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?

We always had inspections every six months in my home, now they’ve changed it to every 3 months, as apparently it’s a requirement of my landlord's new insurance. We have three children and wfh, it’s too much, but what choice do we have? Rentals in this area are incredibly hard to come by and we had to leave our last property when I was 8 months pregnant due to a no fault eviction.

Your home, you live in it how you like, it has sweet FA to do with the landlord or EA. As long as you return it in the same condition minus Wales and tear, it really has nothing to do with them.

This happened to me once when a new manager took over my lettings agency. He was a real jobsworth, came over, took some photos, then had the nerve to email me to complain about bottles of cleaning products being on the floor around the base of the bath.

I replied along the lines that if the landlord had bothered to install proper bathroom storage then it wouldn't be an issue. And then threw in the line about "quiet enjoyment", and it was never mentioned again.

See what it says in your lease agreement about how often inspections can be. If the landlord is precious about her house maybe she shouldn’t rent it as the next tenants could actually trash it.

years ago our LL had a lucky escape as the tenants before didn’t trash the furnished place but did leave fleas behind as they had an unauthorised dog and we would be killing fleas that jumped on us while watching tv. They also did odd things like cut the wire off the hoover And lamps right at the top Making them useless.

heard the next place they went to, they completely gutted all the fixtures, lights, radiators the lot!

for future reference, get the place spotless for the inspection day and then live in peace the rest of the year.

the LL can’t dictate how you live in your home. Limescale is a constant problem in my house due to the very hard water so does the LL want to fit and pay for a water softener? And the ongoing costs of that.

personally I would enlist some help. Get it tidy and off your to do list for this year.
read your tenancy agreement carefully for future inspections. I would also be worried if cupboard doors are just falling off as next time you could be holding your baby and opening a cupboard and it falls off

Both you and the person you were responding too are the type of landlords I never get to see in my job. It is a delight to see good landlords do exist .

All problems that we have had been because of the EA - the landlords are normally fine.

I've had many cases of EA saying one thing - normally no to something - and then it turns out they haven't even asked or have completely turned the question upside down.

I keep my house pretty immaculate (I have OCD - actual OCD not the pretend version people joke about - but I've got a 'junk' room downstairs - the LL laughed about it as I warned her not to go in - it's a second shower that we don't use. She couldn't care less.

The EA is meant to check for damage and any illegal activity. It's not a cleaning inspection and it's completely unreasonable to comment on unless you are living in filth.

This is the EA trying to prove they're worth. oh if you never paid them they would have left the stuff on the worktops.

I hated this private renting lark.

if they want to throw you out they will so let him show him those pics and tell the LL your preg and your husband works away to be able to pay to live.

You do need to put your foot down with the estate agent as if you let them stamp on you they won't stop.

I always think if it's tidy enough youd bring someone in for anything it's tidy enough.

I am a landlord. The only thing that stands out to me there really is the limescale and the cupboard door. I don’t mind untidiness as long as it’s clean. The limescale will get harder to clean off of its bit done regularly. I like to see hoovered carpets as they need hoovering daily to keep the pile lifted etc. Stuff in boxes wouldn’t bother me or stuff on the sides.

Your LL is pulling your leg I'm afraid. They have no legal entitlement to enter your property at all, unless in an emergency situation. You're legally entitled to quiet enjoyment of the home. You don't have to accommodate any inspections. Maybe your LL needs a little reminder of the laws they have to follow regarding their tenants.

You have done nothing wrong (I work in this area) and you are entitled to quiet enjoyment of your home so are under no obligation to keep the house tidy BUT your LL can give you 2 months notice when approaching the end of Tenancy and will probably have no problem finding new Tenants so the decision is yours

I think you're being a bit glass half-empty about this. They're giving you the chance to tidy up so that they can send better pics to the landlord, and keep you in the property for longer.
I'm sure they can't be bothered with the faff either

It’s your home. You have a tenancy agreement and providing you’re not breaching any terms of that agreement, you are free to live as you please. At the end of the tenancy you’ll be expected to return the property in the appropriate condition which will be set out in your contract. What happens in between, providing it’s legal, is frankly none of the landlords business.
If they’re concerned about the limescale, they should fit a water softener. If you live in the SE unless you’re cleaning with harsh products after every use, there will always be limescale water marks.

As long as there is no damage to the property the LL cannot tell you how to live your life. It's your home & if it's untidy it's no business of theirs unless it impacts the state of the property itself. It's a bit different if the outside is untidy so keep on top of the grass cutting etc & you should be ok.

