Page 5 | New Tenants Coming Around

Belladonna90 · 2023-09-21T14:26:46+00:00

Not sure if it’s the stress of moving that has made me feel extra sensitive and unreasonable… so please give me a steer! DP and I are moving into our first home together in two weeks. I’ve given notice on my rental and estate agency did a day of viewings and new tenants have been found. Estate Agent got in touch to see whether new tenants can come around on Saturday to take measurements for their furniture. Feel slightly annoyed by this as I’m in the midst of packing and there are random piles/ boxes everywhere and last thing I want is strangers manouvering around my stuff. The new tenants also know that I’m still living in the property and it’s not empty. Am I being AIBU if I refuse? Thanks all 💕

SirCharlesRainier · 22/09/2023 15:11

Greenshake · 22/09/2023 13:35

Is this the way you speak to people in ‘real’ life? I hope not. Nobody is disputing the law. The question posed was not a legal one. Honestly, no need for the tone.

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What? Did you reply to the wrong post?

Wouldyouguess · 22/09/2023 15:13

SomeCatFromJapan · 22/09/2023 15:08

@Wouldyouguess you'd expect vendors to be a bit more accommodating though as they want the sale to go through. Expecting a tenant who is still occupying the premises to bend over backwards is a lot cheekier.

Anyway it's not the end of the world having a delay in furnishing. When we returned to the UK from working abroad we were a couple of weeks ahead of our stuff. We lived out of suitcases and slept on an airbed for a bit, it wasn't a biggie.

If you have zero furniture then yes, it is extremely difficult to sleep on the floor and have no food Id say (no fridge, no hob),especially if people have kids, would you have a 10mo on the floor?
If it only takes 10 minutes to let someone in, it's kinda bitchy and petty to say no to that.

Cheeseandlobster · 22/09/2023 15:16

MNetcurtains · 21/09/2023 16:26

This. There are a lot of very 'precious' people on MN. The renters could be a couple of very young enthusiastic first timers. If it doesn't overly inconvenience you, just do the 'kind' thing and let them come, at a time that suits you.

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This. You have boxes everywhere but so what? They won't care. They will care more about having to sit on the floor or inflatable chairs for longer than necessary because they have not been able to measure for a sofa.

Yes strictly speaking you don't have to allow entry but really is 10 minutes at a convenient time to you really such a big deal? I think saying no makes you quite petty tbh

BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz · 22/09/2023 15:16

I'd reply "as I politely stated, I am unable to accommodate this request. Presumably room dimensions are on file from the property being listed? I have accommodated photos and viewings, neither of which I'm obliged to do, and this is all I am able to accommodate up until the property is vacant on X date. Have a lovely weekend"

NoSquirrels · 22/09/2023 15:18

If you have zero furniture then yes, it is extremely difficult to sleep on the floor and have no food Id say (no fridge, no hob),especially if people have kids, would you have a 10mo on the floor?

Single beds and mattresses are a standard size. Blow up beds are adequate short term, as are travel cots. (Plus most people will own their cot for a baby because those are never provided as part of a rental!) Fridges are a standard size. So are cookers. Don’t be dramatic.

WallaceinAnderland · 22/09/2023 15:20

Wouldyouguess · 22/09/2023 15:04

For some it is. My moving in date to my house (bought, empty) was also the last day of my tenancy (rented, and it was fornished so I was only leaving with my stuff)). I had to buy the furniture before moving in and if I was unable to buy them efore, I would have nothing for a few weeks (sofa took 3 weeks from being ordered, so was the bed). I could not afford paying both the mortgage and the rent. If you personally were either wealthy enough to be able to both or moved with your own furniture and didnt care of they fot or not, than good for you.

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I've had a mix of moving my own furniture or buying new (or secondhand). I've always looked at the size and configuration of rooms when viewing. There is ample opportunity to see where furniture would go. Beds, sofas and tables (no of seats) are usually set sizes so I've never needed to bother the occupants again.

We once had to get the sofa in through the front window and the first night in one house we had to just have mattress on floor as bed would not get up the second flight of stairs. But no amount of measuring was going to change that.

