Landlord inspection

[R4R1]

I live in a rented flat on the 2nd floor of a building. I'm the only flat on my landing.
My neighbours below who recently have moved in have complained that I have to many visitors.

My landlord is doing an inspection tomorrow.

I lead an active social life and dating life.
I'm a male and I see both genders.

My contract doesn't state anything about visitors.

My visitors are respectful and don't cause a nuisance. I don't make loud noises and I only have visitors in the day time on average from lunch till about 8pm tops, Monday to Friday.

I have paid my whole year upfront.

I feel violated and my privacy is being intruded, they have a crying baby all day and night, they leave smelly rubbish on there landing and I have never complained.

Further more the tenant below has been standing outside my flat door interrogating people I have invited over. Asking who they are and why they are here.

I'm trying to not get angry, but I'm a good tenant and it's not my fault. I'm not staying there for free it's my home and as far as I'm concerned I can do what I want as long as I'm within the law.

Any advice in how I should deal with the inspection tomorrow ? I feel like I want to throw a tantrum

Yeah so your neighbour sounds insane. I would actually say you might need to call the police and have a word about harassment.

Glad landlord was ok.

The phrase to use is 'quiet enjoyment' of the property. If you are not being noisy or causing issues your neighbours needs to learn to mind their own business.

People saying sex work?

You are aware its completely legal and almost impossible to prove (unless using entrapment).

OP can have sex with whoever he wants (paid or not) in his rental flat as long as the people involved are consenting. The landlord can NOT ban him from having sex.

Sex work is NOT actually illegal only advertising/soliciting it in public areas is, its not a police issue or anything someone else has a right to complain about legally as long as its within the confines of his flat.

My neighbors can shag whoever they want, being in a flat wouldn't change that, sharing a communal walk way doesn't change that, the neighbor can lock their door and have the exact same level of safety as anyone in a house.

The neighbors actions constitute harassment though which is illegal.

OP the landlord can inspect the property once per year by law, just do it and its done. They cannot evict you if you are not breaking any rules.

Are the neighbours who put up the CCTV the same neighbours that are moving out in 8 weeks?

If so, forget them and let them at it for that short duration. Then take the other flat and life will be sweet for all.

This is wildly wrong... half the people I know work from home and are in rented accommodation, in the last 5 years it has become the basic standard not the exception. Despite that most my friends are self employed and have work from home the whole time anyway.

I have been in rented nearly 20 years and never encountered a rule that banned working from home.

Obviously if your trying to run a night club rave night IN living room that breaks a tonne of laws/rules but no insurance can absoloutly not invalid because someone is doing paper work for business etc... at home. All jobs are not alike and most can be done from home.

I imagine your landlord is only inspecting to keep the peace with the neighbours and whatever they've said has probably worried your landlord a little.
Just tell your landlord what you've told us, it'll be fine.

The issue is the neighbours, not the landlord. Your landlord would be a bit silly not to visit after such a complaint

It's not wrong. But there's a difference between 'working from home' (for a job which is based elsewhere) and using a rental property address to register and run a business from the address.
The first is now accepted as normal for residential property (especially after covid) and a clause excluding the second is still normally included in a standard AST agreement. A business with clients visiting etc creates a different level of risk for a property, hence the insurance company interest.

I was a landlord for 10+ years and had to deal with this.

Anyway it sounds as if the OP is sorted and the neighbours DO sound rather unhinged!

That is correct

They visited yesterday to inspect and then went to speak the neighbours. After the landlords left. Neighbour set up cameras.

I wrote a formal email quoting relevant laws, she she she will email back a formal reply soon

@LlamaDrama20

Thanks

I'm aware of the laws and regulation and my tenancy agreement.

No business is registered here and my clients come to see me to talk or pay for projects which are outside of the flat. For example building work and then I arrange for said work.

They are behaving unhinged and it's freaking me out.

To fight back a bit, I've been walking up the stairs backwards and vica versa with a face mask lol

Why are you so concerned with what your neighbours are doing? Unless they are causing you any problems, or you have safeguarding concerns about a child or a vulnerable person, it isn't any of your business.

I know it's sorted now, I think it's a very good idea to move to the lower flat, people want to feel their homes are private and in a small block of flats many visitors passing directly in front of their doors is a different prospect for most people.

As I'm sure you know housing is in short supply do your rent money isn't more special than anyone else's. I know lots of people who pay for the year upfront as new tenants to get to the top of the consideration pile.

In future you might find it nicer to rent a while property or a flat with its own entrance as you don't seem to like having neighbours intruding on you either.

Thanks and I agree
However today he's been monitoring me all day.

The managing agent has asked if I can just put up with it for the next 3 months.

They also have offered them an early exit from their tenancy to leave sooner. Which I hope they take but I doubt they will as it isn't easy to find a flat

Yeah the police will go round and say “one more complaint from the OP and we will have to do something about it. It’s considered harassment under law.” If they are good enough to tell them that they are reassured there are no illegal activities going on, maybe it will stop them worrying.

Some people who have had difficult lives find it hard not to be suspicious and paranoid about their security. I know because I am one of them. It’s not even just that the visitors are a threat to them. Innocent people hold doors open for strangers to be polite and that’s exactly how my flat got burgled. Tell your friends not to hold the door open to let anyone they don’t know into the block of flats.

My old upstairs neighbour had men calling day & night, we soon worked out she was working as a prostitute as we could hear everything & I mean everything that went on up there right from her clients to her pimp coming to collect his share of the takings. Then one day she disappeared & never came back.