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?

Ah sorry inspection

I think I'd probably email and explain the dinner party etc because as others have pointed out, when renting you're basically at someone else's whim, be that the LL or the agent.

But I'd resent it and I'd probably be looking to move and not be as cooperative with future requests from them for access until I did, and it's all down to the attitude that when you're paying to rent somewhere, and prices these days aren't cheap, somehow the LL is doing you a massive favour by letting you pay them a lot of money to live in their house, rather than it being a business transaction and you are paying for that (it only becomes a business transaction if it's in the favour of the LL funnily enough) and are actually the customer. Like the LL gets nothing out of it.
I think it stems from assuming that renters are poor and have no option to buy and therefore the home owner is 'better' than them and there's a power thing going on. Usually it's customers with the power in any transaction, but when you're renting it's the LL or agent and for some, unfortunately, that goes to their head.

An evenings worth of washing up, a laundry bin with washing in it or an ironing pile are not going to damage the property so it's more about putting someone in their place than anything else.
Renting needs reforms.

Valuing goes both ways, is a tenant valuing the landlords property if they can’t even bother to get the dishes done for a known, regular, contractually required insoection? Would sending rude communications to the agent also be “valuing” the tenant/agent/landlord relationship?

You really have no idea what it is like in the private rental sector right now.
Demand for rental properties has gone up by over half, meanwhile landlords are selling up in droves reducing the supply of properties. For every rental, there are at least 10 tenants looking for a rental.

The landlords are getting picker and pickier. It’s not a hassle to get a new tenant in if the one you have seems slovenly and when gently asked about housekeeping gets all pissy and rude- the agent and landlord are going to decide to get rid at next opportunity. And they know there will be a line of tenants eager to snap up the property and more than willing to house keep to a higher standard on inspection days.

A single person or couple might not care so much, but if you’re a family with children in local schools it’s quite another thing to be tossed out on your ear.

This isn’t the time to get all high handed with agents or landlords. And for every “good” landlord that has posted on this thread there are 100 others that are vindictive bastards.

Stand your ground - and make it clear:
A) you had friends round last night which is why there was a lot and
B) it's none of their business
Look up your legal rights and use the same phrasing although don't quote the rights directly.

This builds a paper trail and gives you ammunition you can use against them in future.

Being deferential gets you nowhere with rogue landlords and agents. You need to make it clear you know your rights and they can't screw with you. Be icy polite, but passive aggressive :)

It's pretty petty if the rest of the flat was clean and tidy but to be honest if you knew the inspection was happening why not just get them washed and out of the way

I would not allow inspections when I couldn't be present, you don't have to allow them full stop. Dishes needing doing is ridiculous, my work surface is full of glasses/coffee cups from last night/this morning. I'll clear up if I need to when I get home if my DH hasn't done it. Bonkers.

@IndyAgent I'd be delighted if someone cleared up here!
Although if I was a tenant who'd agreed to let people in for photos of new worktops, I would leave said worktops clear.... You had to move everything anyway!

You’ve got a point here. No rental property I’ve lived in has had a dishwasher because why would a landlord be bothered when they don’t really need to do anything to attract tenants? It’s like living as a second class citizen and people who own have no idea how awful it is.

Having said that, there’s no way I’d have left dishes because I know what letting agents are like. And I would advise anyone renting to always have an end of tenancy clean because otherwise you might spend hours and hours cleaning and still be charged for a full clean. £350 for what would have been 15 minutes work and there was nothing I could do.

We are landlords.

When we do inspections on the property, the agent will look out for damage and general cleanliness.

Alarm would ring if there was lots of washing up if only you lived there as it could mean that you had people living there that were not on the tenancy. Also if this was an inspection that you knew about why had the dishes not been done, because what would the house be like if there was not an inspection, these are what they agent would say to the landlord.

If it was a one off and you could explain it then that's absolutely fine, as you can then no problem.

Your enjoyment in your home is what we say to our tenants is paramount you may get another inspection in 3 months time but I really don't see an issue with some washing up on one inspection, email and explain and leave it at that.

Don’t see how the wheelie bin is anything to do with them, surely it belongs to the local government authority? I would have been tempted to go back and check that the wheel/wheelie bin has been repaired/replaced, which I very much doubt it would have been. They will probably charge the next tenants, for the same thing again, when they leave (and quite possibly charged the tenants that were in before you too)!

"Renting needs reforms"

I could not agree more!

As someone who has worked in the industry prior to BTL actually being "a thing" i see that lettings has mostly developed as a "side business" to sales.

