Landlord wants us to live in a show home

[Rosybud88]

We moved into a property in April this year, it’s a nice house and we pay rent fully and promptly.

I have a 9 month old and I’m 5 months pregnant. It’s a 3 story house and I’m struggling with the stairs. When we rented the house I didn’t know I was pregnant. My husband also works away internationally a lot.

The property has a downstairs room which is full of boxes and unpacked items. The bedroom on the middle floor has clothes and a suitcase on the bed as I’m travelling next week. The kitchen sides have an air fryer, steriliser, your standard bits and bobs. The washing machine cupboard door decided to fall off the top hinge one day, no damage to the door and it’s just in a downstairs cupboard waiting to be rehung.

Estate agents have just done a 3 month visit, all was fine and nothing was mentioned. I have just received an email today basically saying the landlord will be worried if she sees the pictures as she’s particular about the home. The agents basically want us to resort the house, they come back in a few weeks and retake the photos so to not make the landlord consider not renewing the tenancy next year.

To me, it just feels utterly ridiculous. I’m not new to renting and there is zero damage to the property. The estate agent is trying to make out that the floors on the ground floor are very expensive and we are to take great care with them - I’m no floor expert but they don’t look it. They are saying I need to sort limescale in the bathroom etc and it’s just a bit OTT. I need to clear off all the kitchen sides. We need to trim a bush in the garden etc There is nothing wrong with any of the rooms it all feels like nitpicking.

Is it reasonable for our landlord to expect us to live in a show home and if not, then they not renew our tenancy?

It is OP's first quarterly inspection.

It is OP's first quarterly inspection.

Everyone saying “the landlord can’t make you tidy”, no they can’t, but if OP wants to continue living there when it comes up to the renewal then they can really.

If you’re not bothered about the tenancy not being renewed then fine, don’t tidy. If you want it renewed though I’d just do it.

We had letting agents like this once (we rented for 9 months between house sales) and omg I wanted to throttle them. Quarterly visits and they wanted the place immaculate. One visit I spent 3 days cleaning the place top to bottom including cleaning out all cupboards and wardrobes etc..... we left for work early and they complained that there were water marks on the draining board (we left the breakfast things draining). I absolutely lost it and called them and called them petty (we were moving in 2 months so I wasn't worried about pissing them off) and unreasonable. I did laugh when the letting agent went out of business a year later.

I had a landlord like this. It was hell on earth. He was very particular about his house. Whe I moved in, it was covered with post it notes on what brand of cleaning products I was allowed to use on different things. I'm talking 60 plus post it notes. Not the odd one for specific things.

Then the estate agents would do a check every 6 months. But the landlord would also do this. So we where checked almost every 3 months for 6 years. The neighbour would often end up In our garden randomly. The landlord would just tell them to go whenever.

And when we left they tried to take as much deposit as possible. There was water damage on the kitchen cabinets under the sink. I ended up paying for brand new doors via the landlord. Then kept them for when moving out, which he fitted himself. Tried to take the price again off of the deposit. Luckily, I proved I already paid £500 for them

Plus the fact we where checked every 3 months, so if there was any issues, why didn't they tell us then.

however, April to now is a short time for especially a family to fully unpack if you like unpacking in a methodological order like I do. I know as my new tenants moved in in April and I know they are still sorting the place out- the difference being, they are acquiring new furniture and bits and bobs,

yes, been 2 to see them, and all so far is as they had advised at viewings.

but agents can be pushy like that, hence I prefer dealing with my tenants myself so none is made to feel upset unnecessarily. works for me.

but I agree with them on why they would rather the landlady had new photos. they are looking out for you, although there was no need for a long email- just that, once you have unpacked, they need to retake photos. job done.

simply and well put.agreed.

Landlord here.

In general, as long as they are clean, I don’t care how tidy my tenants are. If I can do an inspection around their belongings, this is fine. However, I have also had some nightmare tenants who have:

left days worth of washing up in the kitchen sink so the whole room stinks

bins not emptied and over flowing (despite being made aware that prior to our owning the property there was a rodent issue)

a drunk that threw up on bedroom carpet, left it and masked it with possessions so carpet had to be replaced

same drunk that left a bath running and fell asleep causing huge amounts of damage to property below. We only found out as that property owner had my number.

Owing to this, I can see why some landlords are more meticulous about standards. Unfortunately there are more than a few that don’t treat their homes in the same way as if they owned them.

re trimming shrubbery - different shrubs get cut back at different times of year. I would Google it or use a plant identifier if you don’t know and check when it should be cut back. If LL is that picky they may well charge you for it if it dies.

