To refuse viewings once I’ve given notice

[WryJadeWren]

Once I’ve given notice, I’ve always felt that my time and space should be mine.

In the final weeks I’m usually packing, organising a move, working and trying to keep life ticking over. Having people come in and out for viewings feels disruptive and stressful, especially when it’s framed as an expectation rather than a request.

My view has always been that landlords or agents are free to show the property once it’s empty, on their own time but that I’m not obliged to facilitate viewings while I’m still living there.

AIBU?

But by the same token, something about the relationship makes the landlord not behave like their tenant is a customer! Which they are. In any other service industry if you pay the money you are entitled to receive the service you've paid for. For some reason if you're a tenant you're supposed to give some of that service up when the landlord wants to market it to someone else (and behave like a serf throughout the tenancy too).

As I said upthread I think it's nice to let people look if it doesn't inconvenience you, but also you don't have to for any reason at all, including just because you don't want to!

The law is crystal clear on this. You do not have to allow viewings

Have they requested unrestricted and constant access? If so then just say no, we can do x date and time each week, or no full stop. I really don’t think you need to spiral.

It is her space while she lives there and she had the legal right to 'quiet enjoyment of it'

Yeah, I think batching them into a limited/block period makes far more sense than scattered ongoing disruption tbh. And honestly the idea of random people trying to make conversation with me while I’m packing/moving is exactly the kind of thing I find quite draining about it

Honestly I think you need to take a deep breath and calm down. You have now been told multiple times you don’t need to permit this. And given solutions.

I’m not spiralling. And yes, there have been repeated/frequent requests, which is partly why I made the thread in the first place. My broader point though is that I think there’s often an assumption that tenants should simply absorb ongoing disruption because it’s commercially convenient for the landlord/agent.

I am calm. People discussing practical compromises doesn’t really change the broader point I was making about how access expectations around occupied rentals are often framed.

I’ve rented my entire adulthood and have always allowed reasonable viewings (eg 1-2x a week at a convenient time). Yes it’s annoying but as others have said it’s not fair to expect the landlord to swallow the costs of an empty property if you delay them re-letting it - this will ultimately increase rents for everyone.
(I do, however, remove any valuables from view and tell the agent I expect them to supervise the people they are showing through, not allow multiple groups at once.)

You sound like a bit of a dick tenant especially because you would do it to a good landlord too

If you’ve been a tenant for many years, it’s probably worth reading up on the laws that cover this.

It’s fair enough. Would be good if there was clearer legislation on this and a wee incentive for the tenant at the end such as a 25 - 50% reduction on rent during the period they are accommodating bookings.

You seem to feel this is the expectation and are just ignoring you have complete control, and can easily either decline or say set times a week. It doesn’t feel calm. There is no issue here. You’re in control.

This.

I understand your point, I just don’t agree that discussing/disliking something automatically means someone is panicking or out of control

I don’t really understand why you’d want to blanket say no, assuming there’s not significant ill feeling between you and the landlord. Yes, viewings are a bit disruptive but surely the sensible thing to do is work with agents to allowing viewings at a time that works for everyone and minimises disruption e.g agreeing to a viewing day or days so it’s just over and done and you can get on with packing etc.

I don’t think it’s unreasonable of landlord to want to minimise time the property is vacant between tenancies, and to do that they need to hold viewings before it’s unoccupied.

Every landlord should have costed in voids.

Frankly the landlord should actually want a gap so they can maintain their property.

Pretty shoddy to not even give the place a lick of paint when a tenant who has been there for a few years leaves. Any updates and upgrades.

The new tenant shouldn’t have to put up with extra works either because the landlord couldn’t afford one empty month.

Its business. Landlords are not doing you a favour you pay to use their property. They want your cash, they need to know the law and follow it rather than trying to rely on clauses that are not legally binding.

Also assuming it’s a reasonable property how many viewings are there really likely to be? Our last property had 4 viewings, all on the same morning, and it went straight away so really minimal inconvenience to anyone.

I think this is probably where individual experience comes into it tbh. Some people seem to have a handful of organised viewings and others end up with much more ongoing disruption, which is more what I was referring to.

The law is not on your side on this - for very good reasons.

I remember how stressful it was having people come into my space when the landlord decided to sell it, I had a newborn baby at the time and was breastfeeding and I had people coming to view the property none stop, I stopped answering the door and told the estate agent the reason why and the viewing stopped until we'd moved out

We had a prospective landlord come round for a viewing once despite not being told anything about it, we didn't even know it was on the market, we'd been there three years. Seems daft not to offer it to the occupants first.

Of course it's her space. She's covered by a lease which provides her a legal right to live there and manage who enters the space, and when.

It's just basic cooperation, but the fact that you won't because of how it's been expected of you rather than nicely asked, that indicates a basic attitude that maybe clouds your notion of cooperation in other areas too, who knows. Sorry if that's presumptuous, but that's how you come across.
It's something only you can do, it's something that helps someone else immeasurably. But your response is "nope, you haven't asked me nicely enough".
Why do people keep going on about knowing and exerting their rights, as if there's some invented battle at the slightest need for cooperation?!
What a world.

I think this is the correct way to handle it, for both sides.