Rental - inspection

[flumpybear]

Hi
We've rented a house fir6 months whilst we have our own house renovated

They've sent me a message at 3:15pm today stating they want to do an inspection on Monday - doesn't give much space for us to get time off work to be there for the inspection ... is this normal?

I'm really not keen on a random person wandering around my house with jewellery, paperwork etc that can be stolen or used to clone or identity etc
Thanks

You don't have to be dictated to over this - it's not an emergency situation and whatever is in the tenancy agreement doesn't override your common law right to quiet enjoyment of the place. I'd suggest some other dates and times that suit you better. You certainly do not to have to agree to anyone inspecting when you aren't present.

Thank you @wowfudge - not tented for years and years do no idea about what's acceptable

Rented even lol 😆

If you can't get time off work to be there tell the agents/LL that it's not convenient and you would like to make a suitable arrangement. Tell them they are absolutely NOT to enter your home without you there. It is illegal without your consent.

You really should have different locks from when you moved in so they can't gain entry without your admittance. You never know who has a copy of your key whether it's unscrupulous agents or previous tenants.
Some contents insurance policies would be invalidated if people you don't know hold a key.
The tenancy agreement can say what it likes, you don't have to comply with it if it goes against your legal rights.

You don’t have to allow access for inspection at all OP although if there is any chance at all you may need to renew for another term at the end of the 6 months you won’t want to piss them off by refusing altogether. If you know for sure you won’t need to extend your tenancy then I would just refuse any inspections until the check out inspection.

@MarySibleysFamiliar - wow I'm
Shocked you can change locks! Thought that would be against the rules and it does bother me who has keys

So they cant just say 'oh we'll let ourselves in if your not there' ... which they have!

We should be out by mid Dec which is 5.5 months at this point

Just tell them it's not convenient and you want to rearrange as you are not happy for them to inspect whilst you are there. Does your tenancy state 6 monthly inspections?

So they cant just say 'oh we'll let ourselves in if your not there' ... which they have!

Have they said it in writing? Email them back with an alternative date and time (or declining the request for inspection altogether) and state in no uncertain terms that they do not have permission to enter the property at any point in your absence or without your express written permission.

Flumpy, fine to say it's not convenient and ask for another time but for goodness sake don't just change the locks! It invalidates the landlords buildings insurance if they can't get I'm in case of emergency (gas leak etc.)

Am a landlord and would be fine with you asking to change the time within a reasonable period

So they cant just say 'oh we'll let ourselves in if your not there' ... which they have!

Yep, definitely not allowed. It's not up to them to say when they're coming into YOUR home. You pay for it and they have no right of entry.

I highly recommend changing the locks. As long as you return the original locks at the end of the tenancy they can't do a thing. It's a catch 22 for them anyway. They know they're not allowed in and the only way they can know about he new locks is by trying to illegally gain access.

Pop to B&Q and pick up a new lock barrel and with the help of a screwdriver and a YouTube video you can have a secure home for under a tenner and in 10 Minutes.

Think of it this way. The estate agents have your keys and they're labelled with your address. Just sitting there in some random office. You don't know who has access. Scary.

You have been given some absolutely nonsense advice OP.

Changing the locks would very likely be a breach of the lease. "whatever is in the tenancy agreement doesn't override your common law right to quiet enjoyment of the place" is also absolute rubbish.

Contact the agent and ask to reschedule the viewing. Most people just let them do it whilst they are at work and I'm not sure why you wouldn't to be honest- if some jewellery goes missing it's going to be pretty obvious who the culprit is. I think you would be offended if you were trying to carry out your job and you were being prevented from doing so on the basis you might be a thief.

A landlord has every right to get an emergency locksmith out in case of an emergency. They can even bill the tenant if it is an emergency caused by the tenant.
However, emergency services do not need keys so if it's on fire don't worry, they're not waiting for a landlord to pop over.

"As long as you return the original locks at the end of the tenancy they can't do a thing."

How do you know that @MarySibleysFamiliar? Have you read OP's lease?

Most people just let them do it whilst they are at work and I'm not sure why you wouldn't to be honest

Of course you are. Don’t be silly.

I'm not too bothered about it being Monday it just seems like less than a days notice so getting time off from work is not simple.

If they say 3pm for example that's fine - not 1-5pm at some point - and re the jewellery - I have irreplaceable pieces from my dead mother and grandmother - I usually keep them locked away but no safe at rental - I don't trust anyone to be brutally honest, whether it's their job or not, once things are gone, stolen etc it can't be replaced

Enlighten me?

More silliness. You’re faux naïveté is kidding no-one.

What does your tenancy agreement say? Mine says inspection every 6 months with 24 hours notice. It's stressful keeping the place inspection ready when you've got kids but I thought this was pretty standard?

I worked in letting for years and worked for a total piece of shit company (landlord) who put pretty much anything he wanted in his ASTs. Most tenants gave up and left when an issue arose and he either charged them or didn't do the repair but those who fought always won. They still left and took rentals elsewhere of course but the LL was constantly in trouble. Never was a lease of his upheld in court to my knowledge. He would instruct staff to illegally enter houses when tenants had declined and again, when caught, would find himself in trouble. Quite frankly, any landlord who thinks he or she should be able to walk into someone else's home without their permission deserves to be eaten by the householders dog.

You seem to be struggling to form an argument so are simply saying I'm silly. I have said I can't see why you wouldn't let them inspect without you being present as I consider it highly unlikely they are going to steal from you when it would be obvious who the culprit is. And your rebuttal to that is...?

@Itsarainyday555 what I posted is not "absolute nonsense" at all. And yes the OP can change the locks as long as she puts the original barrels back at the end of the tenancy as advised by another poster.

If she doesn't want them there unless she's present that's her prerogative. And I don't for one minute think it's accidental that they've given so little notice - it's precisely so the tenant is unlikely to be there.

Contract says 24 hours notice - but time slot is 4 hours which is tricky

I really don't want anyone in my home without me or my husband for reasons explained