To not leave LL a spare key?

[sicklycolleague]

Moving out next month sometime and landlord is having viewings. So far we have accommodated all ourselves but we’re away this weekend so she has asked to do it herself. I would prefer not to but fine, we are abroad and I can’t be bothered to argue as I’ve enough on.

However she has asked that we leave her a spare key. I’ve said no because we don’t have a spare (just one for DP and one for me) and I’m also not comfortable leaving it under a pot plant / mat for a whole weekend in central London.

She is saying she is nervous as she’s not been to the flat in many years and doesn’t want to plan for viewings and not be able to get in. We haven’t changed the locks and I’ve said we’re happy to accommodate other times / days when we’re back if she is genuinely concerned about this. AIBU to not leave a key out?

We will also be deadlocking the door as we always do when we go away and a small part of me hopes she’s unable to get in on Sunday.

Be careful letting people in. We had someone view with muddy shoes and they left a mark on the carpet. The landlord tried to take money out of my deposit saying we did it.

15 viewings and no takers? What's wrong with it? I let mine in a day and my tenants (moving to a much bigger place) said it was a frenzied market!
But say either she figures out her key herself or wait til you come back. You have been more than accommodating.

She demands absolute flexibility of people and it just doesn’t work. She actually did this to us — advertised it as ready 15 September last year, then it was the 30th, and then oh the tenants are having trouble finding somewhere in Edinburgh to let with a cat so it’ll be 15 October. It was ok for us as my boyfriend could move out anytime and I stayed with him but most people don’t have that kind of flexibility. She needs to just respect notice periods and stop trying to make money getting people out faster. (She is hiking the rent when we go to £2,150 pcm for a 1-bed, having raised it from £1,730 to £1,930 for us in August on the threat of triggering our break clause if we didn’t agree to a raise. As we knew then we were buying we said yes)

If she's being such a PITA now, I'd actually be changing the chubb lock ASAP, and putting the old one back when I moved out.

If you're not leaving until 30 November, refuse any viewings before 01 November now at the earliest and swap out the lock barrels

You've already done more than enough.

And 8f there were viewing whilst you were away wouldn't you feel extra pressure to leave the place clean and tidy, making packing even more stressful.

Say no, you're not comfortable having people there when you are not.

Consider saying the viewings are becoming a hassle and she may need to wait for you to leave.

Start screening your calls.

Enjoy your holiday.

I wish! She is a seasoned CF though, owns 50+ properties and doesn’t employ an agency — just relies on the free labour of hundreds of 20-somethings.