Agent telling me to do washing up...

[PercyPigfangirl]

Advice please. Had flat inspection today, I was not able to attend due to work however ensured flat was generally tidy. Hoovered etc. Had a few friends for dinner last night so there was some plates and cookery things by the sink for washing.

I've been emailed by the agent saying they want to talk to me as concerned about the cleanliness of the flat. I asked them to be more precise and they said the amount of washing that needs doing in the kitchen.

This was something I was not thinking would be any issue... Having some washing by the sink. I admit there was quite a bit due to having friends around but surely I am entitled to reasonable enjoyment of the property and having dishes to be cleaned has nothing to do with them. I would understand if it was something that could damage the property or a dirtiness issue.. but that flat was overall tidy. Don't know how to respond to them and if I've been entirely unreasonable here by not doing it?

You’ve never had to rent, so how could you who have never ever been a tenant possibly have the first clue what is and is not a problem or affects an inspection when living life as a tenant today?

🤣🤣🤣 what a spectacular reading comprehension fail

Well, we aren’t the paying customer and there is no respect for tenants whatsoever. That’s the reality.

I've be delighted to talk to the agent. Someone would be getting a rocket up their arse on the phone reminding them of my legal rights as a tenant. How actually dare they comment on your washing up?

I didn't realise that because I've never done something it means I'd know absolutely nobody who has.

It's also rather obvious what an inspection is for, checking the state of the property

of course the agent is going to extrapolate that there might be more people living in the flat because of the amount of dishes left
Why ‘of course’? Are you assuming this agent has no friends to have over for dinner and so only ever uses one plate at a time?
Although TBF if the agent is as much of a tit in their personal life as at work, perhaps they DO have no friends.

Checking the state of the property doesn’t mean checking the washing up has been done

Would you approve if your mortgage lender came around to value your house then commented on washing up being left?

I think you've quoted the wrong person. Check which comment I was replying to

''@kirinm · Today 09:08
It wasn't a party. It was friends over for dinner and since it's her home she can do what she likes when she likes and has no obligation to wash up because a jumped up twat of an agent tells her to.''

But again you are missing the point.

The agent is a ''twat''but if you are a smart tenant you know better than to antagonise the agent or the landlord in the current climate.

Because in the end you are the one who is going to lose out.

It is not her flat and ultimately she cannot 'do what she likes when she likes'. As the law stand the landlord could kick her out of that flat with 2 month notice.

Giving that type of advice is not going to help the OP.

You have to choose your battles sometimes and be clever about how you deal with these type of people.

I rented for 18 years and agree that you have to choose your battles. This would be a battle I'd choose. A total overstep by the agent here.

This is a moot point though. Tenant can not do the washing for multiple days if they want/don't want. So long as it's not damaging the property the landlord/agent have no reason to comment on it.

You can tell the people in this thread who have zero clue about private renting

''@kirinm
I rented for 18 years and agree that you have to choose your battles. This would be a battle I'd choose. A total overstep by the agent here.''

But what would you achieve exactly?

The OP will send a snarky email about her rights. The pompous agent will get annoyed by the email and become even more of a nuisance and will alert the landlord that in his opinion the tenant is difficult and is not keeping the flat as clean as it needs to be and that he even thinks other people could be living in the flat. Landlord will panic and at best will not renew her tenancy and at worst gives her notice to leave.

How is that a winning scenario for the tenant?

Easier, and I maintain cleverer, to send a conciliatory email and avoid this becoming a bigger issue that it needs to be.

''@pinksheetss · Today 07:44
Imisssleep2 · Yesterday 09:19
If you rent alone and there was washing up for 4 or more people, they may assume it hasnt been done for a few days rather than having friends for dinner, sure it's just a misunderstanding
This is a moot point though. Tenant can not do the washing for multiple days if they want/don't want. So long as it's not damaging the property the landlord/agent have no reason to comment on it.
you can tell the people in this thread who have zero clue about private renting''

I think the people commenting here actually have a really good understanding of renting privately.

They know full well that at the moment there not enough properties to rent, that rents are extortionate and that all the power is in the hands of the landlord/agent.

People are not commenting because they think that it is right for the agent/landlord to treat tenants as they wish, they are trying to warn the OP that being bolshy about this will have negative consequences for her and the she would do well to also consider this from the perspective of the agent/landlord.

I think people are so used to think that they can do ''whatever they want'' that they fail to see the bigger pictures and accept that in many cases their actions have consequences. This is is not a scenario where the tenant can just take that approach of saying ''I can do whatever I want'' unless she really grasp that this might not have a happy ending in term of what happens to her tenancy.

You are perfectly entitled to and should ensure you enforce your rights when somebody oversteps like this.

I have a lot of experience of crap letting agents and poor landlords. I also have experience of some decent landlords and in this situation, if the letting agent tried to make my life difficult, I'd go direct to the landlord.

You rented for 18yrs…how long ago was this? As frankly if you haven’t been a tenant that has had to find a rental property since the pandemic you have no fucking clue what it’s like right now to be a tenant.

Completely agree @Greenfairydust - we are giving advice based on the reality, not the ideal (or the past).

@Greenfairydust

Okay so I will give you my experience here to back up what I'm saying

Worked for three years as a leasing agent managing private rented properties, carrying out property inspections, marketing properties, managing repairs and even serving notice.
I left this job in the last year.

You CANNOT evict a tenant because they haven't done the washing up 😅 please point to me any part of the law you think an agent can use in order to do so?

Utterly ridiculous thinking. In Scotland all tenancies are rolling month to month - no end date so there's zero point where the landlord can twist it to evict because of this.
You can go down the route of selling to evict but what a lot of money and hassle to do so.

Tenants have SO many rights at the moment it's very hard for landlords to evict a tenant unless selling or serious breach of contract. Even then it's a lengthy process.

I wouldn't ever dare mention someone's dishes not being washed as part of a property inspection and if a landlord tried to push on this they'd be kindly told they can't tell a tenant how to live in their HOME. Unless causing damage to the property you have nothing to back up mentioning this.

@pinksheetss

Where to start...

A landlord can give you two month notice for whatever reason they please.

They don't have to justify why.

The OP has not stated that she lives in Scotland.

Next.

@Greenfairydust please point to the law that says that then or the tenancy agreement

"You have to choose your battles sometimes and be clever about how you deal with these type of people."

Yes. And isn't it disgusting that most people have no security of tenure and their landlord can end the tenancy more or less whenever they like, giving people no security in their housing and sending them off on the searching, finding, packing, moving, possibly moving schools ffs!, and finding up-front rent and deposit money as frequently as every 6 months. The laws around renting and the lack of secure long term affordable rental properties in this country are shocking.

They're just nit picking. A few plates and pans from last night's dinner is nothing. I've seen some shocking amounts of dirty dishes covering all worktops all of the time and nothing ever happened to them.
People like Onnabugeisha are incredibly over the top. 🙄

This.
The agent might have overstepped but it really isn't worth getting upset about. Just do the dishes next time (especially as you know what the agent is like now) and everyone is happy.

Oops, didn't mean to quote myself! 🤣🤣🤣
At least I didn't argue with the post.

🤣😂🤣 I could have done that too.