Landlord wants to sell - I don't want viewings...

Gingernutmeg

Pee wrote: »

I think being fair and reasonable is the best way to approach these matters, and the landlord is offering you block viewings which under the terms of the tenancy you did agree to. I think you should look at the rental market and as soon as you find somewhere you like, you can give notice and move. (If there are plenty of properties to let, you could give your notice before you actually chose the one you'll move into.)

Under the terms of the tenancy the tenant agreed to viewings in the last two months of the tenancy. What appears to be happening here is that the LL wants to have his (her) cake and eat it - have viewings and keep the tenant in until such time as they get an offer - strikes me that in the current market that's going to take a lot longer than two months. Hardly fair and reasonable and not a particularly nice way for anyone to have to live. Worst case scenario, what if the tenant ends up having to give up one evening/afternoon a week for 'block viewings' for the next six months, or a year? (Ok, I appreciate the tenant can move but it's not really a solution in the sense that responding to tenancy issues like this with 'well, just move' is facile to say the least ...)

Also, I really doubt that it'll just be a block booking once a week. It might start that way but then there'll be the viewer who can only do Wednesday morning, the one who can only do a Sunday evening and so on and so on. Tenant says no, that's not what we agreed, LL gets unpleasant because they want to sell the house ... Horrible situation all round. It's alright saying that the tenant has to be reasonable but it seems to me that this kind of situation is not really a reasonable thing to put someone through, especially as for a tenant there's no ultimate benefit (in fact, the 'prize' for them being 'reasonable' is that they get chucked out!). Ok, that's a hazard of renting but it's all a bit unpleasant really, maybe legally there's not a lot a tenant can do but morally it's not really a nice way to treat someone in business (which is what renting is, ultimately). I can't really think of any other area where an owner can rent a product out to someone yet demand use of said product at any point during an agreed contract - wouldn't work with cars, for example. Tenants have feelings too and all that ...

Shakethedisease

Yes I agree. I said ok to the first viewing and ended up having to gather 4 children up ( one a baby) and go out wandering in drizzle for a bit then sat in a local Asda cafe for an hour too scared to go back to my own home. I hadn't passed my driving test then and hubby works away. It was a real hassle !

After that the estate agency started phoning up 3 or 4 times a week, they even got the lettings agency to call too on a few occasions. The house is lovely and right next to a river so there was plenty of interest. Always speeches of how they would be quick, we didn't need to leave the house, it was in our best interests to allow them as the landlord wouldn't renew the tenancy if I didn't blah blah. On my own with the kids it was expecting too much really and I decided that if he didn't renew the tenancy that it would be no bad thing.

Rather the hassle of moving again than having to put up with the constant harassment of viewers traipsing round, me having to clean up to show home standards the night before ( didn't have to but didn't want kids skiddy pants lying around lol I do have SOME pride ! ).. and the scottish weather being what it is, choosing between sitting looking like frightened waxworks on the sofa while people rummaged around in our cupboards.. or wandering around in peeing rain/howling winds with 4 children every 2nd Saturday afternoon.

Tenants do have lives to lead too and it wasn't nice having the constant pressure from the landlord and his agents always on at me either. I just decided enough was enough really after the first one. I could tell where it was all leading when the phone calls started... what really got me though was I was PAYING over the market rate to live there and didn't feel like I could treat it as my home at all. Horrible feeling.

When the landlord started calling personally I told him very politely just not to renew if that's what he wanted to do, but there would be no further viewings. When the 6 months was up, he renewed for another 9 months no problem. Strangely, I don't think there was much interest once the estate agency told prospective buyers they couldn't get in to view.. ( evil laugh ).

He's a nice fellow and I hope he does sell it for a good price when we leave here. But the viewings thing while renting ? No thanks, never again.

Gingernutmeg

It seems to me that there are loads of LLs who think it's perfectly ok to 'test the market' and totally inconvenience a tenant for however long, completely forgetting that, as Shakethedisease says, when you rent you're generally paying a lot of money to be able to call somewhere home. If a LL wants to sell then I have absolutely no problem if they make that clear to me either when I'm looking at the property initially or if they negotiate with me when I'm in there. I'll be disappointed, especially if they've done the usual trick of saying somewhere is a 'long-term rental' when it blatantly wasn't, but if I'm treated like a human being then I'll treat you like one too.

What really gets my goat are these situations where a LL wants to keep the tenant in until the very last minute so that they can get the rent from them, but won't negotiate on rent or ending a contract, and expects the tenant to drop everything and arrange their lives around the LLs/EAs demands for viewings, and live with horrible uncertainty for months on end. Either rent a property out or sell it, but don't try and do both when there's a tenant in it and don't expect a tenant to care as much as you do about something that's ultimately going to make them homeless. It might be a 'right' to show people round but that doesn't necessarily make it right to demand that a tenant allow viewings.

superfran_uk

We're leaving so it's a whole different ball game, but I will add my experience anyway! Our landlord has got viewings on Saturday morning. Co-incidentally at the exact same time my parents are visiting on their way to somewhere else with a load of garden furniture (for our new house) and will be sat in the lounge drinking tea. Would he renogotiate the time? Course not. Will I spend all morning tidying up or feel awkward when they come into my house and have to watch us??? You decide...

