Landlord selling

[Mooovingonout]

Yesterday I was informed my landlord intended to sell the house I live in but I'm not yet being given the official two months notice.
The estate agent does want to come round and take photos and get it on the market asap. I said it will have to be after half term but that's not good enough for them, they want to come on Monday. I can say no to that right? Unless they would like my children in every photo and they're toys out??

My view is if they want me to get the house photo ready they should take when I'm available. I'm not gaining anything from the sale

Estate agents rarely work on Sundays so it’s not really 🙄
You don’t have to allow viewings while you’re paying rent but if you are going along with it to maintain your friendship or whatever, at least be realistic about the situation. The flat is for sale and estate agents generally work Mondays to Saturdays so if you want to keep your friend who owns it happy, you will have to be a bit more flexible than saying the only time that suits you is Sunday afternoon.

@Twiglets1 I have never met the owner, it's certainly not a friend and I have no intention of keeping things friendly, civil at least.

I've read my contract - photos/viewing during the notice period. I've not had notice so don't have to let them in. I let them do a viewing and they left my house unlocked, that doesn't make me want to be nice anymore.

Apologies I was mixing you up with someone with a similar attitude whose landlord was a friend.
I think people either don’t allow viewings at all (as is their right while paying rent) or be reasonable about allowing access at various times over the week.

OP, worth reading about the circumstances in which you can refuse viewings. If your contact says you need to, you can’t ignore the contract terms despite what your armchair lawyers say.

www.citizensadvice.org.uk/about-us/about-us1/media/press-releases/on-the-move-again-but-how-can-tenants-stay-safe/

I feel for you OP, our landlord dropped the bomb on us 2 weeks ago, said they'd give us first refusal like I could pull £15,000 out of my arse for a deposit.
We've been pushed into getting a mortgage which wasn't in our plans at all but we're now terrified of renting somewhere else for it to happen again.
We've now had an offer accepted on a lovely house but we're moving area because there was nothing affordable near where we live now.
LL wants us out "ASAP" but we haven't got our official 2 months notice yet. She's annoyed we're not buying it as she wants a quick sale.
I'm worried about what we will do if we really have to leave before our vendors have found somewhere to move to.
Secretly hoping whoever buys this house is also in a chain to give us more time!

I've spoken to citizens advice and shelter - I don't have to allow viewings, I've not had my two months notice. The fact the stress from their estate agent has put me in hospital and that they don't lock up when they leave helps my case there!

My LL wanted us to buy the house too, I said exactly the same to my letting agent " I'll just magic the deposit out my ass then" 😂 Honestly where do they think we can just find the money from?

Thought I'd post here again instead of starting a new thread -

I've still not received notice 🙄

Estate agent emailed me on 28/6 asking when they could do viewings. I didn't reply. Later that evening I had a long seizure and DH had to call paramedics. I didn't go to hospital that time as I came out of "zombie mode" while they were there and they were happy to leave me. Plus waiting times are horrendous at the hospital.

Estate agent rang DH the next day to ask about viewings and got told where to go.

Had an email today requesting access for viewings. Now trying not to stress myself. I dont know why I'm getting stressed!

I just want my notice so I can go to the council and start doing something.

Also noticed these in my contract which I was wondering if anyone could help with.

As I've not had notice I'm not in my last two months of tenancy. So they shouldn't have put up a for sale sign yet. And I don't have to allow viewings. I have an assured short hold tenancy agreement which is now on a rolling month to month term.

So sorry you are going through this.
What is likely going on is that the LL wants your rent income while the house is on the market and during the selling process. Selling a house takes longer than 2 months, and sometimes fall through.
This is why you haven’t gotten your section 21 eviction notice. If they give you notice, you would be gone in 2 months and the LL would have to cover the bills and such while it sat empty until the sale closed.

You need to firmly tell them NO VIEWINGS AT ALL until you have vacated the property. You have this right to quiet enjoyment of the property. This will mean the LL has to give you a Section 21 and wait two months before viewings can start.

