Would a "childified" house put off renters?

[Pawslikepaddington]

We need to rent our house out big time, as we are moving out because we can't afford the rent, and unless I get someone else in we are liable for rent on two houses, one of which we couldn't afford in the first place, until September 2009! Would kiddy clutter put them off? We have stuff EVERYWERE as I am a hoarder and a shopper anyway, there are piles of stuff for freecyclers to pick up, and then (obviously!) Dd needs to unpack everything I pack just to see what's in there. On top of that thousands of toys seem to have materialised from nowhere! They are mainly PhD students BTW!

Yes it will put people off, de clutter.

You'd have to pack away everything I think, as if they are renting then technically it's their space isn't it so they'd need to be able to make it feel like their home.

Yes. It would definitely put me off (and I have a child!)

yes

Argh, sorry, haven't made that v clear have I? I am renting the place at the mo from a landlord, so we will have moved out by next week, but people are looking around this week and we are in uproar. Am trying to declutter, but it just seems to be getting bigger and bigger! The reason I need to rent it is the landlord has said that if I don't get someone else to take my place I am liable.

How do I start being ruthless? Just take everything to the charity shop? Am so worried I will ned it at some point/dd will get upset because some of her toys have gone.

oh well, in that case it won't really put people off. So you'll be leaving and taking it all with you? I'm sure they will see beyond the clutter then!

Have you found out through CAB or some other advice centre if the landlord is right about your liability? I haven't heard that before? Or is it because you haven't given enough notice?

Get rid of anything that you haven't used over the last year/six months.

Get rid of most toys no longer played with due to outgrowing them etc. Get rid of all broken toys.

Get rid of rubbish clutter (papers, old letters, postcards, magazines etc etc)

How can you be liable for the rent until September 2009? Have you just signed one year leases on two properties?

Rang shelter and I have the most unprotected type of tenancy you can have , so I have no rights re giving notice, and they are being SO picky over tenants it is untrue! They have to be employed by blah university, they must be doing blah degree, they cannot be part of blah department, they must want to rent the whole place themselves and not want to share with someone else (and it is BIG, six people could share it!). Needle. Haystack. Argh!

My lease ran out on this place two days ago, but had to renew two months ago or move out, and I was financially able to then. Then something bad happened financially and I no longer have enough coming in to pay the rent, let alone pay bills, buy food etc, so have to move out.

i wouldn't rent a place full of someone's else's shite.

for one, how do i know the landlord will clear it all out if the former tenant ditches it there because they can't be bothered to take it with them?

for two, i'm renting the space. and i need every bit of it.

this isn't a childified house, it's a cluttered house.

if i went in with a letting agent or landlord and saw that i'd walk right back out, tbh.

we're private renters, btw.

it's fine if there's antoher tenant in the place when we view it, but if they are like something out of The Life Laundry, we give the place a swerve because we've been burned by tenants who don't take stuff with them and the landlord doesn't clear it out or landlords who use their rental property as extra storage place for their junk.

sorry, but you need to be ruthless.

do you really want to schlepp all that stuff around - box it, load it, etc.?

i try to keep the stuff to a min. for that very reason alone.

So two months ago you signed a new AST for one year?

It might be worth emailing Shelter the details for advice and perhaps also posting on landlordzone?

We don't have an AST-It says on it that it is, but it isn't. Thankfully I am having a lot of interest in it, but every person that sees it and meets the criteria they gave me then then seem to turn down !

I wouldn't dump my stuff, I love my stuff! , Tbh I've just looked round and it's not that bad-the kitchen has a bread machine and coffee maker, kettle, diswasher, microwave and jars of coffee on the side, but we only have 2 kitchen cupboards so have nowhere to put them! The rest of it looks pretty tucked away-think I was having a bit more of a crisis than I thought-there aren't things piled up on tables and chairs and stuff

• "We don't have an AST-It says on it that it is, but it isn't. "

What? you need some legal advise on this, it sounds really messy.

• "Thankfully I am having a lot of interest in it, but every person that sees it and meets the criteria they gave me then then seem to turn down"

They have no incentive to accept any new tenants when they know they can rely on you to pay the rent, hassle free.

If it says it is an AST then surely it is?

If not, then the landlord is liable for giving you the wrong tenancy agreement.

Shelter have said because they are a uni they cannot issue AST's, but apparently even though it says AST it is still valid, and so I'm rather stuck! I wouldn't be moving out if I could pay the rent as it is a lovely place, and they seem to think somehow I can magic nearly a grand a month out of thin air and pay the rent on the other place, when my student loan is only £4,500, and I don't qualify for HB, which was how this whole thing started in the first place, as I used to qualify so could afford it-argh! They can't rely on me to pay the rent as I can't pay it in the first place, and they know this and seem to be choosing to ignore it and just take me to court instead and CCJ me or something. They have known for a few months that I have been in financial difficulties, so it hasn't just jumped on them.

Have you been to your local council and spoken to a housing advisor there? They might be able to clarify things.

If it isn't an AST then surely you are not liable to give notice or find a replacement yourself?

How much notice did you give them?

I said I needed to move out on the 3rd October, but have paid rent up to the 31st October already, and with a bit of ducking and diving may be able to pay one more month on top of that, as it has a very hefty deposit to come back, so it would be ok, or they could take a month out of the deposit (the deposit was 2 1/2 months rent). I have a protected tenancy, wihch is apparently very bad for tenants!

And it's a fixed term tenancy with no break clause. Please let them choose someone!

Even if legally you are trapped you may have grounds to ask the university for an exception to be made - if your story made it to the press they would look very very bad, and they won't want that.

Oooh that's true. I have found a lot of tenants in just two days who seem to fit the criteria they have laid out for us, and all of them are very keen on the property. The lease only runs for one year, and then they have to leave unless they have been exceptional tenants, so there is damage limitation there as far as bad tenants/non payment of rent goes!

At a university the pressure is on for you to find tenants now, as the term starts.

I would go and speak to the accomodation people in person, clearly explaining what dire straits they have put you in. If they won't budge, go talk to the student union, and the local press.

I am in hourly contact with the accommodation service so that is good. I have done viewings myself, organised viewings for them to show people around as they don't like the tenant to do it, advertised everywhere I can, so am doing all I can-some good must come of it hopefully! Thanks upwind xx