Tenancy inspection today - can they say anything about a messy house?

[YorkshirePuddingBelongs]

I have a tenancy inspection this afternoon - my landlord is a nasty prick, his DD is doing the inspection. It’s a long story but he’s been awful, sending me harassing emails, making threats and breaking the Tenancy Fees Act as well as his part of the tenancy agreement. I move next month, thank god, but he’s 100% out to get me - and I think he has likely briefed his DD to look for problems.

There is no damage in the house bar a scuff or 2 on the walls (it’s an old house with tiny narrow staircases and this was from carrying the bed up - he’s seen them before and said it’s fine it always gets scuffed). But we’ve been going through some stuff and I haven’t had time to spring clean line I always do. I have a horrible feeling she will comment on the mess. It’s mostly things like the bathtub and shower needs a clean, the kids’ rooms need a hoover etc. but I KNOW they will be looking for problems because they’ve heavily hinted at it, sending me messages about “if there’s damage you haven’t reported you will be liable for the costs” etc.

You understand but still post incredibly patronising links to “cleaning for mental health” … too much huffing the pledge? Or just a dick?

Fair enough.

I expect that applies to NORMAL LL’s though. This guy is a nob. Just one example - The first time I refused an inspection was because he gave less than 24 hours notice. He’d sent a long waffly email the week before about how we broke the tenancy agreement by ‘harbouring an unknown’ - my brother helped me with school runs while DH was on a work trip, so was in and out twice a day. and he thought I’d sub-letted a room (that doesn’t exist they’re all full)🙄 I live opposite a pub and he said in this email ‘the regulars report back to me about your activity’. Creep.

Anyway this ‘harbouring an unknown’ emails I stopped reading it half way through because I thought it was totally ridiculous but apparently at the end he wanted an inspection ‘at some point next week’. This was apparently him giving 24 hours notice. Anyway, when he emailed the evening before to say he’d be arriving at 9.30am the next day, I replied saying absolutely not you haven’t given 24 hours notice. He said ‘yes I did at the end of the last email’. I replied saying “I’ll confess I missed that but even so that is not organising a date and time, I did not respond anyway so you haven’t given 24 hours notice.”

His reply? “huh - I’m surprised someone who is a proof reader missed a whole line. Makes me question your professionalism”

Im not a proof reader. I work in life sciences.

The only thing a landlord can be worried about in what you’ve described in the shower.

Messiness is fine: it’ll all go when you go.

Dirtiness: it begs the question of what else is hidden under the mess. Also, someone who doesn’t have good personal hygiene doesn’t normally live in a house that’s going to be clean.

It is what it is. You’ve knowingly put yourself in this situation. Nobody has done it to you, you’ve done it. So you’ll have to deal with the consequences. It’s not being a prick, or an evil landlord versus saintly tenant issue. It’s just natural consequences.

What does your tenancy agreement say about allowing viewings from potential new tenants? Most will require you to allow potential tenants to view it a few weeks ahead of the termination date, so next stage may well be that you have to allow viewings! Few landlords will wait until a tenant has moved out before they start marketing it for new tenants. My son moved into his flat only 2 days after the previous tenant moved out - he viewed it 6 weeks beforehand - in those two days, the landlord had pre-arranged it for decorators to repaint all internal walls and for the carpets to be professional cleaned (which is something my son had requested!). The oven had also been professionally cleaned, I don't know if that was organised by the previous tenant or the landlord. But, basically, it was all fresh and spotless in just a 2 day changeover!

TBH I will not allow viewings. I don’t see why someone should intimidate and harass me then expect a favour.

Why do you think I don’t have good personal hygiene?

What does your tenancy agreement say about viewings?? It's a legal document and you can't just decide not to allow viewings if they're specifically allowed for in the contract! If they're allowed for in the contract, it's not what you call "a favour"!

Yes I can. Any tenant can. Yes it’s breaking the contract, but all they can do in retaliation is serve notice - I’m already leaving. Nothing can be forced.

I think the general assumption during a property inspection is if it is dirty and in a mess then, god knows how bad it usually is. Poor form to not clear up and clean prior to a booked inspection.