I recently went through same thing, estate agent called on 13 May saying LL is selling and wanted to get house on market ASAP and would we allow viewings. I said no for sale signs and no viewings until after we vacate. The LL served the section 21 the following week with expiry of 9 August 22.

Our AST had the same terms, and we are in the last two months of our 2yr tenancy agreement. But those terms are non binding on you as they are trumped by the law allowing you quiet enjoyment of the property.

Thank you both 😊

The for sale signs went up a day after I had the call to say it's being sold and I really wish I knew then that I didn't have to allow it.

You can ask them to be taken down on the concept that viewings can’t be done anyway and you don’t want people knocking on your door asking questions or peering in your windows.

Are you still interested in moving to a place the estate agents manage? You might be better off with different estate agents that don’t treat you so poorly tbh.

Not anymore. I've got a ccj and failed the credit check on one of their properties so private renting is going to be almost impossible for us. Going to go the council route. Not looking forward to it but that's how it is I guess

Ignore the poster wanging on about “armchair lawyers” who clearly is one herself, because she’s talking bollocks.

An actual housing solicitor, who I met face to face, confirmed I could refuse all viewings and photos, and that if there was continued contact about viewings, it would be construed as harassment.

Check if the EA is registered with the Property Ombudsman. Send an email, with clearly quoted law, stating you will not be allowing any viewings, and any further emails will be construed as harassment and a formal complaint to the PO made.

That should make them STFU.

About half of my tenancy agreement was unreasonable, unenforceable bullshit that I endured during my 4 years and that I am currently in the midst of putting together court papers for.

I'm a similar situation , my landlord said he was selling last October and it still hasn't sold. He said it would be marketed as buy to let so I can hopefully stay. The landlord hasn't served a section 21 yet as like a previous poster advised he wants to sell first. Despite me saying I only want viewings on Thursdays and Fridays while I am at work all day I keep getting calls to say can people look round at times after I collect my daughter from school. She is autistic and gets very anxious when I tell her we need to pop our for a bit due to a viewing. I just want it bloody sorted so I know where I am instead of being in limbo. I'm sick of having to keep making the place presentable as obviously I'm being judged as a tenant !!

Tell them no.

Its your legal right. If they continue to ask, report to the property ombudsman.

So I emailed the estate agent yesterday and said as it's summer holidays there wouldn't be a convenient time for viewings.

Came home from school pick up today to find my notice hand delivered 😀

I find it odd that the letters with the notice are signed by someone who I know is off sick with Covid right now. Dated 12/7 when I know she wasn't at work.

I guess you didn’t really leave your landlord any choice but to give notice straight away seeing as you couldn’t come to an amicable arrangement re viewings. Your landlord would have probably preferred to keep you there for a few more months as it can take quite a while for any sale to reach completion and can fall through of course. This way the landlord will have a period of time without any income from the property but will be able to have lots of viewings when it’s empty

I find it odd that the letters with the notice are signed by someone who I know is off sick with Covid right now. Dated 12/7 when I know she wasn't at work.

I had covid and was not in, and was certainly putting my signature to work docs

I really struggle to see why you needed to be put every time there was a viewing?!

So how were you hand signing letters if you weren't at work? I would've thought work colleagues would stay away to avoid catching Covid 🤷🏼‍♀️

I will be in for viewings in future, estate agent asked for the house to be empty for viewings

Their are some docs that can only be signed by management, this presumably would fall in that category, so those that only I could sign off - were emailed to me, I printed and then scanned back. One was needed as the original, so I posted first class.

And thankfully my colleagues weren’t concerned about touching papers that I had touched the day before! 😂

Ok so this entire stress really could have been avoided by you saying - fine for viewings but no to property being empty

Personally I would be refusing viewings for the remainder of the tenancy. Regardless of what your contract might say, they have no legal right without your agreement. They'd have to obtain a court order which obviously they won't do for viewings.

This is your home. There's no way on earth I would be allowing people traipsing around a home I wasn't personally selling. They're greedy bastards who don't want a void period, sod them.