trying to sell flat - tenant is not keeping it tidy

[AnguaVonUberwald]

My DP moved in with me about 8 months ago and we rented out his flat to cover his mortage and while we decided where we wanted to live as a couple. After six months the tenants gave notice so we decided to go ahead and sell the flat. 3 days before they were due to move out they changed their minds and asked to stay (obviously where they were moving to had fallen through).

We said - thats fine, but we are putting the flat on the market - so you will have to allow viewings etc. And they agreed to that.

When we went round to show the estate agents round the bathroom was in a real state (like they have been having steam baths every day) walls peeling, etc, as well as dirty. So we had it repainted.

The estate agent has just called to say that they are being fine about letting them in for viewings but the flat is messy and the bathroom is still dirty.

We are reluctant to throw them out as we would have to pay the mortage till we sell it, which is quite a lot of money, is there any other rights we have about them keeping it in a reasonable state for sale?

Send in your own cleaners and pay for them? Tenants might be happy with this?

Otherwise offer tenants discounted rent if they keep it clean and tidy

Don't think you can force them to tidy up just for your benefit tbh and the longer they string it out the longer they can defer finding somewhere else. Obviously actual damage you could deduct from their deposit but that doesn't help you now. Paying for a cleaner once a week might be your best bet and perhaps doing viewings straight afterwards. Or you'll have to chance giving them notice and possibly funding it yourselves short term (which presumably is financially possible if your dp lived there before if a pita)

Thanks MousieMousie. just annoyed as it was clearly stated that if they stayed, we were still putting it on the market. Also been told that there is condensation on the windows etc, as they never air the place.

cleaners would work with the dirt, but apparently they leave suitcases everywhere, etc, only just getting out of bed when views happen etc!

Why not organise for cleaners every saturday morning and viewings every saturday afternoon?

We do have that option LIZS and will probably have to take it. The thing is, if it was going to sell this year, it would have done it by now. If we give them notice now, they won't be out till December and the chances of it selling then are really low!

I think we will have to give them notice in January, so they are out for February, and then just swallow the extra mortgage costs!!

Its just annoying as they agreed to this, and we could have said no when they wanted to stay and possibly sold it by now!

If there is condensation have you thought about installing an extractor fan ,especially in the bathroom. Also coudl you arrange to go in half an hour before the appointment and open the windows etc.

Its an idea creepycrawlycarmenera, might be worth doing for any viewings in November, and would certainly get our point across!!

Liz, have installed extractor fan in batheroom, and had it painted, apparently still a mess! -

The more I think about it, the more I think its worth trying the cleaner for November.

It would: Get them out of bed, tidy the place up, air the place out, make it nice for viewings, and definitly get our point across!!! - AND it would be cheaper than having no tenants and having to pay the mortgage!!!

Remember though most cleaners will only clean, not tidy! Your tenants would also be completely within their rights to ask the cleaner not to touch their stuff so you might end up paying for the cleaner without any benefit. Unfortunately you've probably missed the pre-Christmas period to sell now so personally I would take the property off the market now, give your tenants notice to quit so they leave at the end of January then re-market it aggressively at the beginning of Feburary or March and hope you sell it quick enough to take the loss of rent. When we were buying I was very suspicious of properties that had been on an agent's books for months and automatically assumed the vendors would take quite low offers as they must be desperate! I also didn't put an offer on a house I really liked as the guy selling told me he had just put it on the market even though I had had the details through six months previously, albeit at a higher price. I worked on the basis that if he lied about that he might lie about other things as well.

I would wait until they are out before selling, might be the difference between ever selling or not.
We lost thoousands because of dirty tenants but i was out of the country so didn't know.