Nosey landlord

[SparklesAndUnicorns]

My landlord keeps just turning up and sorting my front flower beds without telling me. I honestly don't mind because I'm a crap gardener but I'd love a bit of warning, just a text to say "I'll be sorting the front today and I'll be right outside your living room window" would be nice. I've been here a year and I can't seem to get rid of her, she'll drive past my house or just text me saying she's coming over or sending someone over to do maintenance without the 24 hours notice. I understand it's her house and she wants to keep everything in order but I never get a heads up and I feel like I can't live in my house peacefully without her just turning up. She's retired and probably bored and I don't want to be rude and tell her to go away and give me a bit of space because I don't want to seem rude but it feels like a bit of invasion of privacy sometimes.

Yes she was a horrible woman. She also came round to do an inspection of the house when I’d recently had my DS and had a 13 month old. Apparently she noted that the shower glass wasn’t up to her standard as it wasn’t clean.
Now I’m not a filthy person however I hadn’t had the time to clean the shower glass before she came due to being swamped by babies!

😱 @MissCrowley what a cow! Well done for getting out.

We ended up moving in with my parents which caused a whole host of other anxiety issues (caused by my stepfather) which I wont go into in case of derailing someone's thread.
We've managed to save a deposit, we've bought a house and now going through the process of the mortgage. Should know by Monday hopefully.

I'm mentally exhausted from the last few years. It's been hell but there's a light at the end of the tunnel.

Honestly OP I really think for the sake of your sanity you try and get out of there. Are you with an estate agent who can liase between the two of you instead? This is where I went wrong, we agreed to drop the estate agent and work it out between ourselves.

In the past whenever I have rented the LL has always handed over the keys which I ha to i sign for.

It looks like LL can have keys , ours were always done through an agent. Did you sign a contract with her.

Fingers cross @MissCrowley well done for moving on.

Sounds awful. I think these amateur landlords need to have a little lesson in their responsibilities and what they can and cannot do.

The Shelter website has useful info on this problem - england.shelter.org.uk/housing_advice/eviction/what_to_say_if_your_landlord_turns_up_without_permission

Thank you @whataboutbob onwards and upwards hopefully!

Ive just come home to post and it's all for her!!! What landlord uses their tenants address for post!?

Do you know her address to write on the post to redirect it. Dont answer the text or phone if she calls about it.

I would ask her to have her post redirected. I am a LL and have a set of master keys to each property but would never use them without tenant consenting. I never go round to visit tenants. If the tenant can't because of work, let in gas engineer to do gas check, I do offer to go around and let them in to do certified. I only do this if they have not organised withy gas engineer when would be convenient for them. I give them gas engineers number and ask them to ring to agree a mutually convenient time but if engineer text me to say tenants not been in touch and certificate is running put I offer to help them.

@KittenCatcher yeah I've amended the address and going to repost it all tomorrow, then I'm just going to send her a text and make out I'm reminding her that some of her post is still being delivered to my house and I'm constantly redirecting it.

@caringcarer you sound like the kind of landlord everyone would like! Respect goes both ways for sure

@MissCrowley sounds awful and very familiar I really don't want her to push my family out but I can see myself feeling the way you did if it continues for much longer I'm glad you got out. Unfortunately it's not through a letting agents so everything goes through her no way of getting around it

@thunderb definitely I think I could get her done for harassment at this point. Thank you for the link!

I stuck it out for 7 years. I don’t advise you do this. We didn’t have much choice as we’d got the kids in the school and we had no funds to be able to move.

@SparklesAndUnicorns - I’m also a LL and would never turn up unannounced… or send trades in either! I usually give the tenant the trades number and get them to sort out a good time for the trade to attend.
I do have keys to the house just in case they lose theirs.

Re the post. I know roughly what your LL is doing. It’ll be something tax related, especially if bank statements and utility bills are being delivered.

@MissCrowley yeah I'm in the same situation as you were I can't afford to rent anywhere else in my area, I'm right near the school and the rent is cheap for the village I'm in. I've looked at other houses the same size as mine to rent and they're a good £300 more than what I pay now a month so I feel really stuck I honestly wish I could afford to buy my own house

@ByeByeMissAmericanPie yeah! I was with a letting agent before in my old house and they mainly left me alone and I organised everything. The only thing was that they carried out quite a few house inspections a year but I didn't mind too much as I'm not a disgusting tenant and everything was fine, shame the house was too small and we grew out of it really quickly once my youngest was no longer a baby.

Update I've just text her to tell her the showers leaking and if she could send a plumber, next text I get is "I'm coming over" stuck to my guns as I'm really poorly with the flu and my kids are in the bath so I spoke to her on the phone and told her she couldn't come over until tomorrow. She didn't even ask if now was a convenient time! She got really annoyed like I was inconveniencing her ffs I've contacted citizens advice but I haven't heard anything back yet.

What's she need to come over for? Is she a plumber?