BitterAndTwisted

Lots of very stridently-put views here. In the OP's position I'd allow a block-booking on a Saturday morning from about 10am so I'd have enough time to have breakfast and tidy up a bit and then see how I felt about any more. Personally, I don't see any need to be uncooperative until there was something unreasonable to be uncooperative about but hey, everyone's different

Kev09

If you say the landlord has always been sound then why not allow some viewings. If it goes on every week for too long then obviously you may have call a halt but saying you really can't face 1 hour tops provided anyone actually wants to see the flat makes you seem a little bit petty!

barnaby-bear

Gingernutmeg wrote: »

Under the terms of the tenancy the tenant agreed to viewings in the last two months of the tenancy. What appears to be happening here is that the LL wants to have his (her) cake and eat it - have viewings and keep the tenant in until such time as they get an offer - strikes me that in the current market that's going to take a lot longer than two months. Hardly fair and reasonable and not a particularly nice way for anyone to have to live. Worst case scenario, what if the tenant ends up having to give up one evening/afternoon a week for 'block viewings' for the next six months, or a year? (Ok, I appreciate the tenant can move but it's not really a solution in the sense that responding to tenancy issues like this with 'well, just move' is facile to say the least ...)

Also, I really doubt that it'll just be a block booking once a week. It might start that way but then there'll be the viewer who can only do Wednesday morning, the one who can only do a Sunday evening and so on and so on. Tenant says no, that's not what we agreed, LL gets unpleasant because they want to sell the house ... Horrible situation all round. It's alright saying that the tenant has to be reasonable but it seems to me that this kind of situation is not really a reasonable thing to put someone through, especially as for a tenant there's no ultimate benefit (in fact, the 'prize' for them being 'reasonable' is that they get chucked out!). Ok, that's a hazard of renting but it's all a bit unpleasant really, maybe legally there's not a lot a tenant can do but morally it's not really a nice way to treat someone in business (which is what renting is, ultimately). I can't really think of any other area where an owner can rent a product out to someone yet demand use of said product at any point during an agreed contract - wouldn't work with cars, for example. Tenants have feelings too and all that ...

Exactly - when the LL gives the two months notice, the tenancy term becomes relevant although of course not legally enforcable (you can put you want in an AST but can't override statutory rights)

Exactly - if you are paying for the use of a house - this isn't part of the deal...

barnaby-bear

superfran_uk wrote: »

We're leaving so it's a whole different ball game, but I will add my experience anyway! Our landlord has got viewings on Saturday morning. Co-incidentally at the exact same time my parents are visiting on their way to somewhere else with a load of garden furniture (for our new house) and will be sat in the lounge drinking tea. Would he renogotiate the time? Course not. Will I spend all morning tidying up or feel awkward when they come into my house and have to watch us??? You decide...

I did the polite, co-operating bit and it didn't work - when we bought our own place - we didn't need a reference and after trying to co-operate once the realisation we were regarded as scum whilst paying through the nose to be thought of as such dawned.... and it became a rather enjoyable game..... I think you need a mouse trap or two in your kitchen

barnaby-bear

GoldenJill wrote: »

It woudl have been nice from the sellers point of view to offer a reduction in rent I agree - however, they're not obligated to at all so it would be purely goodwill.

And the tenant has no obligation to allow viewings - such things are a two way thing.... and if the LL hasn't protected the deposit or got a gas safety cert.....

superfran_uk

barnaby-bear wrote: »

I did the polite, co-operating bit and it didn't work - when we bought our own place - we didn't need a reference and after trying to co-operate once the realisation we were regarded as scum whilst paying through the nose to be thought of as such dawned.... and it became a rather enjoyable game..... I think you need a mouse trap or two in your kitchen

I'm in a dilema...On the one hand, our landlord is a prize !!!!, the house is falling apart and I feel sorry for anyone who takes it on - I really do. There is no ventilation in the bathroom and we have struggled to keep the mould out, and it RAINS in one of the bedrooms, and despite knowing this the landlord is more concerned about the alignment of kitchen units being so-so. Seriously.

We don't need a reference (have just bought) so we really want him to have the place empty for being such a !!!!!!, but on the other hand, being polite and tidy means possibly less people traipsing through the house while we are trying to pack. Maybe we'll even get our deposit back, or some of it (he really is a !!!!!!). What to do, eh?!