Annoyed about by our Landlady while we’re moving out.

[Weightwoes]

More of a rant really as I know there’s nothing I can do about this but curious if I’m justified in being annoyed by this.

We’ve rented this house from our landlady for just over decade now but having finally saved a deposit we have bought a house so are moving out. We contacted her to ask how much notice she required in light of the new renters rights changes even thought our contract said one month. She insisted on two months so we’re paying rent up to the end of September although we move on the 18th of August, bit annoying but fine, we figured that meant more wiggle room getting end of tenancy clean and garden tidying booked in. What we
hadn’t anticipated was that she was going to start bringing a seeming endless stream of tradesmen in while we’re packing as she selling up and now all the stuff she refused to fix for us needs doing.
We let in the first few as it was quick but then she tried to come on the day we are moving out and we told her absolutely not. My husband politely messaged her after that to suggest as she has a whole month and a bit of us paying rent where the house will be standing empty where she can do what she wants could she not just wait until then and she just replied with a comment about not doing conflict, whatever she thinks that means.
She was here this morning for the third time in fours days and as she was leaving she dropped in that she’d see me again tomorrow at 6pm. She’d never mentioned this before and when I questioned what it was for she said it was for a a decorator to come measure and eat for painting. I asked how on earth he’s going to manage that when the house is full of boxes etc and she was implying I’d have to make room. I said it wasn’t possible and could she not possibly wait until we’ve left for all this. Well she blew up at me about how her husband is ill and she has every right to come in as much as she wants and left slamming that door.
For the record I’ve met her husband many times over the years and genuinely like him, but I fail to see how waiting until next Wednesday is going to make any difference to his health.
She’s been here twice to measure the same taps and just lingers chatting at me while I’m trying to pack, on Friday she kept a poor plumber chatting in my door way for a good 30 mins. I’m just so stressed with packing and everything else for moving and utterly fed up of her so not sure if it’s just me over reacting and she’s being entirely reasonable.

No it does not. This is what it says.

"You will be able to end the tenancy at
any point by giving your landlord notice.
This must be done:
• so the tenancy ends on a day when
the rent is due or the day before the
rent is due
• in writing, for example, by letter
or email
You will need to give your landlord at least
2 months’ notice. You can agree a shorter
notice period with the landlord in writing,
as long as any other tenants named on the
tenancy agreement also agree."

Once again a reminder that tenants should be aware of the expected lifespan for items in a rental

As my link didnt work - go here and click link at the end of the last but one paragraph. https://www.tenancydepositscheme.com/article/How-long-should-appliances-last-in-rented-homes-A-look-at-product-lifespans

Laminate flooring is 5-10 years. Likelihood of landlord getting anything for damage is extremely low.

Comments about utilities and council tax are very important. Take pictures and notify the companies for untilities and do NOT agree to the second months rent, you dont have to pay it if your contract predates the RRA and says 1 month. Let her try to claim it, she wont succeed.

She can fuck right off!

You're not being unreasonable at all. She is taking the fucking piss. As far as I am concerned this is harassment. You're entitled to quiet enjoyment of the house until your tenancy ends, meaning she needs to arrange proper notice and convenient times rather than just announcing visits and expecting you to clear space for tradesmen while you're mid packing. Her reaction when you pushed back sounds more like a guilt trip than a genuine reason it had to be that exact evening for a tap she's already measured twice. Best bet now is to keep everything in writing, propose set days that suit you, and note down every visit, and if she keeps pushing it's worth a quick look at Shelter's and CAB websites on what quiet enjoyment means so you can hold your ground for these last few weeks. Aww wishing you the best of luck in your new home away from that nutjob.

@MadinMarch sincere apologies, you are right, it depends upon when the tenancy agreement was agreed, whether a fixed term etc.

I stand by what I said and that the contract supersedes the RRA in this particular issue. It was unclear and I think it had to be clarified in Parliament
My deposits supports my position-

www.mydeposits.co.uk/content-hub/tenant-notice-periods-under-the-renters-rights-act-from-1-may-2026/

See my previous post!

@PrincessofWills
I saw your previous post. As I say, the matter had to be clarified in Parliament.

questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2026-05-13/1088/

My previous post agreed I am wrong!

I would suggest that you will reduce your rent pro rata for each day that she is invading your privacy. She will either stop, or you save money. I would also be reducing the amount by the days after you leave because you know she will be in there while you are still paying rent.

Time to hold the line, OP. She is well out of order with all of this nonsense. Make sure you put a chain on the door in case she has a key and starts letting herself in. Document everything in case you need it for small claims court as well.