Is your landlord new to being a landlord? Did they used to live in the house? I never rent from first time landlords who have an emotional attachment to the house - it's all too personal for them. The last time I did it we had angry messages from the LL for letting a couple of weeds sprout up through the paving stones in front of the house. She said she was 'ashamed that the neighbours would think she kept her home that way'. Was working 12 hr days and kept the house and back garden immaculate - was astonished that she was so vicious about a couple of weeds. Never again!

@namechangewxyz * itwas just hard to even do viewings whilst they were in because viewers had very little chance of seeing the property although I had stunning photos showing it was an upmarket property. In the end, I reduced the rent to get in someone who I knew had minimal belongings as I know I will be able to get proper rent when these new tenants leave.

You were lucky they allowed you to do viewings while they were still living there. They could have refused. Why didn't you just wait until they were gone?

After 3 months limescale and a cupboard door off isn’t great though is it

We had this but it was worse actually! The landlord came to our current house to assess whether we were clean enough for her house.. we were relocating by to Yorkshire from London..

She decided we were filthy bastards as our spare room blind was dusty.

Ironically my husband then saw her in court about a year later as she had made her tenants homeless illegally and he was acting for the tenants, she hadn't done any of it properly and the tenants got a lot of money in damages.

It's not Leeds is it? It was a 3 storey town house we looked at there!

It does sound like you aren't looking after the house and using husband being away, being pregnant as an excuse. A kitchen door is also off. I wouldn't renew your contract.

Not sure why people are saying that they might refuse to renew? Once the fixed term ends it goes to rolling unless evicted. They'd have to actually evict them and 'I want it tidier' isn't a reason.

Haha. It's always landlords who have lived in the house recently who are completely unreasonable and basically want the house kept exactly as they had it when they lived there - even though it makes absolutely no difference and any differences will be resolved instantly the tenant leaves as there's no damage.

Your post makes no sense - you got rid of a perfectly good tenant who was paying and looking after the property and would rather have someone who can't afford the rent but is tidy?? Just in case of possible future advertising? Your tenants might have stayed years.

You need to let go of your emotional attachment and realise that it's someone else's home. As long as they don't damage it you need to let them get on with it.

What does your contract say? That's it really. Any obligation you have should be in there. A house I rented the EA did an inspection in the winter and went on and on about the state of the garden. Next EA visit was the summer and they raved about how beautiful the garden was. I took real delight in saying it's exactly the same garden you saw in the winter. In winter things don't grow... All EA are interested in is the cut of the rent they get as fees

you clearly misread.

op- to whom post was intended has understood and thanked me, so will leave it.

been a landlady for over 20 years. happy?

I had quality inspections in house we rented, it was horrible and felt like such a massive invasion on privacy. I would have moved but it was the cheapest house by far! The EA were so snotty and I'm sure had never done a day's cleaning in life. Ironicly I was hospital cleaner supervisor DP was am industrial cleaner at the time. I showed them my qualifications one visit .
The worst inspection was when I had just broken my leg about a week before and the fence had blown down in a big gale and squahed all the bushes beneath. They complained that the garden looked scruffy after a man came to bodge the fence panel up again. I actually cried because I hadn't been able to properly clean because I couldn't get up the stairs without help due to broken leg.

So op I fully empathise. Just nodd and smile amd remember you can still be lovely person even if snotty EA are judging you via lime scale. Unless it is an expensive rental I'm sure the EAs have seen houses in much worse condition!

Get some throws and hide mess under them ( bean bags also good). They look for marks on sinks and loo ect so focus cleaning in bathroom and kitchen. I once had deposite withheld because there was a roge hair in toilet bowl and they said it ment toilet handent been cleaned!!

They have you over a barrel, unfortunately.

Do you have friends you could call on to help you unpack and clear up?

Soon they will change the law and the landlord won't be able to make you leave if it isn't tidy. So maybe do this for the moment knowing that soon it will be harder for landlords to get people to leave.

Agree.

They probably had deep misgivings about renting to you with a baby in tow and think your second baby will result in the house being trashed.

Well the law is on their side because no fault evictions are still a thing, but without that (and until then) they have no rights to access your home or harass you in any way, they are just the same as any other random person.
Hopefully by next year no fault evictions will no longer be legal and then you can live how you want until your tenancy ends.
We had this with a landlord who wanted us to arrange the kitchen cupboards in a certain way and keep the bins in a certain place, it was a bit of a joke tbh. They asked us to move out after the 12 month tenancy but it was a blessing in a way.

They don’t need a ‘reason’ they just need to serve a S21 notice correctly.

Yes to this.