Letting viewings help

[Trudij123]

Hi - not sure if this should be in here or in AIBU, but I’ve plumped for in here first!!

What are my rights as the current tennant with regard to viewings for prospective people coming in?

I’m moving out of my rental house at the end of the month. Got my move in date for the new place all sorted and it’s all going fine. Good terms with the outgoing landlords and all is fine.
They let through a local estate agent - who got in touch with me today saying they were putting the place back on the market and would need to be able to do viewings and will give me at least 24 hours notice. ( bit of a panic about people coming in, but it’s all going to be ok I’m sure, it’s not going to be show home like while we are still here, especially post storms!) they shouldn’t be doing anything other than judging the house anyway!) I said it was fine, but I want them to come as late as possible.
EA had come back to me to say someone wants to come at 12 on Friday, and in response to my “that’s not very late” answer have told me they have now “booked one for 12.15 as well - is that ok?” To which I have pointed out that it’s not really ideal given that I said as late as possible, but that’s how I’ve left it...

Where do I stand on this? Am I able to put my foot down and say no, they have to come later?

Am I just being stubborn and need to grow up? ( happy to get told I am) I just don’t like the idea of them coming into ( what’s meant to be) my home when I’m not here? Or do I have some kind of rights in this as a tenant - I’m not saying nobody can come till I move out? I just don’t want them there when I’m not around!! ( and could do with longer on a viewing day to hoover round/make sure the kitchen and bathrooms are tidy etc!) I don’t want to fall out with anyone - but I don’t want to just lay down and let them walk all over me either.

While I’m on that subject - I had to pay to reconnect the telephone lines when I moved
In, the previous tenant had removed the box that the cables all go into ( so I presume she had to connect as well) landlord knows I had to pay for it and hasn’t offered to reimburse me at all, so would it be cheeky if I mention it and ask if they want to buy it off me, or shall I just keep quiet and remove it when I go?

I’ve never left a rental before and I don’t know the etiquette for it !!

England?

not a matter of etiquette. Read your contract and your how to rent guide re viewings. You can say 'no', only way for landlord to enforce is to take you to court. Not happening as you are leaving. Contract is with landlord, not agent, the latter can whistle. Agents are not regulated so some will play on your lack of knowledge.

phone line - utilities are tenant responsibility. Unfortunately if your predecessor was a wrecker you get the bill. Up to you if you want to do the same for the next tenant. You would expect to take your router but not the actual connection box.

Awesome, thankyou so much for answering :)
I might ask them if they want me to take the box or did they want to reimburse me for it and just see what they say - worth a try I suppose, I just don’t see why I should pay to put something right they will use in their advert ( it was advertised as being on the phone network - it was, but without the box you couldn’t access it at all !)

Thankyou again

I suppose I chose to repair the phone line to the house though, so i should have said something at the time, not as I’m leaving 18 months later!!

You don’t have to allow viewings at all full stop. I would, as having been on the other side and had a tenant not allow viewings when we were desperately worried about paying two mortgage in the gap between tenants, I’d hate another person to feel like that. Thank goodness we no longer have that property! So in your shoes I’d allow viewings as much as I could, but if it’s genuinely inconvenient then you’re well within your rights to say no.

You could put your foot down and say no but that’s a pretty shitty thing to do to your landlord. The potential new tenants will be with the agent/landlord at all times so they certainly won’t be stealing anything or rooting through your drawers if that’s what you are worried about.

Yeah, I thought that when I sold the house I moved here from, but I’d get home and find things moved and stuff clearly been investigated. Hence I’m jumpy about it now...

Maybe I should just leave a tonne of sex toys on my bed and leave them to it ;)

!!! And if you want to do that, entirely up to you! You do not have to tidy up or make any effort for viewings.

And as it looks like the agents are playing up, let the landlords know.

I love my landlords, I’m just not struck on the estate agent and her attitude. Hopefully one of the first people to come will fall in love with the house and I won’t need to worry about it too much!’

Thankyou for all the answers :)

We lived in rental for a year recently between selling and buying. When the landlord wanted to remarket at the end of our tenancy, I gave them certain time slots on a couple of days a week for viewings and refused other requests and anything past 5pm, as we have very young DC.

I would take the box with you unless they want to pay for it. I spent £500 putting up custom made blinds downstairs in our rental (with landlord approval). I offered them to the landlord for half price when we were leaving and the reply was that I was welcome to leave them as they liked them, but didn’t want to pay. Same with the burglar alarm I had installed (again with landlord approval). They asked me to leave it, but refused to pay anything towards the installation. I took out both the blinds and the alarm and made good the walls.

Generally the landlord was very tight and a lot of things broke whilst we were there. She quibbled over every repair, so no way was I letting her keep and benefit from the expensive things we put in!