Just got to keys to rental house in awful state...

[ParkingFeud]

I've just got keys to a rental house and popped in on my lunch time. There is junk, overflowing bins and old garden furniture all over the Garden. The property was marked unfinished and we verbally checked it would be when looking round but there are 4 large pieces of awful furniture left in which are not to my taste at all. The kitchen is still full of appliances and all sorts else so definitly hasn't had cupboards wiped out or anything like that. The walls are COVERED in filthy marks. I have not been given an inventory, what can I do?! Awful posters left on wall etc.

Awful landlord, basically a thief. Why is this allowed in the UK?
Because loads of MPs are landlords with their snouts in the trough. Disgusting.

And yes listen to those who are saying that the idea you don't have an inventory with an unfurnished property is total nonsense. I have rented about 10 unfurnished properties over 30 years and had an inventory with every one. Insist on it if you do agree to move in to this place. With detailed photos.

Who are the 5% who voted YABU? Landlords I expect, ones who make money off the backs of their tenants' suffering. Parasites.

Yes my son let his house through an agent and paid for an inventory - even though nothing was in the house other than kitchen appliances etc (tenant wanted it completely empty) the inventory can be very useful with photos of any marks and scratches, what kind of shower is the bathroom and all sorts.

Is this through a letting agent? Did you view the property? If you did did you ask for all these items to be done before moving in? There should have been a property inspection when you moved it to document the state of the place, this protects both the landlord and tenant as everyone knows the starting point. When was the last time the landlord inspected?

I would expect the window to be urgently fixed and if it isn’t then report to the council who will inspect and if necessary issue the landlord with a notice to make repairs.

Photography and document everything.

well they should have completed a safety check on the house before you moved in cleanliness gas meters check etc
there is a landlords association cant remember the link and you can research +make querys re the standard of the property. you need to let the landlords know that you are savvy about the legals and get all the furniture removed and the garden stuff by them !.. you can demand the monies to repaint don't let them think that you will put up with this .
there is also a legal obligation for your deposit to be put in a legal pot for a return to yourselves sorry again cant think of the name but do a wee bit of research and let them know ....the environment dept wouldn't be too happy either ,,,,they need to know that you are not a pushover ..........yes and keep the paper trail and photos ...its not good that some landlords think they can get away with this and don't let them !!!

@MzHz

I’m ex inventory clerk, know what an inventory is and isn’t.

Not my problem if people are ranting about stuff on here they literally don’t have the first idea of

Ooh! I don't get to meet many of us, in real life or on SM!

Waves, quite excitedly

"Had a good relationship with previous tenants/never had any issues" = "Previous tenants never gave a fuck about the shit state of the property (as evidenced by the state it was left in) so why can't you have similarly low standards?"

If the LL is saying this sort of thing now, run. Can you possibly put stuff in storage and stay with friends til you get somewhere else sorted out? I privately rent and I KNOW how horrible it is. I have rented somewhere that turned out to have fleas so I had to treat the whole place, and a few houses after that one, there were rats living in the loft which the LL claimed not to know about even though I spoke to previous tenants when they came to get post and they admitted they'd heard them.

That said, most rentals I have moved into have been in a very clean state and any issues like staining to carpets, scuffs on paintwork etc have been meticulously logged and photographed on the inventory when moving in. Even if a lot of the places have been quite tired or had a few niggles, they have generally been clean with no stuff left behind. Apart from rat place which was grim, the bathroom was not very clean, and obviously flea house although it was clean in other ways.

Have you had a chance to view the property prior to taking it? You should have a contract which will stipulate the condition the property should be maintained to and left in when you move out. Your deposit should be protected in the deposit protection scheme. It doesn't sound like you've rented via an agency though?
I hope you get things sorted.

Take photos.
Request an inventory ASAP, ideally the landlord or agent should visit the property and walk around with you, then you both check and sign the inventory.
If they won't do this, do your own inventory, write detailed notes of the poor condition, send it to landlord and agent by email with photos attached.
This is all evidence that can be used in future if needed.
Also see england.shelter.org.uk/housing_advice/repairs/how_to_report_repairs_to_a_private_landlord

Seek further advice from Shelter if the landlord or agent are unhelpful.

I work for an estate agent 1 day a week, and they do inventory's on all empty property (if the landlord asks them to) so they are done on unfurnished property. They take pictures of every room, the inside of the oven, any existing marks on the walls or flooring, the garden, sheds, garage, anything and everything.

That way, it can be proven what damage a tenant has done, and what was already there. It protects both parties.

The Landlord must provide you with certain things when you move in , being :

Energy Performance Certificate
Government How to Rent guide
Deposit Protection certificate

They must have a smoke detector on every floor and carbon monoxide detectors in rooms with coal or wood fires.

You cannot move into a property if it is unfit for habitation, and it is the LL's responsibility to clear it and clean it between each tenant.

Take photos of everything, ask him to rectify everything that is wrong, including the window, for security reasons, and he should also pay for the cost of paint if painting is definitely required.

If you have already signed a tenancy agreement and are now unsure about moving in, please get advice from Shelter about how to proceed.

Request an inventory ASAP, ideally the landlord or agent should visit the property and walk around with you, then you both check and sign the inventory. We aren't doing this fully at the moment - covid. Ideally the inventory would have been completed and sent to the tenant on the day they moved in. The most I do at the moment is show them the meter readings, sound the alarms and hand over the keys. I send them the paperwork for them to sign online rather than had over my phone for them to sign then and there!