Damage has been caused as the door has fallen off, and untended limescale will damage wherever it's been allowed to fester.
I rent and it's yearly inspections, however, I just like to live in a spotless home. I struggle to understand someone who isn't orderly and therefore tidy.

We recently ended a tenancy of my father I laws home (not due to any reason other than his passing) and our tenant left it in perfect condition. They had two very young children, and yet even the beige settees haven’t a mark on them. There is no excuse for not unpacking and keeping in respectful tidy. It belongs to the landlord and so you either respect their standards or go elsewhere. It’s their property so you have to respect that

We all tend to minimise our own bad behaviour and maximise our good behaviour, which immediately makes me wonder if the OP is being fully accurate in her description. It all sounds very reasonable and explainable, but I can well imagine it looks much messier and cluttered than she thinks. We get blind to these things ourselves.

We’ve been in our rental for over five years and still get quarterly inspections! They’re an absolute pain in the arse as the agent expects the house to be spotless (ie not just checking for damage). I spend hours cleaning, she spends five minutes walking round snapping photos on her phone (they take photos every single time!). She always cheerfully says ‘oh I love coming here coz your house is always so clean’ and I somewhat sarcastically reply ‘yes and the best part is, it’s always like this!’. Hilariously I’ve found that lighting a smelly candle distracts her and she takes fewer photos. Bath & Body Works Sweet Pea seems to be her jam 😆

Landlord house insurance policies generally stipulate 6 monthly inspections, but quarterly is a bit unreasonable IMO.

My landlord is great, his elderly sister stayed next door at one point so there were times I’d offer them to pop in for a cuppa. There were times I had washing absolutely stacked high and needing sorted. Others the house was absolutely immaculate, not once have they had a negative comment about it. As he said, he’s also working full time without children and he struggles to maintain his on some days. We’re all human and some days it slips ☺️

sounds like the ea is really nitpicking

I’d compromise, move all the stuff from one room into another, take a pic yourself (with something obviously yours so they don’t think taken before moving in), move it back and repeat then email pics to the EA, quicker than having to sort it all, the EA has pics they need and if you can’t manage the boxes can a friend or family member come help for half a day?

A completely unenforceable policy. A landlord has no legal right to enter the property unless it's an emergency. Policy does not trump the law.

Surely though its someones HOME not just a place they pay you rent for! I really cannot see why tidiness comes into it! As long as there is no damage and the place is clean that is the only matter that should concern you as a landlord. Renting is literally the only area of contract that I see one party being treated as a second class citizen because i assume of the snobbery surrounding property ownership in the UK

I would sort out the door and the limescale. Limescale, in a hard water area, needs constant treating. Not sure how or why the door fell off.🤔

Bit, untidiness shouldn’t matter.🤷‍♀️

Yes, they do. Providing there has been 24 hours notice.

The Landlord And Tenant Act 1985 allows a landlord access to inspect the property, as long as they have given at least 24 hours' advance notice, in writing, and that the proposed visit is at a reasonable time of entry. When giving notice, you need to state who will enter the property and why.15 Apr 2024

Landlords primarily request the right to access a rental property for repairs, maintenance, and property inspections.
Gas safety inspections (every 12 months), electrical inspections (every five years) and energy performance assessments (every ten years) are all mandatory checks that all UK rental properties must have.
Landlords may also want to visit the property midway through the tenancy to ensure everything is in good condition and to address any issues – also called a mid-term inspection.
If you wish to inspect the property's condition, you have an implied right to do so upon giving your tenant at least 24 hours notice. That said, you must have a genuine reason to undertake that inspection and not just because you want to.
It is a common assumption of landlords and their agents that, as the tenancy agreement provides access upon what is usually 24 hours' notice, they have the right to access the property after the said notice. However, landlords must request access whenever they wish to enter the property.

https://homelet.co.uk/landlord-insurance/tips/your-rights-for-inspecting-or-viewing-a-property-as-a-landlord

@Boomer55 yes they can enter to do the gas safety inspection/repairs/manteance. This is usually done by third parties, not the actual landlord. These are mandatory, as it says in your copy and paste. It's not an inspection of the home by the landlord. They cannot legally enforce routine inspections to check on the house. The can request to do so, it is completely legal for the tenant to refuse. Not sure why you copy and pasted that, it isn't proving what you think it is. It even says they need a genuine reason, not just because they want to. I've rented for over 20 years. I know mine, and my landlords, legal rights. Far too many sus landlords think they can do whatever they want.