AIBU to think my tenant might be subletting

[landladywithmissingtenant]

I live in a flat in a large block (60 flats in all) I own the one I live in and one other, which I rent out.
I used to see my tenant now and again, probably twice a month or so but I have realised that I haven't seen her in about a year or more. My daughter lives nearby and also used to bump into her quite a lot at the local shop and she says she hasn't seen her in ages either.
She's a retired single lady and it's a single occupancy studio flat.
The other day I was locked out of the main building and I rang her buzzer to ask if she wouldn't mind letting me back in and a man answered and buzzed me in before I'd finished my sentence.
I tried the buzzer again the next day and no-one answered.
Am I being unreasonable to think she might have left the flat and be subletting it? or something more sinister?
And WIBU to go and knock on her door and see if she's there? I'm worried I might come across as harassing her. And what do I say if she answers?

No, she used to ride a motorbike but it was always in the garage with something wrong with it. She parked it out the front when she had it. She did mention to me that she was thinking of giving up her bike and getting a car instead but I don't know if she ever did, and I never go round the front so don't notice what cars come and go. I did look out for the bike/a bike but I haven't seen one around.

OP, why have you not just knocked on the door? Or rang her?

I knocked this evening. No answer. The phone number isn't doing anything. Getting worried now.

Maybe a welfare check from the police then.

Mind you, they may batter down your door, it happened on our road, the woman was away and unamused.

Isn't doing anything as in disconnected? or answer machine?

What about immediate neighbours of hers? Could you knock on and ask if they've seen her? or if they know who is staying in there?

I reported it 3 years ago! Selective Licensing inspected it two years ago and told me that there were "significant issues" and that they were taking action. To date nothing has been done I had to contact them a few days ago and they said they needed to do an inspection so I forwarded them the email they had sent me 2 years ago saying they had inspected and were taking action and the man I spoke to blamed "young people on the team" as to why nothing had been done. It beggars belief and I know this sounds awful but the tenants are so anti-social i no longer care that they may well be living in unsafe conditions. Drug dealing, verbal abuse, rubbish, fraud and constant noise have killed all my sympathy Then there was the the time I caught them breaking into my back yard or the when i went down to take my Mother's Day flowers off my front step to find one of them just about to take them! I bloody hate them, I have had 3 years of misery

How on earth do you organise boiler checks and mandatory annual gas safety checks?
Have you not periodically raised the rent?
How do you organise maintenance and repairs?
If she is subletting, how do you know this man (or anyone else) has a valid passport, permission to be in the UK, and has the 'Right to Rent'?
And: HMRC?
Is the deposit in a Deposit Protection Scheme?
To not undertake regular inspections is negligence.
The Renters Reform Bill is only a few months away and the rental world in England will be turned upside down. Section 21 will disappear and you might not be able to get out whoever is renting your property because you haven't undertaken these basic checks on your tenant.

I keep such a close eye on my rental property that I would know if my tenant sneezed.
If you don't know the answers to these questions, you are on very dodgy ground.

It does in Scotland annual gas check and 5 yearly electric. We double check all smoke alarms are in working order, any problems we replace

@Pawparazzi How on earth do you organise boiler checks and mandatory annual gas safety checks?

Oh fucking fuck yes!!!!!!!!!

The bloody gas boiler checks!!!!!!!

Oh wait - she hasn’t got one. Phew. That was close!

If only………if only OP had mentioned that she is all electric, eh? How much easier life would be if OP had mentioned it!

I know you say that you've drifted apart of late, but surely given the level of friendship/trust you once with this woman, you are at least somewhat concerned for her welfare having not seen her for so long?

Landlord or not, there's nothing stopping you from knocking on her door as a concerned acquaintance to simply ask how she is. It's possible she's taken ill, become housebound, or any number of things.

If anything raises your suspicions, you can then go down the more formal route of an inspection (you should be doing these anyway), and issue her the appropriate written notice that you'll be doing so.

Oh dear. I've already answered most of these but OK, here we go again...

How on earth do you organise boiler checks and mandatory annual gas safety checks?
The entire block is all-electric. No gas. No boilers.

Have you not periodically raised the rent?
No. Do I have to? Is not raising the rent a landlord crime now?

How do you organise maintenance and repairs?
She tells me if she has an issue, I sort it. She hasn't.

If she is subletting, how do you know this man (or anyone else) has a valid passport, permission to be in the UK, and has the 'Right to Rent'?
I mean... I don't? That's literally the problem? that's why I am trying to ascertain if she is? that's THE WHOLE POINT IN THIS THREAD?!

And: HMRC?
can you be specific?

Is the deposit in a Deposit Protection Scheme?
Of course it bloody is, what's that got to do with anything?

To not undertake regular inspections is negligence.
No it isn't, it's not a legal requirement.

The Renters Reform Bill is only a few months away and the rental world in England will be turned upside down. Section 21 will disappear and you might not be able to get out whoever is renting your property because you haven't undertaken these basic checks on your tenant.
I mean, it might become harder for me to get out whoever is renting my property, but I can kick out whoever isn't renting my property relatively easily actually.

I keep such a close eye on my rental property that I would know if my tenant sneezed.
Bet they love that

If you don't know the answers to these questions, you are on very dodgy ground.
Good job I do then.

And people are wondering why I'm getting snippy.

The plot thickens. Did you rent to her through an official agency as they may have more details for her. An email address etc?

I would keep knocking every day and if she answers say that you were going to be looking into doing an inspection and when was a good day for her?

Well, it's probably relevant, and I haven't said anything until now because I realised it was a bit late in the thread to come out with it and I didn't want to be accused of drip-feeding or worse, lying. But as it happens, I've been recovering from cancer treatment so I've been distracted for the best part of a year.

This is why I asked my daughter if she has seen her around because I haven't been my normal self so may just have missed her.

You're not getting this! You cannot just ''knock on the door'. You have to give 24 hours proper notice.
And- I'm appalled at how you are trying to correct posters pointing out to you the importance of undertaking regular carbon monoxide alarm testing. Tenants are lazy. They'll let it go that the alarm is faulty. You, on the other hand, need to test the alarm to ensure it is functioning properly. Why take that risk?

Could you put a note through the door and/or leave a phone message to say that you will be conducting a routine check in (say) a week's time. Then just let yourself in using your own key if you do not hear anything. If she later kicks up a fuss about you entering, you can at least say that you had tried contacting her, given her enough notice and you were worried that something had happened.

My carbon monoxide monitor gets checked with the annual boiler service that the landlady sorts with me and her contractor. I've not seen her in about 4 years, although we speak on the phone when things need sorting.

Tenants are lazy??!!

Excuse me??!!

At least we have proper jobs!!

Oh my god this is simply not true about the alarm testing. And I am a landlord. You just have to make sure it works at the start of the tenancy and then it is up to the tenant to report any faults.

Of course I can knock on the door. Anyone can knock on someone's door (to a reasonable extent of course, I can't harass her or anyone)

You are getting confused with needing 24 hours notice to enter the property. That's the requirement. I can chap a door and speak to her on the doorstep all I wish, if she chooses to answer it.

Seconding this.

@Pawparazzi you’re coming across as someone who isn’t reading the thread, isn’t reading OPs messages, and is giving incorrect advice.

Why would you report her to HMRC?

What has she said to suggest she is not declaring her rental income?

@Pawparazzi you sound insane.

Oh and yes, I agree with Sophie. "Tenants are lazy" was pretty rude.

What??! I thought you were the OP. So confused 😆