If they won't do this, do your own inventory, write detailed notes of the poor condition, send it to landlord and agent by email with photos attached. Again, I'd take the pictures and I'd even send them to the landlord. But I would be happy not to have an inventory as it makes it very difficult for the landlord to make any claim at the end of the tenancy - especially from a reasonable tenant who knows the rules!

Doing your own inventory, as a legal, agreed document, is as bad an idea for a tenant as it is for a landlord.

@kaptainkaveman there are rental property standards and laws in England. No one has to rent a tatty shithole. But there are bad landlords who put tatty shitholes up for rent and prey on those who don't know their rights.

Ah, seen your other post. Sorry to ruin things with facts. Enjoy your Guardian.

[quote murbblurb]@kaptainkaveman there are rental property standards and laws in England. No one has to rent a tatty shithole. But there are bad landlords who put tatty shitholes up for rent and prey on those who don't know their rights.[/quote]
Sadly if the tatty shithole is up to code with electrics, gas, EPC, other safety issues then it can be as shitty as all go to hell and still be legal.

Tired, miserably dull properties are not illegal. They are often all people can afford. Many landlords keep up to code but don't decorate between all tenants, accept self cleans as good enough etc. As do many tenants.

None of which means OP should accept her situation! It depends entirely on what she was told prior to moving in!

@MzHz

I’m ex inventory clerk, know what an inventory is and isn’t.

Not my problem if people are ranting about stuff on here they literally don’t have the first idea of

Dictionary definition "Definition of 'inventory' Word Frequency
inventory (ɪnvəntri , US -tɔːri ) Word forms: plural inventories

1. COUNTABLE NOUN

An inventory is a written list of all the objects in a particular place. Before starting, he made an inventory of everything that was to stay. [+ of]"

A list of items wouldn't make sense with an unfurnished property, but if the word is used more widely by estate agents, then fine.
I didn't get one for my rented property even though everything else was done e.g. secured deposit so I presume they're not compulsory.

Something doesn't add up here.

Did you view the property before agreeing to move in?
Do you have photos/ a video which show the general state of the property?
If it is clearly not in the same condition as it was when it was shown to you (in person, or remotely) then you need to go back to the landlord agent and tell them that they need to 'make good' everything that needs doing.
You absolutely shouldn't be having to tidy up other people's rubbish etc.

@Gwenhwyfar

Inventories for rented propertied include fixtures, fittings, state of decoration and such like.

It's common practice to have one as part of a tenancy agreement, for both furnished and unfurnished properties.

Had this once. Gave them 24hrs to send professional cleaners & they didn't, so got cleaners myself & deducted from rent. Also had to get smoke alarm installed & deducted for that. Sofa left wasn't fire safety compliant so had to get collected by council. Receipts provided to landlord.

Please don't deduct from your rent without some seriously good advice!

Though at the moment, maybe it's all OK!

OP doesn’t seem to have returned.

As is often the case with situations like this, it’s often those least able to navigate and deal with a rogue landlord who seem to find themselves with one....people who pay deposits for houses they have not seen in person, and who don’t know the legal requirements in terms of EPC, EHIR, deposit protection, Right to Rent, How to Rent booklet etc.

I really hope she hasn’t moved in because she has nowhere else to go and no money to stay somewhere else. Once you start living somewhere, sorting this stuff out is so much more difficult, and the tenancy has begun.

Landlords like this give them all a bad name. Terrible.

@CuriousaboutSamphire

Hello to another fellow IC! 😁

@Xenia

My son's tenants left so much stuff and should haev left zero. I did about 9 trips taking junk to the tip! They even left seven massive wooden crates in the garden they had brought there and thought looked like nice seating area (it was just junk). I had to use an electric saw to cut them in two even to get them in the car., We had to take apart and take to the tip 2 massive wardrobes and then moved to the loft - masses and masses and masses of stuff up there too! A neighbour asked for an almost new child's bike - I was very glad to hand that over.

I don't[ know why tenants think it is okay to leave a single thing of theirs there!

I think I spent about 20 hours clearing stuff all in all including travelling and not helped by having to make in advance trips to the council tip

Some tenants have a cheek!

I, as a tenant spent at least 20 hours clearing my ex landlord's stuff. Part of the kitchen had been renovated just before we moved in and the old cabinets and a washing machine left in the garden. We asked the landlord to remove it and they told us we can organise the council to collect them. So we dragged the stuff through the house, ordered and paid the collection. The cabinet under the stairs was full of their rubbish, broken hoover, lampshades, bike, paint tins, bits of wood... Again they said we can "just chuck them" if we need the space. We started clearing the space until we found the mouse droppings, shut the door and never opened again.

Some landlords have a cheek !

If you have to do any work yourself to make it habitable charge a reasonable hourly rate and then send the landlord/agent a bill.

Just yes can be both sides. In our case despite my 20 hours of clearance and trips to the tip we did not charge the ex tenants from the deposit as obviously we could have done, We are too nice. One was abroad and I bet they would blame each other and it was not worth the hassle so we just gave them the full deposit back.

[quote newcarcoming]@CuriousaboutSamphire

Hello to another fellow IC! 😁[/quote]
Who knew there were so many of us!

Usualy shy, retiring, solo individuals, ICs can be seen quietly wielding keys, inspecting every inch of a property, flinching from the sounds of alarms before retiring to their desks, to type it all up, or maybe send it all to India, add the photos and send it back to the client. Fingers crossed that they haven't missed the glaring scratch under a floor mat; cracked pane of glass or mis described the specific shade of contract magnolia on the walls