Can I refuse further viewings on rental?

BitterAndTwisted

If you have fantasies about living down by the seaside and don't need a sandy beach I can heartily recommend Deal/Walmer/Kingsdown in Kent. It's lovely down there *sigh*

Wee_Willy_Harris

I think those who have never lived by the sea, will never fully understand the magic. Without your commitments and compromises to make, I know I shall never live more than a 5 minute stroll from the coast. It's like living in a different place every day, and the weather forms such a huge part of your life, compared to that of living inland. You really feel so much more in touch with the natural rhythm of life. (Sound like an old hippy now... lol)

fc123

dopester wrote: »

Very interesting fc. I knew the house wasn't as in as smart a condition as many of the surrounding houses but nevertheless.... didn't realise you had problems like it being very cold and hard to heat, especially with the Winter just gone.

If the landlord is 80 years old, then I'm suspecting she probably has the house mortgage free so it isn't like she even has any mortgage financing costs to absorb with the rent you pay. What is the landlord doing with all the rent money? Probably Scrooging it away I'm imagining.

The age of the landlord doesn't give her a 100% "sympathy pass" from the duties she has as landlord [Gas especially, but I'd also be annoyed at the £50 (pm?)] charge for a gardener but no gardening work getting done.

Dam DS, you make me think too much...and my brain is frying right now.:o

Too hot, too cold?

When we viewed, I knew exactly how the house would be as the inner cottage has old quarry tiles in hall and kitchen and large parquet in parlour and my room downstairs....then I saw floor to ceiling single glazing in the sun room....and the rogue builders just slapping paint over rust etc...plus we also knew not all the windows opened.

Upstairs, the large bedroom is irregular shape as under the eaves and little curved doors going into the roof spaces (one is boarded out as a walk in wardrobe that we fitted out for DD)....and I looked and you can see there is no insulation.
I did find loads of old velvet curtains laid out up there (not on inventory) so I think someone once tried to do a bit of DIY lagging.

When I took DD to view I explained that this house was going to cold and she couldn't waft around when it's freezing outside in a vest and she was like 'OK mum...but I get a huge room as trade off''. The things she hates the most is the kitchen (as basic oldy fogey) and the spiders. Huge 100 yr old spiders .......I can live as one with creepy crawlies so I am the spider/woodlouse catcher in the house.
The house has never had mice (as I don't stash food and we will take our chances if the end of the world comes:)) and all the sunrooms of the neighbours are too hot in the middle of the day and afternoon also due to the outlook.

I fitted blinds and open the door one end, have a big fan and the 3 windows that do open and it's fine. I work in there so I can be flexi on my hours. Tomo, I have a deadline so will start @ 7am but stop @ 2pm....then go sit in the garden or on the beach for a couple of hours as it will be too hot to work in.

Winter? It's like going to work in a warehouse so I dress accordingly and have a little fan heater by me. We have the sofas and dining table in the parlour room during the winter and light a coal fire @ 5.30pm...DD comes in from school at 6pm, dinner and then we hunkered down under quilts and duvets with our laptops and books. It was a bit living like my grandparents (without the bombs) I guess.
However, I take on board fully that maybe this LL should not be a LL any longer as she should take more responsibilty for her property and I have laid that out in writing to the LA. We were mega concientious when we rented out our place but it is a well maintained property and modernised so was much 'easier'.

It has been a very healing house to all of us (despite the fact that we may all have lead poisoning) and I am tearful at leaving TBH but for many other reasons...and I can't write more as I am a bit choked.

fc123

Wee_Willy_Harris wrote: »

I think those who have never lived by the sea, will never fully understand the magic. Without your commitments and compromises to make, I know I shall never live more than a 5 minute stroll from the coast. It's like living in a different place every day, and the weather forms such a huge part of your life, compared to that of living inland. You really feel so much more in touch with the natural rhythm of life. (Sound like an old hippy now... lol)

I can't explain it ..but what you say is true.

When the sun sets from Jan to March it is sometimes red and the whole house fills with a red glow....as the windows are cut all the way through the house from the kitchen at the front....it does have amazing feng shui.

The storms, the changing colurs...and as we are above a marina, there is all the different boat activity too.

OH bought some binoculars and just used to sit there.......

We are fortunate as our London house has a whole panorama of London from it and woodland to the fore so I will just have my old view back...the one where you can see all the layers of smog in the summer sitting under the London eye and Canary wharf etc.

Right now it is pale turquoise and shimmery.

And a full moon lights up the whole house ...I sleep with the curtains open mostly and it glows white.

