Landlord / experienced tenant opinion please!**UPDATE-LL ENTERED HOUSE ILLEGALLY?**

Gina

I've had my old landlord try to walk in without knocking twice. The first time I had the chain on but I was ill in bed and it scared me when someone tried to get in. The second time I was in the middle of getting changed and the chain wasn't on. My landlord had the best intentions and thought I was at work, but as a woman living on your own you can feel quite vulnerable so please don't give the op such a hard time.

neverdespairgirl

Jimuth wrote: »

It annoys me to hear people say rental properties are their home. Having rented (and continuing to rent - but only in managed properties to avoid this sort of thing) for over 12 years, I've learnt a long time ago that that's BS of the highest order. It's his house, you're renting it!

Yes, it's his house. Yes, you are renting it. But, it's your home. And the LL can't just come in.

BridgetJones_2

neas wrote: »

Think really about it... do you trust him? My landlord probably has a key for my place but i trust they wont come because.... why would they? I pay the bills i keep the place tidy/clean and everyones happy. How long have you lived there? How many times has he Let himself in when you haven't asked him too?..... most likely ZERO...

Why do people over dramatice eveything?

No...once. As she states in the opening post! It sounds like he just isn't aware of how to rent properly so I doubt it will happen again. Esp if you make him aware you're not comfortable. He'll probably be horrified that he upset you.

When I was a student I came home to find a man fiddling with my chest of drawers - he had my knicker drawer open at the time. I freaked out and ran out of the house, calling 999.... he chased me and said the landlady had sent him round to fix the blinds and he was just 'fixing the drawers'. Imagine how I felt, terrified!!

It's his house but it's YOUR HOME. He lost the right to just let himself in when he started to let it out & there's nothing wrong with clearing that up with him.

milliebear00001

How ridiculous - is Jimuth seriously suggesting that nobody who rents has a home?! Tell that to my children will you...cos they certainly think of my landlord's house as their home, and so do I! Typical example of LL who cannot understand that s/he has an obligation to think about their tenant once in a while, rather than just their bottom line. Letting a house means you're having an enormous influence over people's lives - it's not like running a shop - or at least it shouldn't be. The OP is a good tenant - she hasn't put a foot wrong. Her LL has failed to abide by their agreed conditions and needs to be gently reminded of his obligations. The OP has not posted that she is planning to do anything in the slightest bit unreasonable.

Icey77

milliebear00001 wrote: »

Typical example of LL who cannot understand that s/he has an obligation to think about their tenant once in a while, rather than just their bottom line.

We're not all like this you know! Some of us LL are quite nice really and wouldn't even dream of entering without permission and/ or our tenants not being present. Some of us do our best for our tenants!

As a LL, I agree that this chap has been a little over enthusiastic in getting the problem fixed, he "should" have called first to ask if the Sunday was OK or waited until the Monday. However, I don't think it's fair to curse him from here to kingdom come as a bad LL because he came over pronto to fix the loo.

As other posters have said, a gentle reminder should be enough to ensure he doesn't do it again. If he does, that's another story and the tenant has every right to complain vigourously.

Could we give him the benefit of the doubt and talk to him nicely and try to sort it all out amicably?

Emmywoo, I hope you can sort it all out to your satisfaction without losing what sounds like a previously good working relationship.

Rabiddog_2

A simple note to your LL stating that you think he's either a pervert or a paedophile and not to enter without your express permission should be sufficient. As that seems to be the subtext to your post? Or am I over-dramatizing things?
You have a nice flat, which you like, and you seem intent on spoiling it by getting your LL back up.
It is wrong of you, really, to come on here first, before trying to sort it out (Discuss in calm manner) with your LL.
For all HE knows you are over the moon at his wonderful speed in dealing with the first problem he's aware of, while you are fretting about illegal entry and changing the locks?
TALK TO HIM HE IS NOT AN ALIEN JUST A HUMAN BEING (who happens to be a landlord). Do you really have a problem?

buttonmoon

As a single woman myself I can understand that having a someone in your house without knowing about it would freak you out.