This hasn't helped as people see estate agents to be knobs (and like any industry, some really are) but also because agents perceive lettings to be like sales, eg market - arrange viewings - complete transaction and it's done. Lettings is different as it's ongoing relationships, not just with your landlord but your tenant. EAs can also think of the "landlord is my client" not the tenant, and while this is technically true, they need to realise the tenants are effectively clients of the landlord, and facilitate that arrangement. It shouldn't be "adversarial" which seems to be a mainstream view eg agents against tenants (demonstrated in this thread) it should be a working ongoing relationship.

Also I think a lot of staff come into the business not realising that it's actually a really complicated and hard job to do, if you're doing it right. Not just the people skills but also there is so much legal knowledge that should be acquired so there is lots and lots of CPD and so many people (landlords and tenants as well as staff) don't realise this. I worked in the industry for a long time and ended up a a Fellow of our professional body but it took years and lots of studying. Health and safety laws, tenancy regulations, legal obligations...it's a huge job.

At the end of the day, you are dealing with peoples' homes, a really important part of their lives so you have not just the legal obligations but moral, IMO. It's a job to us but you're still dealing with human beings who need to be treated with respect and dignity - judging and criticising their washing up is not part of that! (People here should realise that too).

You could have and should have taken this to tribunal

Tenants should be aware of their rights

On what basis do you think an inspection every 3 months is at all reasonable?

@IndyAgent good post !

A cross post demonstration!

*"When we do inspections on the property, the agent will look out for damage and general cleanliness.

Alarm would ring if there was lots of washing up if only you lived there as it could mean that you had people living there that were not on the tenancy. Also if this was an inspection that you knew about why had the dishes not been done, because what would the house be like if there was not an inspection, these are what they agent would say to the landlord."*

@Teenangels this is bollocks and completely unprofessional. We are not looking for cleanliness, we are looking for the maintenance to the fabric of the property, health and safety, hazards etc etc. One nights washing up does NOT fall into any of these categories. A three month build of refuse in the kitchen and lots of flies - absolutely. Silverfish in the bathroom, condensation, worn stair carpets, relatively common household issues like this are the focus - not your fucking washing up and if an agent says "what would the house be like if there was not an inspection" they are basically saying "let's judge how the tenant lives" not "how is the maintenance of the property". Very unprofessional as well as intrusive.

I also think that if there are no issues on the first inspection, it should not be inspected every 12 weeks, there is no need and it's intrusive for the tenants and not "quiet enjoyment". Perhaps every 6 months or before renewal of the tenancy.

This ^

Absolute nonsense!!! They cannot evict you for no reason at all! Bloody illegal for a start! 🤣

OP please ignore this.

My ex husband and his girlfriend are frankly disgusting pigs when it comes to housework, and the state of their kitchen in particular always looks like some who has a severe problem with hoarding (neither of them do). Sink is always full of dirty dishes/dirty water, surfaces always covered in dirty plates, food etc. I used to hate going around there to catsit as it always took at least an hours cleaning before I could even make a cup of coffee! I always used to go mad and tell him that they would end up attracting vermin.

This was a 5th floor rented flat, and he was always complaining that the agent was frequently coming around to inspect. Comments were made about the general state of the place, but ex always ignored them. Got a section 21 and had to move....into another rented flat, this one on the ground floor. They have continued living the same way and he is now been driven mad by both rats and mice inside the flat...

Like others have said, landlords/agents will jump on the smallest thing to get a tenant out and be able to charge more rent to the next...I always make sure I'm both there for inspections and the place is so clean you could eat your dinner off the floor. It might be unfair but currently renting property in the UK is...

"Alarm would ring if there was lots of washing up if only you lived there as it could mean that you had people living there that were not on the tenancy. "

Also total bollocks. It could mean you like a lot of coffee or had a girlfriend round for meal - ie none of your fucking business. You don't count peoples mugs FFS."

I think you’ll find you can be evicted perfectly legally on a landlord’s whim.

To me, absolute silence is quiet compliance with their nonsense... 😳 Erm, no! Why should they get to dictate how people live and not be rightly pulled up on their disgusting behaviour?! Suggesting silence ie: ignoring them is telling OP to be a bloody doormat and be controlled by these power mad idiots

Send us a photo and we'll decide

This.

They're nitpicking, but I wouldn't do that the night before inspection.

Selling point? Who said OP's house is up for sale?????? This was an annual inspection which all rented properties have.

Exactly. I've been on here long enough to know that people have very different ideas of cleanliness.