Letting agent allowing workers access to our property with no prior warning!! Help!

fairysparkles

Hello, really hoping someone can give some good advice here!

Live in a rented property, managed by a letting agency. On three occasions now, workmen have entered our property (keys given to them by the letting agent) without us being given any prior warning.

On one occasion I was in the property in my pyjamas, only to find that two strange men had let themselves into my front room!! This was incredibly intimidating and frightening, especially as they stated they had rung the bell (which they had not), then insisting they had tried to contact us by phone (they had not), then pushing me for a contact number they could contact us on! When they finally left, I rang the letting agent contact in tears explaining how unacceptable this was. She insisted it would be recorded in our file and agreed they would give us notice for when contractors needed access to the property. We stated we were happy to arrange a mutually convenient time to be present if anyone needed access to the property, but we do not want any contractors to have our keys and certainly do not want them to have unsupervised access to the property.

Despite this, on another occasion, I returned to find a man coming out of my house to be told he had kindly gained access to the house to clean the gutters out the back. This was January and he said he should have done the gutters before Christmas! - definitely not urgent work requiring emergency access again. On this occasion my mother had been staying with me and she was incredibly upset as she had left personal and valuable possessions out and was shaken up that someone had access to them. Once again an immediate distressed phone call was made to the letting agent, highlighting that this is unacceptable and again apologies were made by them and another promise that we would be notified in future.

Today, I have returned home to find some paperwork on my kitchen surfaces and objects moved from their normal position, indicating that gas safety checks have occurred!! Once again - some random stranger has gained access to our property with no prior warning given to us!!

This is a difficult situation as the letting agents are trying to attend to issues in the house (despite them not being issues we have raised!) but we feel completely violated and not safe in our own home, living on edge that someone could enter the property at anytime without our prior notice! We feel we are being reasonable stating that where possible we will arrange to be home when contractors need access. I appreciate in an emergency, contactors/landlord/letting agent can have access, but none of the incidents above involved any emergency problem!

Any advice as to how to proceed would be greatly appreciated?!!
I am preparing a written letter to complain and highlight the issues, however we wish to continue the tenancy so feel the response has to be worded appropriately.

Does anyone know;
- can we refuse access when we are not present?
- aware the landlord/letting agent should give reasonable notice for needing access to the property (24 hours) but is this the same for contractors?

Thanks in advance for any advice,
a distressed tenant

GEEGEE8

That is totally unacceptable!

Can you fit a chain lock to the inside of your door? At least protecting yourself whilst you are at home?

clutton_2

is there not a clause in your tenancy agreement about them givng 24 hours notice if they need to attend ?

as you say - the wording will be crucial here - especially if you wish to stay

if it was me i would write a polite letter of "please help me" to the landlord - s/he may not know how the LA is behaving..... and ask the LL to please instruct the LL not to do this anymore without an appointment - play on the lone female and male workmen angle....

bw

N79

This behavour by the LL is unacceptable.

You have the right to refuse all access, but obviously this is very extreme and likely to lead to the LL terminating your tenancy.

A good compromise would be to demand that you get written notice of the requirement for access and that you approval is sought and received for each occasion. You could enforce this by changing the locks if you so wish.

The contractors are acting on behalf of your LL so there is no distinction.

Cissi

That's completely unacceptable! First thing to do is to change the locks - keep the original barrel to replace when you move out.

Wee_Willy_Harris

You can deny access at any time, if that is your wish, but it's usually best to try and find a mutual compromise with the letting agent.

As you have expressed your desire (and right) for privacy a number of times now, it may be best to just change the locks. There is no need to notify the LA as they will only be aware of they attempt to gain access, something you have forbidden. Of course, this does mean that you will need to ensure someone is present if you agee to any visits.

G_M

There is a plus side to this (though I fully understand your concern).. at least you have a LL who is maintaining the property (and your safety - gas checks) properly. There are many posters here who complain they can never get repairs/maintenance done, have nogas safety certificate etc etc.

I only put this point across to show there needs to be a middle ground found.

Yes, you can write forbidding entry. Yes, you can change the locks, yes you could accuse the LL of harassment (bit extreme but if he ignores your instructions....).

But trying to work out a way for maintenance to occur at times to suit you, and in your presence if that's what you want, is the way forward.

Cissi

G_M wrote: »

Yes, you can write forbidding entry. Yes, you can change the locks, yes you could accuse the LL of harassment (bit extreme but if he ignores your instructions....).

But trying to work out a way for maintenance to occur at times to suit you, and in your presence if that's what you want, is the way forward.

Whilst I agree that compromise is best I also think it's gone a bit too far already - after all, the OP has already clearly explained the situation to the LA on two occasions,and they have continued to ignore the tenants' rights. I definitely think that a lock change is called for here. Personally I wouldn't want to live with the knowledge that any number of people could let themselves in at any time :eek:

OP, it may be a good idea to write to the LA and LL (with proof of postage), re-capping what has happened so far and explaining that you're changing the locks because, due to their actions, you no longer feel secure in your home. Make it clear that you will agree to maintenance visits with the appropriate notice and at convenient, pre-arranged times, and that you will restore the original locks at the end of the tenancy. If they're at all reasonable they can hardly fault you for this!

moromir

First off I'll say that I fully appreciate tenant's right to quiet enjoyment HOWEVER there is a lot to be said for common sense and trying to sort the situation out calmly before a situation is inflamed by changing locks etc.

fairysparkles wrote: »

then pushing me for a contact number they could contact us on!

Surely this is a good thing? Have you confirmed IN WRITING to the letting agent all your current contact numbers so that they can contact you when necessary? Someone's finger slipping while entering your phone number onto the system could be all thats standing in the way of harmonious LA and tenant relations.

Regarding the gas safety inspection - at my property the LA sends me a letter a month before the certificate expiration asking me to contact them - do you get a similar letter from the LA? If so did you respond to it? If not I would consider WRITING and asking them to send one in future OR arranging with the LA to note the certificate due date in your diary for next year along with the contractors details in order that you can arrange a mutually convenient appointment yourself, on agreement that you will then notify the LA in WRITING of the appointment you have made with the contractor.

fairysparkles wrote: »

my mother had been staying with me and she was incredibly upset as she had left personal and valuable possessions out and was shaken up that someone had access to them.

With all due respect, your mothers possessions were probably at greater risk from the local burgler walking down the street. It is never sensible to leave valuable possessions laying around whether you expect someone to be in your property or not. I'd personally leave this scenario out of your letter


I would really urge you to confirm all your details in writing to the LA - it seems odd that 3 different contractors are saying they can't contact you?

G_M

As said above - write! Calmly, non-confrontationally, factually, and with proposals.

But write. Don't call, text or email. Write.

To the Landlord and cc the agent. Your LL's address should be on your contract. If not, write to the agent asking for it.

tbs624

As a T you should have had sight of the gas safety certificate - Ts should simply note the expiry date and around a month before it is due to expire contact the LA in writing saying that you'd like to agree a mutually convenient date/time for the annual check to take place.

As Moromir says, it is in your own interest to provide up to date contact numbers.

However, the LA doesn't seem to be following procedure - it does not matter whether it says anything in your contract about LLs giving 24 hours notice for access for repairs etc because this is a Statutory requirement and that notice has to be written notice.(ref Clutton's post)

As Moromir & G_M say , the way forward is to be firm but calm. Say that you're pleased that they want to get maintenance jobs done but you wish all future appointments to be agreed in writing for a mutually convenient time/date. You could also ask for the workmen's contact details so that you are able to arrange access direct with them if necessary.