DoubleTequilaSunrise · 22/09/2023 15:20

NoSquirrels · 22/09/2023 15:09

Pretty sure there’s a lot of people who haven’t rented in years and years then, and have no idea of the law and tenancy agreement terms. Everyone here saying ‘be nice’ etc or ‘imagine if it was you’ - most renters just don’t get to go back for ‘measuring up’, it’s not a thing. What’s more usual is that a property is shown to tenants when it’s already vacant. The LL sucks up the inconvenience (and cost) of the void period - not expects the outgoing tenant to do them a favour.

The OP really owes nobody anything and it’s not about whether they’re ‘nice’ or not.

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I don't know where you are, I've never visited an empty rental. I am South East, you are lucky if you manage to get a viewing before they are grabbed by someone else!

Empty properties for sale yes, but rentals? Unless they are a newbuilt, but that's not the norm.

Again, the OP doesn't HAVE to do anything, but nothing wrong with being "nice" either. It's more pleasant when the people before you are nice.

Toddlerteaplease · 22/09/2023 15:20

I'd also have no issue with this.

CardamomGarden · 22/09/2023 15:21

Wouldyouguess · 22/09/2023 15:13

If you have zero furniture then yes, it is extremely difficult to sleep on the floor and have no food Id say (no fridge, no hob),especially if people have kids, would you have a 10mo on the floor?
If it only takes 10 minutes to let someone in, it's kinda bitchy and petty to say no to that.

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If they’re measuring for everything including kitchen appliances it’s not going to take 10 minutes, is it?!

If there were some kind of extenuating circumstances like very small
children needing to have a bed (although surely a baby’s cot or small kid’s bed doesn’t need measuring for?), I’d expect the EA to have mentioned it.

There probably aren’t any. In which case, making do is what most of us have done at some time.

SomeCatFromJapan · 22/09/2023 15:24

If you have zero furniture then yes, it is extremely difficult to sleep on the floor and have no food Id say (no fridge, no hob),especially if people have kids, would you have a 10mo on the floor?
If it only takes 10 minutes to let someone in, it's kinda bitchy and petty to say no to that.

How would that take ten minutes? It would be far longer than that.

Anyway the people who want to come round are renting so white goods will be in situ.

It's absolutely not bitchy and petty to say no in this instance, she's already done them all a massive favour letting them view before she's moved out in the first place and they're now abusing her good will.

NoSquirrels · 22/09/2023 15:33

Again, the OP doesn't HAVE to do anything, but nothing wrong with being "nice" either. It's more pleasant when the people before you are nice.

We’re just answering the AIBU question posed from different perspectives, I think. I’m answering ‘AIBU to refuse’ from a tenant POV. You’re answering it from a ‘be nice’ POV.

Yes, it’s ‘nice to be nice’ - of course there’s nothing wrong with that. But it’s not ‘nice to be nice’ if it’s genuinely an inconvenience, which it seems it is to the OP. In pure tenancy terms, the OP is NBU to refuse the request.

Nobody is right or wrong.

BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz · 22/09/2023 15:41

For those saying "I'd have no issue with it" - great. Doesn't mean the OP isnt allowed to have an issue with it.

Original poster

Belladonna90 · 22/09/2023 15:43

Everytime I open this thread there is a different perspective so thank you again everyone. Just to add some context, it is a standard two bed new build in the South East. Two large double bedrooms upstairs. Galley kitchen and dining/sitting room which is a big square. Landlord has installed blinds in all the rooms so don’t think they want to come around to measure for curtains etc. all white goods provided by the landlord.

OP posts:

starfishmummy · 22/09/2023 16:10

Belladonna90 · 22/09/2023 13:26

Again thanks everyone so much on how you would approach this. The biggest inconvenience for me is the fact that the estate agency don’t have a key so I have to be at there to let them in which is hard to arrange during working hours. I allowed them two days to conduct viewings even ensuring I had fresh flowers in vases so it looked as presentable as possible! When I got home after the second day of viewing I noticed kitchen cabinet doors were opened and my fridge was not fully closed which means prospective tenants had opened these. I don’t know maybe it’s just me but I would never of dreamed of opening cabinets if tenants were living in situ especially a fridge! My annoyance is that when I explicitly said no that she came back again.

I wonder if the viewers knew you were still living there. I mean they would after they opened the fridge but maybe not beforehand.