Did she provide you with a copy of the renter rights bill? If she has not she was supposed to do that by law or be facing up to a £7,000 fine. If she has not maybe drop that into the conversation - that should make her back off. Deadline was 31st of May 2026.

https://www.google.com/search?q=Landlords+supposed+to+give+tenants+copy+of+renters+rights+bill+or+face+7000+pounds+fine&rlz=1C1CHBF_en-GBGB936GB936&oq=Landlords+supposed+to+give+tenants+copy+of+renters+rights+bill+or+face+7000+pounds+fine&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOdIBCTE2MTFqMGoxNagCB7ACAQ&sourceid=chrome&source=chrome.rb&ie=UTF-8&zx=1786373311642

OP- Your landlord is making the situation much more complicated than it should be.
Send her my links above re the one month's notice only and say in light of this legal position, you will only be giving one month's notice and that your tenancy will therefore end on --- date. Ask her who or where she would like the keys to be returned to, and when would she like to do the check out meeting. (The same day as you move out or immediately after, and before any workmen go in).
Tell her clearly that you don't want her, or any workmen entering the property for any reason until the tenancy has ended to allow you to move out peacefully and without any further undue and unnecessary pressure.
Her holiday dates, repairs and sick husband are not your problem and you need to totally ignore that. Ignore any emails apart from above to do with keys and check out. If she continues to visit to try to gain access, then tell her she's harassing you and you'll call the police.
No point in trying to appease her at this point as she's clearly only got her own entitled interests at heart.
Good luck in your new home!

Ah, ok. At least our exchange has clarified it beyond doubt for the OP and any others who find themselves in the same situation

Lean on her?

She has no legal rights to enter at all until 1st October.

The ball is entirely in your court. You have the upper hand. She is the one that needs to be pandering to you if she wants early access.

Again, have you emailed her this:

Dear LL. I appreciate you want to update the property and carry out work before letting the property again, but our tenancy doesn't end until September 30th. If you'd like access before this date then I'm happy to end the tenancy at the end of August instead, but otherwise you will need to wait until after the 30th September to access the property. Let me know what works best for you.

You need to email her that immediately. She should be the one bribing you for access.

My best mate has many rental properties and a LL can absolutely NOT enter if the tenancy is still in place, even if the tenant has moved out! Only in an emergency!!

I’d be tempted to throw a party that day 🤪

Op doesn't need to negotiate ending the tenancy after one month ( on condition her tenancy agreement actually stated one month's notice) as the law says she only needs to give one month's notice. Therefore, the date of 30 September is not relevant or correct.

She sounds like a nightmare. If she makes you pay September too I’d be petty and refuse access for that month too, leave a few bits there and say you haven’t finished moving. Or say you and DH are going to make full use of the empty house for grown up time away from the kids. Or that its important that you as a family hold week long rituals in each room to say farewell to your home, and can’t be disturbed.

She not entitled to non emergency access. Tell her to do one.

With the renters rights act it's two months notice or earlier if your contract states otherwise. So your tenancy saying one month means you can give just one. It's whichever is the shortest notice. This may not be helpful now as you've agreed 2 months but perhaps it'll help you or someone else in the future

I hadn’t actually thought about the implications of her doing any work after we’ve paid to clean it all. I’ll have to discuss it with my husband and decide what to do there. To be honest I’ve been so focused on packing and getting all the end cleaning and gardening booked in that it never occurred to me that we’re still liable.

@Weightwoes You have a valid concern here. If you get the place cleaned immediately after you move out and she then has workmen in and they make a mess, she might try to charge you again for cleaning (batshit, but then from your description she IS)!
I think you need to try to agree a handover date - which is immediately after you have moved out and got it cleaned (even if you still pay the rent up to end Sep).

You DH needs to email her and remind her that it is your property until September and she must not access before then unless it's emergency work and agreed.

He could add you would be happy to negotiate end of August with return of deposit if she wants access sooner and rent no longer required.

Do NOT be bullied by this woman. You hold the cards.

Seriously, grow a pair of balls. Stop all visits and tell her that you will abide by the contract which is a months notice only. If she doesn’t back down, keep keys until last day and tell her not to go in property without notice.

Thank you for that. The laminate started being an annoyance within a couple of years of us living here. Going by rightmove photos it’s been in situ before she bought the house and has been fitted badly so most the planks upstairs move as you walk on them, she’s periodically glued it back down but obviously they start shifting again and by this point they’ve gotten under the adjoining slats so are warped. I’m paranoid she’ll try to insist we’ve broken it.
I am worried about what she’s going to try claim regarding our deposit. She’s previously told us the previous owner was a keen gardener who had planted all the invasive plants in our garden, she also told us the previous owners had installed the gravel when we tried to complain that the membrane was visible and letting weeds through. Just last week she was telling my husband that they’d had the garden landscaped… I can’t decide if she’s misremembering or outright lying.

To be fair I did start to tell her no but she started ranting about sick husbands and left. She’s now changed her mind and will apparently wait until we’ve moved out as she can see I’m so stressed by moving…

Just remember after you move out you are still paying rent and she still needs to technically ask your permission!