Anyone else’s Landlord do this? AIBU to be irritated?

[Specksofwhiteallaround]

For context we’ve been renting this house from our Landlady for just over ten years now and she’s hands down the most intrusive landlord I’ve ever had. Can be very free with her opinions on how we live and has form for dropping in unannounced as she’s passing by, if she does let us know she’s coming it’s with as little notice as possible.
So fairly or not I find her very irritating generally but what’s really annoying me is the last couple of years she's developed a habit of scheduling in visits to the house every single time my son is off school. My son has autism and attends a special school, he really doesn’t like having strangers in our home which she is aware of. As my husband frequently travels for work at short notice I don’t work so she could come anytime during term time but she repeatedly turns up during the holidays, usually with one days notice and disrupts our plans. I just don’t understand why she herself wouldn’t rather come when my sons at school, everything is tidied away etc.
The last straw is her texting me at 6:30am on bank holiday Monday to say she wanted to call in at some point that afternoon to drop in some paperwork to us. She wasn’t too happy at being told we weren’t available that short notice but agreed to reschedule so now she’s coming today at some point between late morning and early afternoon so we’re wasting a day just hanging around waiting for her and I spent the hottest day of the year deep cleaning downstairs to circumvent comments on my not having hoovered over the bank holiday weekend and how my son really doesn’t need that many toys out…
Is anyone else’s landlord like this? Am I unreasonable to find this annoying and wish she’d try to schedule this in outside of the holidays?

I’ve got family who are landlords of multiple properties. They also turn up unannounced. . In return, they don’t put up the rent very often and all their properties are rented out below market value. This in turn means they have a lot of long term tenants . The check is to ensure the house is being looked after and not damaged. I consider that a fair exchange?

I used to have this with landlords when I was renting. They would pretend to check something like a shelf or tap but I know it was to see if I wad sub-letting. I wasn't but that was a very uncomfortable time when I would said say no to last minute visits. Once I came home frok work to find a handyman in the apartment and the LL said she had texted. It was in her drafts.

No, it needs confirmation the tenant has received it, ideally by signing a note to say they have received it. It can be served by email providing the tenancy agreement states this. It's not her fault it's the RRA insisting the document be provided.

We had three monthly inspections for the first three years of renting until she suddenly stopped and she’s now turning a blind eye to the disrepair of a lot of the house while steadily increasing our rent until we’re only a couple of hundred pounds below market rent. So not quite a reciprocal arrangement. It’s really the lack of better options that have kept us here so long.

I doubt she's regretting it, rather she's responding to the RRA which allows increases only once a year and restricts possession proceedings. It means the risk is much higher so the rent has to reflect that.

I mean I have had done things with nieces and nephews during school holidays but largely arranged with parents which is how I learned when the holidays are. But I would have no forward knowledge of anything.

But you do need to restrict her access to the property though.

Some would say “fair”, but the vast majority of the population as well as the police and the courts would say “illegal”

Does she know you are moving soon OP?

So your rent is below market rent by several hundred - and you're still impugning your landlord . . . you might be the problem here.

How is the OP the problem for paying the agreed rent?

I don’t think it’s a fair exchange. I do like anybody visiting me unannounced. Not even family. I don’t care what the rent is. Also if my clothes are strewn all over the place and I have not dusted in a month it does not mean the property is not being looked after.

God she sounds like an absolute nightmare. I don't see why she needs to turn up to tell the electrician what needs doing surely you can do that yourself. I wouldn't be able to live like that How frequently is frequently? I would explain to her it's much more convenient for me if you come during the term time And I can arrange to be in . Half term upset X. I would email that's not convenient for me i'm available this week between the hours of this and this - let me know what suits you and we can find something that's convenient to us both. I've rented my house for the last 10 years and I rarely see my landlord unless I've text him to tell him something's not working [Usually the boiler one a once a year } he arranges for the plumber to come and will text me to say Tuesday morning OK etc ? other than that he arranges the gas engineneer to do the annual gas checks.
it's her property but it's your home. The person further up the thread whose landlord used to go through their bins This happened to me [they also used to live next door to me }How disconcerting that there's more than one weirdo doing this

increased our rent with no notice

Could you elaborate on this? Even before 1 May's RRA there was a minimum notice period, I think it was 1 month?

Is your deposit even registered with a scheme? Because if it's not you'll be entitled to a lot of money. https://www.gov.uk/tenancy-deposit-protection/if-your-landlord-doesnt-protect-your-deposit

If it the deposit is registered, the default is that you'll get 100% back unless she disputes it.

I think you're being far too passive about what is your own money.

I think may be regretting not having raised our rent a reasonable amount before this I mean. As now she’s limited to once a year, even if it’s reasonable for her to raise it she’s made it difficult for herself. One the plus side, all going well when we’ve served notice and left she can decorate and rent it out at the market rent.

Post can come through the door. Recorded delivery of she wants it signed. Property inspections at a time that you agree.

she is over stepping and you are in your rights to tell her no. You don’t need to tidy for her either.

no waiting around for her either, tell her you’re busy, come at 2 or whatever, I can’t stand visit windows.

Service of documents have legal requirements - recorded delivery is not legal service. It's in the CPR. It's good practice to ensure you have proof the tenant has looked at the document and understands it.

Good god no, I made the mistake of mentioning a few years ago that DH had been promoted and within a couple of weeks she was around putting the rent up so we won’t be saying word until new house is secure and we are giving notice officially. I think she’s going to be unbearable, probably wanting to do viewings and potentially trying to get it decorated etc while we’re still living here then packing and moving.

I’ve never asked for the rent to be below market and wouldn’t have cared if it had risen in line with the going rate over the years, would have stopped her treating us like a charity case if it had and I wouldn’t feel obligated to constantly have her in my home.

Yes! Me too!

Nosy interfering old bat🤨

Good luck with your move OP… let’s hope you and your little family can finally live in peace (and privacy! 🌺)

This property must be in the most perfect location or something incredible for you to have dealt with how you describe her and her behaviour and the way she talks to you for ten YEARS!

Have neither you nor your husband ever raised the way she at least talks to you before?

If she wants to come into your home she needs to give you 24 hours notice. Otherwise she can knock and ask but you have no obligation to let her in.

When we first started living here she’d give us a months notice for an inspection and if she wanted to increase the rent would mention that in the message when making arrangements but over the years the notice for inspections would be more like a text Sunday saying they’re coming on Tuesday which is still legal but annoying.
When she increased the rent the last time she didn’t let on at all that she was coming to do that, just sent a message saying can I call in and talk to you about the new renters legislation, spent about five minutes casually discussing that then mentioned how much money this was going to cost her and that they were going to have to increase our rent and here’s the spread sheet with the justification for the increase based on market rates. We had no idea it was coming but seemed pointless complaining about the lack of notice.
Deposit is registered but when we’ve mentioned things like the paint peeling off and mould next to the washing machine she implies it’s us causing it so I can see her being a nightmare.

I don't understand why you put up with this.

"LL, you need to deliver documents in person for me to sign. Okay, that's fine. I can be available on Tuesday at 11:00 for that, or I can meet you at your home at 13:00 on Wednesday. Which is better for you?"

This sitting around waiting all day for her to turn up is ridiculous.

It’s in the catchment area for my son’s special school and we live in a court away from main roads so ideal for him. There’s also few other properties in our price range which will take pets so yes we’ve put up with her for the location mostly. As we were getting closer to having the amount needed for a deposit to buy we didn’t want to waste it on a renting elsewhere and moving costs, she still irritates me no end though.