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Original poster

Tenant has changed locks, gone away and left lights on.

263 replies

Brightonhome · 08/02/2017 12:59

New tenant is two months in to a six month let (to be extended after 6 months) No issues before, although he does have a weird habit of leaving all the lights on all the time (the property we let to him is visible from our house). He has a regular job, and it's his electricity bill, but I still find it a bit odd. He has been away for at least a couple of weeks now with all the lights still on. I sent him a nice text asking him if he would mind me going in and turning the lights off (concerned about overheating / electrical problem) I waited for two days with no answer. I then went over there, thinking he may be ill, to discover he has changed the locks (as is his right) but without telling me. As the owner of the property, I feel a bit uneasy about this. Don't I have the right to a set of keys? I would never enter the property without the tenant's consent, but in the case of an emergency, there is nothing I can do without keys. Not sure what to do now re lights. Am I being overly cautious and worried over nothing? I've been letting this property for six years (two different tenants in that time) with absolutely no problems whatsoever. I have always had keys.

OP posts:

Elendon · 08/02/2017 15:28

Which is why I never book a holiday home with the owner onsite. Ever.

Which is why I would never rent without going through a letting agent. The letting agent has the keys.

riceuten · 08/02/2017 15:29

If our tenants had changed the locks they'd be evicted ASAP

And they'd have every right to sue your arse off for illegal eviction if you did so.

Gallavich · 08/02/2017 15:31

I have a clause which allows me to access to my property in our rental contact

Your clause is illegal by the way. If you decided to waltz into my home even if I had signed your tenancy agreement you would still be breaking the law. Tenancy law Supersedes tenancy agreements and you cannot put legally enforceable clauses in agreements if they contradict the actual law.

Gallavich · 08/02/2017 15:32

Which is why I would never rent without going through a letting agent. The letting agent has the keys

Twice that I know of letting agents have let themselves into my home without permission. They are usually no better than some landlords. (Some wouldn't do that, just as some landlords wouldn't either)

limitedperiodonly · 08/02/2017 15:32

Mumsnet is obsessed with cannabis farms. That and parking

Gallavich · 08/02/2017 15:33

If our tenants had changed the locks they'd be evicted ASAP

Lol no they wouldn't. You could serve notice I suppose but if they chose to stay and continued to pay rent you think a judge would evict them because they changed the locks? Dream on

Gallavich · 08/02/2017 15:34

I'm sure lots of people wouldn't leave a house for 30 days without a friend/neighbour/relative checking on this and watering your plants etc

Why not? Got no plants, got no pets, why would I need someone to check on my house? Pretty sure it will still be there when I get back

WaitrosePigeon · 08/02/2017 15:37

Busybody.

MissLupescu · 08/02/2017 15:37

But that is entirely up to you as a responsible adult Gallivach.

Just as it's entirely up to the OP's tenant if he wants to leave all his lights on while he's away.

Marcipex · 08/02/2017 15:40

How will we ever know?

MyKidsHaveTakenMySanity · 08/02/2017 15:40

When I was involved in running my total cunt landlord's estates I found that he had dozens of non-enforceable clauses in his contracts and I didn't mind saying so to my potential new neighbours. He was a miserly multi-millionaire and relied on the fact that most people were unaware that signing your name on a contract did not mean that you had to adhere to the unfair terms. Unfortunately he/his company owned the majority of rural properties in the town so renters had little choice of places to live. The number of times he was forced to do essential works was astounding and the man is still a landlord years later.
I advised all potential tenants to change their locks immediately and to put the old ones back at the end of their tenancies. No way did I trust him not to send in his estate managers into people's private homes. He had asked me to enough times! (Though I point blank refused) He was that shady.

It is indeed legal to not allow the landlord a key. In fact, many insurances require that the tenant controls who has access.

JanuaryMoods · 08/02/2017 15:44

And they'd have every right to sue your arse off for illegal eviction if you did so.

And they would fail, we'd just not renew the tenancy.

problembottom · 08/02/2017 15:47

Hassling your tenant by text about lights being on and then trying to let yourself into his home without permission is out of order. And I can't believe people are saying you should break in and bill him for changing the locks.

RedSauce · 08/02/2017 15:47

I can't believe people leave their lights on when they go on holiday! Nothing screams "nobody's home" more than lights left on all night long.

MissLupescu · 08/02/2017 15:47

There's a lot more to an eviction than not renewing their tenancy agreement.

And you can't evict them ASAP, unless your definition of ASAP is a few months waiting for a court order...

JanuaryMoods · 08/02/2017 15:51

Rolling contract - they'd be out in 2 months.

But that won't happen because they are happy for us to have keys so they don't have to be around for the gas check or to do any necessary repairs. We would prefer them to be there but they don't want to be.

LadyWhoLikesLunch · 08/02/2017 15:53

I think people are being a bit unfair here I understand people saying they leave a few lights on when the go on holiday or forget to switch a light off but who leaves every light in the house on for 2 weeks? Surely that says empty house come rob me.

MissLupescu · 08/02/2017 15:55

a section 21 for a periodic tenancy (2 months notice) is only a notice that you have the right to apply to court for a court order to vacate.

Some tenants will leave after the section 21 expires but they still have a right to remain in the property until the court orders them to leave by a certain date.

And you're a landlord and you didn't know this????

MissLupescu · 08/02/2017 15:57

And that section 21 is only valid if you've followed all the requirement set out by law.

That's why courts are needed because many landlords haven't a clue what they're doing.

Gallavich · 08/02/2017 16:05

Rolling contract - they'd be out in 2 months

You do know that a section 21 notice isn't an eviction notice, right?

Gallavich · 08/02/2017 16:06

who leaves every light in the house on for 2 weeks? Surely that says empty house come rob me

Who cares? Everything in the house belongs to the tenant. It is literally none of the landlord's business.

clarrylove · 08/02/2017 16:09

You don't think it is the landlord's business if her property gets broken into?

Gallavich · 08/02/2017 16:10

NO! Why would it be? The belongings don't belong to her, what's it to her?

OneWithTheForce · 08/02/2017 16:11

Rolling contract - they'd be out in 2 months.

RedBugMug · 08/02/2017 16:22

my contents insurance states that no third party can hold a key.
so no, my ll does not have one.

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