Puzzled about a possible HMO

[LetSophieGo]

I made a AIBU about this earlier but feel it ought to go here, so have written it out again, with a tidier list of details. This is happening to a relative that I have been staying with for the past few months in a covid bubble!

Hoping someone might be able to shed a bit of light on a puzzling situation.
A house that was previously used as a HMO (non student, mainly European, single male workers) was recently sold. Landlord sold up and all tenants left, house was in a bad state and possibly unsafe.
Was purchased a few months later by overseas LL's who also purchased 20 other homes in the same local area.

Since the sale, house was given a few coats of paint and new carpets. No furniture or other work done on it so far. This was 8 months ago.
In the past few months a key-safe was placed on the wall near the front door. Since then, occasionally, a few different guys (mid 20's or so) go in to the house, stay for about 10 mins whilst talking on phone, then leave. These guys appear to have no connection to each other or the owners and the house is not connected to any lettings agents. I had initially thought they were popping in to keep an eye on the place as the owners were not around. However.....

3 weeks ago, a middle aged guy came out of there and said hello, that he was moving in with his wife and kids and was happy to meet my relative!

That as the last we saw of him. Since then, there are still random guys going in there - one yesterday sounded like he was kicking a door from it's hinges (!) then left 5 mins later. in the early evening a car full of men stopped outside whilst a guy got out, peered in through the windows of the house, then got back in and drove off. All unrelated but focused on the house. This one didnt access the key safe.

What puzzles us is that these random young guys remind us of the ones who lived in the previous HMO (all speak a different language to each other). I am wondering is it normal for a potential HMO to have a key safe when nobody is living there and nobody there to conduct viewings? It seems a bit weird and potentially risky to me. However I have no experience of this stuff so forgive me if I seem daft. Are these even 'viewings' in the regular sense?

Does it look like the new owners are buying up local houses for new HMO's? and if so, how to explain the guy who said he was moving his family in? Perhaps his contract fell through...any thoughts?

Drug dealers with a family there for cover? It does sound pretty odd.

Yeah sounds like a drug drop off point.

contact council they should keep a list of hmo properties and any licence etc if needed...

Air bnb?

Could easily be an air BnB or short term let. I work for a lettings agent with HMOs, because of the pandemic we currently are operating via video viewings, electronic contracts and key safes too, nothing dodgy about that side. the HMO could also have been split into a flat and a HMO too for the family.

My moneys on the drug exchange.

thanks for replies!

I also have thought HMO and covid measures, but it is definitely not flats, no work has been done in there at all, and no. furniture in yet.

the guys go in, stay for around 10 mins, talk on phone, then leave.
personally I think the key safe thing is a crazy idea; if anything happens to the property or someone gets hurt, I don't see the owners insurance liking that.

one went in there a few days ago and spent only a couple on mins smashing something up. there isn't even anything in there to smash. odd behaviour for a prospective tenant, but then nothing surprises me with that house anymore.

Could they be prospective workmen going in to price up a job, ringing the owner with a price?

def not airb&b, nobody goes in with even a bag, these are not contractors either.

one night last week, my relative heard someone in there during the night, briefly bumping about and playing something like movie footage on a phone. Was fairly distinct, then stopped - no lights on or curtains up, no furniture, etc.

super odd, but I still think HMO as opposed to drugs. There's certainly no dealers going in there - all lads look fairly 'well scrubbed up' and not at all shifty. BUT I know this means nothing, really.

they do always leave cards on next street though!

cars

oh, also, the property is not online anywhere, not as a HMO, AirB&B or a let. The only info online includes the sold price last year.

AFAIK new owners are overseas and it doesn't seem to be in the hands of an agent at all.

these lads are not workers, they remind me of young European guys, like in the last HMO here. Fairly pleasant buy quite young, well dressed. They used to walk up and down outside front of house nattering on phone and smoking a lot.

if they are future tenants I wonder why some keep returning month after month, to look at an empty house with furniture for only 5 mins at a time.

I'm in the drugs drop off camp. Everything you've described points that way.
They keep houses for this very purpose. Make them look like HMOs . People will be dressed normally .

Cannabis farm?