Letting agents taking the piss?

[LovingtheRain3421]

Background is we've served notice to leave an absolute nightmare of a flat. Looks lovely and the rent is sky high but in reality, nothing works. It's been a nightmare, makes me cry when I think about it as we relocated here from abroad and really needed a good place to be long term, so my patience is wearing thin.

Since we served notice, we've had letting agents:

• ask for blocks of 2 hours of viewings EVERY evening. Not actual times for viewings, just letting us know they will do viewings between 5 and 7pm tomorrow.
• every single viewing request comes after 9pm for 5pm the next day so not even 24 hours notice
• ask me to come meet them so they can get the keys to cut copies
• ask me to come home from work as they've organized a viewing and realized they don't have keys and they don't want to bother the landlord (after which the above request came through)
• message relentlessly between 8pm and 10.30pm with viewings requests

WTF are these people thinking? I actually do want them to do viewings, find a tenant and leave me alone. I have already agreed to several viewings with 12-18 hours notice only. But this is ridiculous, right?

OK.

So tell your landlord Foxtons are taking the piss, explain what you told us about timings and liked etc, cc Foxtons in on the email.and state absolutely clearly that if they don't stop messing around with immediate effect, you will simply exercise your legal right say no to any viewings at all.

You don't have to fear them, you probably have endless examples to back up everything you have said here

This is not complicated. As you've been told several times, you do not have to allow any viewings, regardless of what might be in your letting agreement. You can contact Shelter to confirm this if you like. So email the agents and tell them that they are undermining your right to quiet enjoyment and you will not allow them any further access, or give them spare keys.

You don’t have to let them view at all. Just say no to any more viewings until you’ve left. @Billy47it is irrelevant what the lease says, it doesn’t trump the law, which says you are not obliged to allow anyone to view at all.

No, no, no.

It does NOT matter what is written in the contract, the OP doesn't not have to allow viewings, that’s her legal right.

If I was a LL I could include a clause that the tenants had to run round the block naked every Tuesday at 9:25 pm, it doesn’t make it enforceable.

@LovingtheRain3421 the letting agent are taking the piss. They're doing it because you haven't said no.

So just say NO.

Legally they have no right at all. They can write it into the contract of they want but it has no legal grounding. You are legally entitled to quiet enjoyment of their home.

(They're have to give 24 hours to visit for emergency access e.g. repairing something essential).

So put it in writing that you will not be permitting any more viewings and they do not have permission to enter the property until the end of your tenancy on X date.

Or say you will permit a 1 hour viewing slot on Wednesday evening 6 til 7pm and Saturday morning 10am til 11am.

They should be going out of their way to be nice to you if they want viewings!!

Thanks everyone, I have gone back and stood my ground and also emailed the landlord, in case she wasn't aware of their horrible tactics. I thought I was going mad for a moment there.

I will not say no to all viewings but I am not entertaining all this harassment.

Refuse. They be need to give the requisite notice (though a block viewing is normal and easier).

But if they don’t give the right notice say no

Oh just saw this - excellent.

1. That image me laugh out loud!

2. I did not know you can refuse viewings. Is that even if you are on a rolling agreement?

Agreement doesn’t matter you don’t have to allow any viewings, you have a legal right to “quiet enjoyment”.

Really don't worry. Every so often the letting agent is unable to conduct viewings in one of my properties, normally because the tenant is so untidy or unclean that it would be pointless. I lose money but that is life.

Hence I try to work with the tenant. I promise that I will price the property keenly to attract good tenants and in the hope that it will all be sorted quickly. I also ask that the tenant let me know about any problems with the letting agent, and confirm I am happy if they set access restrictions. It is their home and they are paying me rent. In return I try to be helpful to the outgoing tenant, eg if they use my preferred cleaner I will get that person in after they have moved out. Also if the property is in good order I don't bother with an outgoing inventory but simply release their deposit on the day they leave. It is so much nicer working with people than being confrontational.