@SeasonFinale
If there is a farm or other business nearby that employs European workers they may know the landlord and have contact with the owner ao it ends up that their employees all stay there together and when one leaves another of their colleagues moves in.
No, not really.
The previous landlord was a HMO and his tenants were mostly European guys. Never knew how he advertised but whenever one left, another quickly came along to fill the room.
The reason I thought it might be being used for another HMO was the same type of guys are now back, looking in or entering periodically, then leaving.
I have no idea if the previous LL knew the Chinese couple he sold it to. My relative did say that the previous LL was still going into the house for many months after the sale.
More info - will list the string of events, so if anyone experience with selling/buying or HMO's can make sense of it.....
1/ first lockdown house goes on market. old HMO tenants move out.
2/relative sees the HMO landlord in street and they chat. LL says he's had enough and selling up.
3/ few months later house is sold by purple bricks.
4/same month relative sees a large, expensive looking vehicle in street. ~Elderly Chinese couple inside. He said it stood out because they didnt say hello when he did, and they stared straight ahead. Returning home later they were still sat there, just watching the street. He later forgot this, like you do.
5/maybe weeks later the old HMO landlord is still coming to house. He is in there with the Chinese couple. showing them around I guess. Heard LL telling workman later that the lady bought 20 local houses and was a nice woman.
6/weeks later old LL still coming to house, had someone decorate walls quickly and replaced carpets. That was it for a while. Odd since he sold it months ago.
7/Old LL still turning up at odd hours, now with a young Chinese couple. All seemed merry and lots of laughter. This is a good while after house sold. Relative presumed the young couple were going to be tenants but couldn't see why previous owner was showing them around!
8/ random young guys go in, stay 5 mins then leave. Relative thought somebody was keeping eye on place as the owners were not local.
9/ Elderly Chinese man arrives and puts key safe on wall outside, then leaves.
10/ young men begin arriving periodically, as mentioned. No furniture or work being done. Nobody staying longer than a few mins. Cars usually left in next street.
11/ man goes in to house, alone, chats on phone for an hour or so (loud so not easy to miss) then sits in car outside for a while. He noticed my relative going out and jumped out of car to shake hands with him. Said he was from Spain and had been given the house for his family. He described his family, told his name and said he was excited to move in.
Relative was pleased, he seemed pretty cool.
12/since then, no sign of family man and continued, periodic arrival of young men, mostly Eastern European. They often chat on phone outside then go in for a few mins.
It is a tiny street, a dead end, only a few houses on it so an empty one is noticeable and it is not difficult to notice changes, in case anyone things my relative is a curtain twitcher, lol. He is admittedly nervous about what trouble he had in past with the HMO so admittedly he is cautious.
Worth noting - my relative WFH and in front room so when people stand on phone outside window he can hear. Each person who has gone in there comes out and speaks either arabic, European, etc. If they were doing viewings surely they would all adopt the language of the agent/manager?
sorry it's long, but I wanted to put a decent timeline in case any landlords on here can make sense of it!