Photos of rental property

Chocolatecoffeesleep · 2025-04-04T12:33:26+00:00

I rent my house, and an estate agent manages this. As part of the tenants contract, the estate agent does an inspection after the first three months. I have asked for photos of the property (I am not too happy with the estate agent), but they have said they can only provide photos of the tenants give permission. If they do not, they cannot take photos. Is this legal?

FortyElephants · 04/04/2025 13:35

The tenants have the right to quiet enjoyment of the property. If they don't want photos of all their possessions shared then they have the right to say no. If you aren't happy with the agents that's not the tenant's problem.

bigdecisionstomake · 04/04/2025 13:44

I work for a landlord and a small number of the properties he owns are let and managed by an agent.

They take photographs of the property which they send as part of their 6 monthly inspection report.

I would imagine there is a clause in their tenancy agreement that allows them to do this.

Contrary to what lots of people think on here, we aren't remotely interested in looking at people's belongings, just the condition of the property. For example, is it being kept to a reasonable standard of cleanliness/tidiness, that there is no mould growth we need to be aware of and take action about, that protected fire escape routes aren't being blocked and there is no build up of waste that could put us in breach of our fire risk assessment, that all smoke and heat detectors are intact and have been tested, that the CO alarm is still in place and working, that door locks are functional etc...

I think it is perfectly reasonable to expect to have a limited number of photographs to demonstrate the condition the property is being kept in and that it continues to be a safe environment for the tenants to live in and no maintenance is required that hasn't been reported. If your agents don't have a clause allowing this in their standard tenancy agreement I would ask them to email the tenants to ask their permission for this.

Ahsheeit · 04/04/2025 13:48

Damn right you need the tenants' consent. As long as they're not damaging the properly on any way, they have the right to quiet enjoyment and privacy. I've said no to photos in the past because that's my stuff in my home.

ARichtGoodDram · 04/04/2025 13:50

Yes the tenants need to consent to photographs. It is their home.

The estate agents report should be thorough enough to highlight any potential issues.

If you're not happy with the agent change them.

And if you're not happy with the agent make sure you know the ins and outs of the law and your responsibilities and your tenants rights - the legal responsibilities are yours, even if you pay an agent they are still yours. Don't get caught out by a poor agent (and there are many)

Cognacsoft · 04/04/2025 13:59

We always got sent photos.
You can guarantee the tenants would send photos if they had a problem with something that they thought the LL should pay for.

All this quiet enjoyment, you get inspected every six months fgs and that’s because our insurance company demands it. Otherwise when your home floods or burns down you’ll be homeless.

C8H10N4O2 · 04/04/2025 14:16

Cognacsoft · 04/04/2025 13:59

We always got sent photos.
You can guarantee the tenants would send photos if they had a problem with something that they thought the LL should pay for.

All this quiet enjoyment, you get inspected every six months fgs and that’s because our insurance company demands it. Otherwise when your home floods or burns down you’ll be homeless.

If you are not happy with the agents doing the six monthly inspection that is an issue to take up with them. They are there to do the report, the information you need should be in that report.

Your not trusting your own agent isn't a justification to take photos which include tenants' personal possessions. It would be reasonable to photograph a specific problem identified which needs repair.

FortyElephants · 04/04/2025 15:10

bigdecisionstomake · 04/04/2025 13:44

I work for a landlord and a small number of the properties he owns are let and managed by an agent.

They take photographs of the property which they send as part of their 6 monthly inspection report.

I would imagine there is a clause in their tenancy agreement that allows them to do this.

Contrary to what lots of people think on here, we aren't remotely interested in looking at people's belongings, just the condition of the property. For example, is it being kept to a reasonable standard of cleanliness/tidiness, that there is no mould growth we need to be aware of and take action about, that protected fire escape routes aren't being blocked and there is no build up of waste that could put us in breach of our fire risk assessment, that all smoke and heat detectors are intact and have been tested, that the CO alarm is still in place and working, that door locks are functional etc...

I think it is perfectly reasonable to expect to have a limited number of photographs to demonstrate the condition the property is being kept in and that it continues to be a safe environment for the tenants to live in and no maintenance is required that hasn't been reported. If your agents don't have a clause allowing this in their standard tenancy agreement I would ask them to email the tenants to ask their permission for this.

A clause in the tenancy agreement doesn't supersede the tenant's right to quiet enjoyment, so if the tenant says no, your tenancy agreement can't compel them.

vivainsomnia · 04/04/2025 15:22

Why do you need pictures? Pictures should be taken just before tenants move in. Inspections don't need photos. I've been a landlord for 20 years and have never asked for pictures. It's unnecessary and intrusive.

bigdecisionstomake · 04/04/2025 16:09

FortyElephants · 04/04/2025 15:10

A clause in the tenancy agreement doesn't supersede the tenant's right to quiet enjoyment, so if the tenant says no, your tenancy agreement can't compel them.

Show quote history

Yes, absolutely agree. Most reasonable tenants however appreciate that the inspection and any necessary photographs are there for their benefit to protect them from the house becoming in any way unsafe or in disrepair.

In my experience a lot of tenants don't always notice (or ignore) the signs that homeowners do of problems that may get significantly worse if not dealt with early.

The tenancy agreement (and in this case clauses about inspections) serves to provide transparency for both parties about how they can expect the tenancy to be conducted but of course you're right, some tenants choose not to respect that.

PhilippaGeorgiou · 04/04/2025 16:38

Cognacsoft · 04/04/2025 13:59

We always got sent photos.
You can guarantee the tenants would send photos if they had a problem with something that they thought the LL should pay for.

All this quiet enjoyment, you get inspected every six months fgs and that’s because our insurance company demands it. Otherwise when your home floods or burns down you’ll be homeless.

You see, it's attitudes like this that make tenants wary. If there is a problem that the landlord should pay for then the landlord needs to sort it out. You, on the other hand, do not need pictures - your insurers don't require pictures and if the home floods or burns down the tenant will be homeless whether or not you get pictures. Being polite costs nothing and gets you further. So why the attitude?