Tenant living in a mess!

Fire_Fox

clutton wrote: »

tenants have a legal duty to "behave in a tenant-like manner " - which surely includes keeping the property clean to the best of their ability.......

Therein lies the problem - surely anyone who lives in a complete pigsty ('How Clean is Your House' candidate) has a mental health problem, whether diagnosed or not. Living in a health hazard is a different kettle of fish to how often you put the kids toys away, or dust and vacuum. As long as a tenant's standards don't impact upon the wider community I don't see how it is the landlord's business how you live.

olly300

Geenie wrote: »

The tenant invited the LL in I have assumed from their post! I have been at properties to just post a receipt through the door, or mail wrongly delivered, and have been invited in straight away, though I have made very clear indications that it was not necessary. Still on being invited in I will automatically make judgements, and assess the property. Who in their right minds wouldn't! The tenant invited the LL in, and it is not a case of the LL entering without consent. They were outside.

Then you need to start refusing to come in and not enter the property. There is absolutely no need to do so when posting letters and it stops the tenant from claiming that you are harassing them.

tbs624

Geenie wrote: »

..... Still on being invited in I will automatically make judgements, and assess the property. Who in their right minds wouldn't! ...

People with a busy, fulfilled life who are grateful for the fact that tenant's rent payments pay their mortgage for them? That sort of attitude from LLs is precisely why many Ts are wary about inviting them across the threshold during the tenancy.

As I said,

tbs624 wrote: »

Unless the T is causing the property to deteriorate or she is committing a criminal offence within the property you have no legal right to dictate how she lives. You have granted her "exclusive occupancy" and how she chooses to live whilst there is irrelevant.

LLs need to get the balance right. Geenie says " The chances of this tenant leaving the property in any fit state that doesn't require a lot of work and cost after she departs is comparable to the likelihood of pigs flying over your house, with horses on their backs!" so she must have her crystal ball out again.

Tenants, eh? If it wasn't for LLs teaching them how to live and behave, the whole country would be in a worse state than it is now......;)

puddy

however, having now seen the evidence of the condition that children are living in (however that came about) is no one concerned that the home is so unclean that its emitting a foul odour? there is a huge difference between a place that isnt tidy, or isnt dusted or vacuumed as oftne as the OP might do it,,, to a house where the dirt and lack of maintanence is so bad that its causing poor hygeine. i would be concerned that children are living in that environment. it doesnt appear to be a case where its a one off and the tenant or her children have been ill, therefore causing some mess, but seems a regular condition of the home based on previous visits.

olly300

tbs624 wrote: »

If there was an agreed arrangement that rent cheques would be collected by the LL then you would be expecting him to call at roughly the same time each month - the point is that, as Firefox says, many Ts would believe that they had no option other than to let a LL in if they simply turn up on spec. and that quite simply is not the case.

The point I was trying to make is the LL should use their common sense and should not enter the property even if invited in. The only time they should enter the property is if they were contacted in advance by the tenant about an maintenance issue or they have made an appointment.

That way the LL protects themselves from claims of harassment.

Also knocking at the door to collect something won't be seen by a reasonable person has harassment especially if you make sure you don't enter the property, but if you repeatedly knock at the door to deliver mail which you can post through the letterbox then you can be seen as harassing the tenant.

PayDay

clutton wrote: »

tenants have a legal duty to "behave in a tenant-like manner " - which surely includes keeping the property clean to the best of their ability.......

Really??? You cannot tell a tenant how clean they have to keep the house, just like the mortgage lender can't tell you how clean to keep your house.

'Tenant like manner' means things like reporting disrepairs, making sure the property isn't damaged by them or their friends, keeping the property warm to prevent pipes freezing, keeping the property aired.

PayDay

jenner wrote: »

however, having now seen the evidence of the condition that children are living in (however that came about) is no one concerned that the home is so unclean that its emitting a foul odour? there is a huge difference between a place that isnt tidy, or isnt dusted or vacuumed as oftne as the OP might do it,,, to a house where the dirt and lack of maintanence is so bad that its causing poor hygeine. i would be concerned that children are living in that environment. it doesnt appear to be a case where its a one off and the tenant or her children have been ill, therefore causing some mess, but seems a regular condition of the home based on previous visits.

Perhaps they had been cooking oinions, garlic brussel sprouts or fish? Or perhaps a previous tenant was !!!!!! with the landlord and had sewn fish in the cutain linings, under the floorboards?

Fire_Fox

jenner wrote: »

however, having now seen the evidence of the condition that children are living in (however that came about) is no one concerned that the home is so unclean that its emitting a foul odour? there is a huge difference between a place that isnt tidy, or isnt dusted or vacuumed as oftne as the OP might do it,,, to a house where the dirt and lack of maintanence is so bad that its causing poor hygeine. i would be concerned that children are living in that environment. it doesnt appear to be a case where its a one off and the tenant or her children have been ill, therefore causing some mess, but seems a regular condition of the home based on previous visits.

It's not part of the landlord's job description to act as Social Worker or Environmental Health Officer: if a landlord has concerns of this nature he should report them to the appropriate authorities.

puddy

thats what im saying, if its bad enough for that, then protect the children and refer them, if its not, then he can forget about it until the tenant moves out