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?

It can take weeks, referencing, credit check etc so if they have someone started the process then at least they have someone waiting. I work in a letting agent, mostly it’s a white wash with the paint - takes a day and then a deep clean takes a day

But she’s being awkward for no reason at all

It’s only going one way. Governments seem to want to crush small, dedicated landlords, who strive to retain tenants in favour of large corporations.

It depends on your contract. You can’t just decide if you signed a contract.
When I rented an apartment more than a decade ago, the contract stated that I put a letting sign on the balcony in the city centre, free advisement but no viewings until the lease was completed.

She's been very clear about the reasons - it's stressful moving home, she's packing, and it's very difficult to keep a home looking presentable for others whilst doing that. Plus not wanting to either have to arrange time off work to be there so strangers can traipse through her house.

The contract doesn't override the law.

Breaking the contract can impact on the deposit.

This is completely incorrect

Looool

Thats so wrong it’s like stupidly wrong.

You cannot keep or claim any part of a deposit for not doing viewings lol

Does she actually have to keep it presentable and be in? I’d be inclined to just LL know when you’re out the house and let them crack on

Are you just making stuff up now?

I really hope you're not a landlord

Do you normally let strangers wander through your house when you're not there? I wouldn't, and I wouldn't want them to see the results of me having a clear out and organising while packing, moving house is chaotic, I don't want to show that off.

Er, yeah, with an estate agent I’d be fine with people in my house and I don’t really care what other people I will probably never meet might think of my mess but I guess that’s just me.

As others have said, OP can refuse, just doesn’t seem like a big deal to me at all to let an agent show round prospective tenants while their out anyway.

It's isn't just about mess though, it's privacy. I wouldn't want strangers seeing my half packed up house because I wouldn't want them seeing my things. I also don't trust letting agents, as I've overheard them telling tenants before certain things that were mine were included in the tenancy!
When you're selling a house you have a financial motivation to have people round. Here the tenant has no benefit. Also in my experience agents are a lot more professional when it comes to sales I assume because there's a lot more money riding on it.

I voted YABU, not because I think you should have an open house while you are living there, but to not wanting viewings at all. Securing a tenancy earlier benefits the next tenant too.

But I do think you should be firm with offering up a date for block viewings. Maybe 1 the next week if 1st is unsuccessful.

When i last rented a home, the previous tenant was still there. I saw her, we spoke briefly. She could see I was i decent enough person. When I moved in she left me a welcome home card along with spare keys she had cut that goes against the tenancy. She also left her number on the card to call her if any mail come for her so she could collect. Which did happen once for something she forgot to change her address for. So if you do see the next tenant maybe this could be something that could benefit you too. In my current home I bought, it was empty a couple of months I moved in. Have had mail for the last tenant but no way of giving it to them

your neighbour isn’t making a profit off of fixing his damaged window,

you aren’t paying him to live at your place,

he isn’t looking through your kitchen drawers or wardrobe because he isn’t viewing the property,

he isn’t asking you to leave do several hours whilst he checks the damage

Make it worthwhile to be a landlord, they will invest in property, the monthly rent will go down!

LOL name a time when this has ever happened. And no one is asking anyone to be a social landlord - literally no one is asking anyone to be a landlord. What you're describing is people who couldn't ever afford to be a landlord are selling up, and their properties are either being bought by other landlords (who can actually afford to be one and won't crumble at having an empty month to maintain their property) or purchased by people who were previously tenants somewhere. I do find it quite funny that you think these properties are simply disappearing because some amateur landlord like some on this thread have sold up.

I don't know that they are really. People feel like they're being crushed because they believe they should be making a monthly profit from their tenants rent on top of their asset gaining value and ideally they'd like to not pay tax on it and be able to walk all over their tenants rights and be able to access any time or kick a tenant out without good reason. I have friends who have moved from renting from small landlords to renting from a corporation and she said the different is night and day, rent isn't lower but for what she is paying she has an excellent quality place that's regularly maintained, many utilities included in her rent, amenities, shared event and workspaces etc.

Maybe you need to reinforce the boundaries with landlord/agent, just because they assume something doesn"t mean it can happen, "assuming" is a sales tactic, it is the kind of thing someone with a commercial interest does to take control of the situation for their own benefit, if you are not comfortable with viewings just tell them no viewings

Landlords who bought flats in recent years don"t have an asset that is gaining value, it is losing value, hence the fear of voids from many landlords, it is loss piled upon loss.

WTF???

Its not their house but it is their HOME and they have a legal right to quiet enjoyment of their home.

A LL can give 24 hours notice requesting essential access e.g. urgent repairs.

Viewings are not essential and the OP is entitled to say no as they have paid rent and it is still their home til the tenancy ends.

@WryJadeWren I would give the LL specific times that viewings can happen and that you want 24 hours notice if someone will be turning up during these allocated times.

Offer Saturday morning 10 til 11am and Wednesday evening 6 til 7pm or similar. Whatever is convenient to you!

One previous LL I had would give me £20 per viewing as I'd clean the flat and make it look immaculate!

Demand is falling, it can only accelerate as the Reform agenda dominates politics. Many landlords were trying to sell, many will not have managed to do so, it is too late now to sell easily (even if we pretend borrowing rates are not a factor) because the law has changed and it is more difficult to remove tenants without taking a financial hit.

https://www.zoopla.co.uk/press/releases/rental-demand-drops-to-six-year-low-as-supply-improves-and-rental-growth/

I imagine I'm in the minority of those renting who don't actually feel in anyway like it's "my home", I mean short of a lifelong council tenancy very few rentals will be somewhere you stay permanently (which In my head would what I'd feel comfortable defining as "my home) if that makes sense?). But then I've been renting and living in HMOs since I was 18 so that's probably more the reason, perhaps if I'd had my own space it would have felt a bit more like a home? So I understand for most people it is their home.

I've very shortly going to be giving notice on my tenancy anyway, and I'm pretty certain my LL will then go ahead with selling it, though due to 2 the other 2 ppl there having their own tenancy I imagine issuing a section 21 will have to be done at different time to accommodate their individual rent dates so I doubt he'd be doing viewings to sell until the other 2 have left. But if he did then I'm leaving so fell free. Although the state of my room he's probably better off waiting until I've been able to move it all out 😬

I can see he's going to have issues with one of the other tenents cos that guy is intent on getting a council house and I imagine will be advised to stay put until evicted by bailiffs otherwise he'd be intentionally homeless. So id probably try and and make it a bit easier on my LL...

Most rental contracts deal with this,at the very least you would be expected to allow reasonable access,which is never going to be none.