My rented house is on market - I didn't know

watchingmymoney · 22 November 2008 at 3:51PM

Check your tenancy agreement. Normally it is the last 30 days of a lease that the LL is allowed to show the property but he must give you 24 hours notice (although legally this is required to be written notice, it usually is just a phone call if lucky!). You do not have to allow it to be shown if he doesn't give the written notice but he will make life difficult for you (and if he doesn't sell the place when your tenancy expires he may blame you and refuse to give you part or all of your deposit as you were "obstructive" and cost him money..legally incorret but many LL will try anything).
I also had a LL who was showing my flat (completely without my knowledge or permission for the first 4 months and I was on a one year tenancy with 6 months break clause.) I came home early on a Friday and found an estate agent letting people into my flat. Turns out it had been on the market and was being shown the whole time, but only during the hours I was at work (I had a friend call and ask to see it and she was told the hours of viewinig) and never on the weekend as it seems they didn't want me to find out. My upstairs neighbour had confirmed it was being shown (she assumed I was moving out and knew about it). I then had to threaten to sue the estate agent and my landlord to get them to stop showing it (you can imagine how violated I felt as I had no idea other people had keys to my flat never mind that people had been in and out of my flat and I had left documents and valuables out as I had no idea people were coming into my home on a daily basis. It certainly explained why some things looked "moved"..I had thought I was imagining it! When I finally moved out I had to again threaten to sue my landlord for my deposit as he claimed I caused damages (this was 6 weeks after I moved out) and had inconvenienced the neighbours when I moved into the flat the year before with the movers "blocking the stairwell for 45 minutes." He was also saying that I was "obstructive" as I had insisted on the notice to show the flat during those last 30 days and that I would only allow it to be shown during those last 30 days (he kept pushing for the entire 2 months). Stick to your guns on this and check now that your deposit is in a scheme. Also, if he does try anything, get your CAB involved. They can always send a letter to him to remind him to comply with the actual law and if you have to sue for your deposit later, at least there is a trail there.