window on the Saturday and I went out. He did ask for one evening and it didn't suit so they came another time. That's me being flexible though as I wanted to sell.

I would do it to completely suit yourself but definitely block viewings, not spread over a few days, that way you're only out once.

SorrelBlackbeak · 21/09/2020 15:25

YANBU to not allow viewings at all. If you're feeling particularly generous, you could allow one open house day one weekend and that's it until you've moved out.

TweeBree · 21/09/2020 15:27

I would give one time period a week. So you'll allow view on Saturday between 10 - 4 PM or Tuesday 5 - 8 PM. It's unreasonable to have people traipsing through family life multiple times a week.

Original poster
PeetaSue · 21/09/2020 15:29

I don't have great fondness for the letting agent as it is to be honest, we've had heaps of problems with them before including them letting themselves in without telling us whilst we were out to carry out a repair (non emergency, something minor we'd mentioned). We only found out they'd been in the house already when we chased up a response and they said 'oh yeah we went in last week and did that'!

They always email as well as if it's a given just 'someone wants to view at 10am tomorrow, let me know if you'll be in or if we need to be there'.

But anyway, as PP said I definitely don't want people traipsing round all the time from now until we leave.

OP posts:
Bluntness100 · 21/09/2020 15:29

I’d also think carefully. Do you really want to use your lunch hours for this?

Personally I’d set up a couple of sessions a week, maybe lunch hours, or early evening, and one sat session, so you know where you are and so do the agents.

Marisishidinginmyattic · 21/09/2020 15:31

Ugh, if they've let themselves in before I'd be refusing all viewings and changing the barrels to stop them sneaking in while you're at work.

Original poster
PeetaSue · 21/09/2020 15:31

@Bluntness100

I’d also think carefully. Do you really want to use your lunch hours for this?

Personally I’d set up a couple of sessions a week, maybe lunch hours, or early evening, and one sat session, so you know where you are and so do the agents.

Tbh I would much rather use my lunch hour than having to arrange everyone being out of the house on a Saturday. It's only me in the week so I can just grab a sandwich and take myself off for a stroll or at least stay out of the way in the house. It's a bit more difficult when we are all here at the weekend!
OP posts:
GrumpyHoonMain · 21/09/2020 15:33

Wouldn’t it be easier just to say Saturday mornings only so you can just tidy up and leave the estate agent to it? They can then arrange an open house if the property is popular enough. I had just had my baby when we listed our old property and was bf so I just told our estate agent to compress all the viewings to one or two mornings - they were happy to do that.

12309845653ghydrvj · 21/09/2020 15:34

@PeetaSue

I don't have great fondness for the letting agent as it is to be honest, we've had heaps of problems with them before including them letting themselves in without telling us whilst we were out to carry out a repair (non emergency, something minor we'd mentioned). We only found out they'd been in the house already when we chased up a response and they said 'oh yeah we went in last week and did that'!

They always email as well as if it's a given just 'someone wants to view at 10am tomorrow, let me know if you'll be in or if we need to be there'.

But anyway, as PP said I definitely don't want people traipsing round all the time from now until we leave.

They’re being cheeky shits and may start just showing up with viewers if you don’t lay down the law!!

As you don’t have that long left in the property I would say you wouldn’t be hugely unreasonable to refuse viewings at the moment, and you’re being quite good to allow evenings. The offer of a single weekend slot as a once off is a great idea, if it’s convenient for you.

Don’t let them railroad you into letting them in—I can imagine the estate agents having a “miscommunication” where they show up with viewers and no permisson.

vengeancer · 21/09/2020 15:35

I think it is a really shitty thing to do, sorry.

AlCalavicci · 21/09/2020 15:35

I agree with PP speak to your land lord and agree a chunk of time for when ever suits you best and have as many turn up as they want in that time frame .
Or you could just tell him he has to wait till you are about to move out , have you got a couple of days booked off work for when you move ? although it may be a pain showing people round while you pack at least they are not interrupting work

Bluntness100 · 21/09/2020 15:36

Ah, ok, I get that, it’s your call, you don’t need to, but obviously many viewers will wish to view on a weekend due to work commitments.

Personally when I was in rented, I just let the viewings happen, said hi and let the agent get on with it, I stayed in the room I was in. Generally they’d just poke their head round the door, smile nod and then spend more time in other rooms.

Batshitbeautycosmeticsltd · 21/09/2020 15:36

Your landlord is lucky you're allowing the viewings at all. It's not your job to facilitate his flogging his house. YANBU. As the letting agents are pricks, I'd say no to all of the fucking viewings and change the lock barrels, no more surprise visits.

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