SamphiretheTervosaurReturneth · 22/09/2023 16:15

Womencanlift · 22/09/2023 13:06

For the renters who are firm in not working with the landlord/EA, I wonder how many deposit deductions are made on things that may have just been overlooked in situations like this

Being petty and also goodwill works both ways

The time where I want to stay on the landlords good side is the time when I am just about to get my deposit back

Never. For over a decade now. Deposit protection is a real thing and petty deductions because an agent is annoyed can't happen.

OP is perfectly entitled to say no.

New tenant and agent are perfectly entitled to ask.

The only thing unreasonable so far is the repeat request and trying to push OP into agreeing.

That is the absolute top and bottom of it.

OrangesLemonsLimes · 22/09/2023 16:24

Congrats on moving in together OP. Exciting times!

I would probably facilitate it for ten minutes even though I wouldn’t feel obliged to. The tenants are probably quite excited and want to make plans.

I wouldn’t offer to take measurements in case I messed it up 😃

zingally · 22/09/2023 16:39

I'm also a renter, and pretty chill over most things "renting", but I'd say no to this.

"Hi lettings agent person, no, it wouldn't be convenient to have people coming round to measure up with all my own possessions still in-situ. I am in the process of packing and making my own arrangements, so would appreciate the continued quiet enjoyment of my property until the move-out date previous discussed."

Cherrysoup · 22/09/2023 17:51

No, EA is being an arse. I don’t think it’s normal to have new tenants come round again once the tenancy has been agreed. As a landlord, I totally expect gaps between tenants, how else can I check the property, make good and issues and ensure it’s properly clean for the next person? I hate disturbing my tenants, they only see me if they want something.

Ragwort · 22/09/2023 19:03

I think if you'd made it clearer at the beginning of this thread that you work in A & E and therefore are a busy surgeon/nurse/anaesthetist/porter or whatever the replies would be very different. It's obviously difficult for you to get time off at short notice and your work commitments can clearly over run.

People who work locally or WFH may have (understandably) different expectations.

pikkumyy77 · 22/09/2023 19:18

Wouldyouguess · 22/09/2023 15:13

If you have zero furniture then yes, it is extremely difficult to sleep on the floor and have no food Id say (no fridge, no hob),especially if people have kids, would you have a 10mo on the floor?
If it only takes 10 minutes to let someone in, it's kinda bitchy and petty to say no to that.

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I’m n what universe do you have to measure or see space to order a child’s crib? The hysteria over the notion that the renters need to see and measure the space is just bizarre to me. And I have rented many times before—always unfurnished. Admittedly ive been in a house for the last 27 years but we even rented in between houses and didn’t need to measure. We just jammed in our furniture as we could.

Even if you imagine the scenario where these tenants are moving with no furniture and need to order so what? They can order the bare necessities without measuring and wait for bigger items until later. If they have a poor little wee ten month old or toddler the crib or bed is a standard size snd measurements will not make the given space smaller or larger. They rented the place and have to expect to make do.

Original poster

Belladonna90 · 22/09/2023 20:47

You sound like a really decent landlord!

OP posts:

DoubleTequilaSunrise · 22/09/2023 21:18

’m n what universe do you have to measure or see space to order a child’s crib?

maybe not crib, but sadly the UK (and possibly other countries I don't know the details of) have our ridiculous "box rooms" which are often too small to fit an actual single bed in. How is that even legal is anyone's guess but there you go.

Just because you never felt the need to do a quick visit before moving day, it doesn't mean other people are not doing it, or at least asking! it's not an outrageous or alien concept. It happens.

londonrach · 22/09/2023 21:24

You don't have to allow access ever even if in contact...the agent lucky to allowed them to do a viewing...say sorry they packing and need quiet enjoyment of your home.

londonrach · 22/09/2023 21:27

Deposit back every single time....we started to refuse access to anything but maintenance after I found an EA in my underwear drawer...we rented three other places after that...always said no to viewings...full deposit returned each time when we choose to leave and tbh last landlord was amazing and best landlord we ever had.

Perihelion · 22/09/2023 21:44

In Scotland when buying houses, it's standard practice that once an offer is accepted, the buyer doesn't get back in the house till the sale is completed. None of this measuring up visiting.