Wow with his emails. He does sound like a weird creep. Wtf... Anyway, I'd just cancel and then wait until I move out and deal with his games for just one more month. What's the worst he can do? Go ahead with your plans to clean when you leave and just fuck him off until then. Blank him out if possible.

How can you be clean, if the place where you clean yourself isn’t clean?!

Whatever the contract says. The op does not have to allow viewings

If you go ahead with the inspection, don't respond to the dd of the landlord, if they make comments about the housekeeping. You have enough on your plate by the sounds of it and silence is a very powerful tool - just keep your mouth closed and don't say a word.

As others have said if you can just cancel it, id agree and you know there isn't any damage from water - what you don't want is him making up water damage after you have left - he sounds a bit of a one.

How you live regards housekeeping is your affair and not anyone else, as long as that doesn't damage the property.

Utterly ludicrous to suggest abandon my upset DD so I can clean
cleaning in the same house as her is not abandoning her, honestly you sound like a drama queen. LL will be glad you're going.

I’m not sure what you’re imagining but it’s a bit messy and the bath hasn’t been wiped. I’m not stig of the dump FGS. I showered this morning.

some here with marital problem, hasn't done the housework and you're putting the boot in - ever thought of going else where when someone is struggling

He won’t. I pay on time, I haven’t caused damage and I pay bills. It’s easy to find a tenant who does the opposite.

OK so when your DD is gutted because her daddy walked out and doesn’t know if-when he’ll back back and she’s sobbing in your arms and begging to keep the family together, it’s not cunty parenting to say “hold that thought 10yo vulnerable crying child - I’m just off to clean the shower”

You May think I’m a drama Queen but I HOPE you’re not a parent if you think that’s ok

Honestly it’s like dealing with a particularly stupid child.
I may or may not have said that to his DD when she rang me saying “Dad’s upset that he can’t do the inspection” 👀

If he suspects a leak you have to let him in

For clarity - when he told me the locals at Pub Across the Road report back to him about our activity and threatened to issue an eviction notice for ‘harbouring an unknown’ I went and found ourselves a new property the next day and have my 4 weeks notice. He was NOT happy and tried to tell me I couldn’t do that because I had 4 months left on my contract. I didn’t. I emailed him the details and he emailed back saying that he thought we’d signed up for another 6 months and that he felt I should have mentioned it to him that it was a rolling contract 🤯

OP, to answer your main question, they may. When I was renting 20 years ago I had an inspection visit from the managing agency and the woman who came round commented that the place was tidy and clearly clean and made a note of it on her report. I had to extend the tenancy another six months and was told that as I was a clean and tidy tenant that wouldn't be a problem. So for some landlords it does matter.

Later I let my much-loved house out for a year while I went abroad to work and the managing agent described the tenant (a lovely but flaky Italian woman) as a borderline hoarder and the house as exceptionally untidy. The agent and I were concerned she'd leave a load of stuff when she had to vacate but she actually took everything with her.

Hope you are ok OP - you've had some awful messages on here. I think you sound like a lovely Mum by prioritising your daughters mental health and she is lucky to have you.
Like others have said your LL cannot just deduct for anything he chooses to and there is an element of fair wear and tear when you are living in a property. The tenant dispute service will adjudicateif you have an issue and he tries to deduct monies that he is not allowed to.
Best of luck.

Maybe the daughter is more chill? Still, fuck all that noise. That "roof leak" is such a bullshit lie. He's telling OP that he has the regulars in the opposite pub "keeping an eye". That alone would freak me out. What a weirdo. Then he accused her of harbouring unknowns (lmao) because her brother does the school run. Oh, and he insulted her job performance (hahaha) without knowing her actual JOB! He's an arsehole. That would absolutely make me anxious and I think OP is being relaxed about it. So yeah, I'd blank him out.

Are they actually entitled by law to do an inspection?
I'm not sure. You should maybe check that out and cancel if you aren't obliged to let them in.

To be honest I'm far more concerned that you have children living in a dirty, messy house. That's not ok.