I live by myself, and I came home one day to find the outside of my flat had been painted and my bushes had been cut back. This natually freaked me out as the letting agency had not told me that anyone was coming around to do any work. Even though the work had been done on the outside it made me very nervous as I was worried that someone was inside my flat or had been inside my flat. The letting agency are useless so the next time I saw my landlady I mentioned this and she was very angry that they letting agency hadn't told me about the work, and understood that it scared me.

In the house I lived in before, the landlord was very good and always used to send this odd job man to fix anything that went wrong. Our landlord always gave us notice and fixed a date that we were happy with usually this would be morning or afternoon rather than a specific time. I asked my landlord if odd job man could not come round at a specific time to ask him to ring the phone AND then knock loudly BEFORE he let himself in. We were both females in our 20's and I expalined to him that as we worked at different times we would not want the odd job man having the embaressment of letting himself in when we were in the shower. The landlord understood this and would always make sure that the odd job man rang the phone and knocked before letting himself in.

I would ring your landlord and thank him for fixing your loo, but mention it to him that you are a woman living alone with a young child, and that if he wants to come around can he please let you know in advance and call you before he lets himself in. I would keep the conversation lighthearted, and mention that you wouldn't want him to have the embarressment of coming around whilst you were in the shower, or screaming the house down as you thought he was a burgler, etc. At this point you landlord should sound embarressed and apologise for not recognising the potential embarressment he could have caused you both.

I hope that your landlord just didn't think and thought he was being super helpful just popping around. If that is the case just mentioning it will mean that it won't happen again.

Good luck

franklee

I really don't think any excuses or reasons are required. It's just that some tenants do not want others in their home within they are not present and do not know when the visit is happening. These tenants do not have to be women or their children. It's simply a right all tenants have and doesn't need justifying.

If other tenants don't mind the landlord or his workmen popping round unannounced then that's fine for them but there is no excuse for imposing their values on other tenants who may feel differently.

There is also no excuse for the landlord not to comply once he knows how his particular tenant feels. If the tenant doesn't tell him how she feels after this first occurrence then she will have no leg to stand on if it happens again as the landlord will not know there was a problem so will assume it's OK to do again.

milliebear00001

Icey77 wrote: »

We're not all like this you know! Some of us LL are quite nice really and wouldn't even dream of entering without permission and/ or our tenants not being present. Some of us do our best for our tenants!

As a LL, I agree that this chap has been a little over enthusiastic in getting the problem fixed, he "should" have called first to ask if the Sunday was OK or waited until the Monday. However, I don't think it's fair to curse him from here to kingdom come as a bad LL because he came over pronto to fix the loo.

As other posters have said, a gentle reminder should be enough to ensure he doesn't do it again. If he does, that's another story and the tenant has every right to complain vigourously.

Could we give him the benefit of the doubt and talk to him nicely and try to sort it all out amicably?

Emmywoo, I hope you can sort it all out to your satisfaction without losing what sounds like a previously good working relationship.

Just to add that I recognise not all LL are only interested in their pocket. My own LL is excellent and we have a great relationship. Some however, really shouldn't be letting properties to anyone. I think the OP LL is likely to be just a bit unthinking rather than a rubbish LL!

Jimuth

milliebear00001 wrote: »

How ridiculous - is Jimuth seriously suggesting that nobody who rents has a home?! Tell that to my children will you...cos they certainly think of my landlord's house as their home, and so do I!

Of course not. I've been renting for years. I love where I am RENTING, and yes, do consider it a "home" BUT I've also had the experience of getting way too attached to a flat and being heart-broken when we had to move out with 2 weeks notice because our LL hadn't read the T&C of the management company and he couldn't sublet.

Which included the rather farcical scene of the management company weirdo staying up to let us back in one night as they'd changed all the locks ...! :mad::mad::mad:

So, sorry milliebear, I took exception to some of the comments in the thread as it seemed that people were deliberately misconstruing the LL's apparent intention and my reply was rattled off without proper care - I'm still scarred from our "eviction" 4 years ago.