I will also miss the silence, my badger family, Mr Friendly Seagull and Mrs Fox who eat all the kitchen waste.

fc123

BitterAndTwisted wrote: »

If you have fantasies about living down by the seaside and don't need a sandy beach I can heartily recommend Deal/Walmer/Kingsdown in Kent. It's lovely down there *sigh*

I did have my eye on Thanet...and Margate as it's so derelict and down at heel but we can't face taking on another morgtage as I am then forced to keep on the hamster wheel I have now chosen and I don't know how long my stamina will keep up in the current business model as it's quite hardcore.

Like for like on the family home when we retire it is a definate possibility but that is 20 years off?

clutton_2

Clearly leaving this wondrously empathetic ruin is going to be a huge emotional wrench for you - you clearly love it....

if it was me - i would refuse all further viewings, and enjoy the little time that is left to you and really have a quiet and beautiful protracted good-bye time for you all.. family, house, view, animals, feelings.....

since you were the 40th viewing - it is unlikely they will let it anytime soon - especially as it has deteriorated during your tenancy (not implying blame here at all, just lack of maintainance)

This rich LL (ex-lawyer indeed :mad:) REALLY should know better and you should feel no guilt about depriving her of a few weeks viewings.....

i live in an area of beauteous sunsets and SSSI wildlife, peace and serenity and will need several "alone-times" to grieve its loss when i do eventually move.....

this is your home... leave on your terms - you have had enough to put up with all this time.....

fc123

clutton wrote: »

Clearly leaving this wondrously empathetic ruin is going to be a huge emotional wrench for you - you clearly love it....

if it was me - i would refuse all further viewings, and enjoy the little time that is left to you and really have a quiet and beautiful protracted good-bye time for you all.. family, house, view, animals, feelings.....

since you were the 40th viewing - it is unlikely they will let it anytime soon - especially as it has deteriorated during your tenancy (not implying blame here at all, just lack of maintainance)

This rich LL (ex-lawyer indeed :mad:) REALLY should know better and you should feel no guilt about depriving her of a few weeks viewings.....

i live in an area of beauteous sunsets and SSSI wildlife, peace and serenity and will need several "alone-times" to grieve its loss when i do eventually move.....

this is your home... leave on your terms - you have had enough to put up with all this time.....

Internally, it's better than when we took it on due to the improvements we made for ourselves and, as OH is a trained chippy, we were also going to fit new work tops in the kitchen if she paid for the lengths...maybe £90? and OH labour for free....she said nope, Silly woman.

This last winter was hard and it shows...I don't think the front (though north facing) has been painted for over a decade.

I will update the thread with some pics when I have moved out.....rust and chips make a merge of colurs and, as long it's kept really clean, has quite a nice aesthetic....but I think only a few people think like that that

Like Core Shabby Chic. I had a book on rust, decay and interior design and it's already been packed and gone to London and I can't remember the authors name. A well know interior designer down here (so well known I can only remember her 1st name of Alex) who specialises in rust and decay and has the most amazing, inspiring shop in Kemptown full of giant stone angels covered in moss and lichen + huge rusty clocks 6' wide and so on.

Wee_Willy_Harris

fc123 wrote: »

Like Core Shabby Chic. I had a book on rust, decay and interior design and it's already been packed and gone to London and I can't remember the authors name. A well know interior designer down here (so well known I can only remember her 1st name of Alex) who specialises in rust and decay and has the most amazing, inspiring shop in Kemptown full of giant stone angels covered in moss and lichen + huge rusty clocks 6' wide and so on.

Christ on stick!!!... I'm sitting on a fortune!!!!!

fc123

Wee_Willy_Harris wrote: »

Christ on stick!!!... I'm sitting on a fortune!!!!!

My oldest friend has real shabby chic shop in Dorset selling ready rusted buckets and so on to the second homers. She abandoned the London fashion life a long time ago .....and everyone who knows her is now convinced that the receptionist in Ab Fab was loosly based on her as she worked as the receptionist for LFranks during the 80's...all except the dippiniess as she is highly inteeligent but has undiagnosed Aspergers ....only IMO.

Anyway..she has a crazy shabby chic house with the butler sinks, stove,a huge ancient bath and so on and her house has been photographed 3 times for glossy interiors lifestyle mags. She lives and breathes the lifestyle she sells....the snag is that on a commercial level, people want granite and mod con with a small amount of designer shabby chic in the form of the odd scratched up bit of furniture, frayed rug and so on....like a sanitised B+Q version.

I have furnished this house in a contradiction as DD room is full on Ikea/minimalist with white wood floors, white bedlinen, blk iron bed, one huge white chest/drawer unit and a gigantic blak carved mirror propped up...also she can play her teen music as loud as she likes plus her and the teen mates sunbathe on the flat roof. Not very H+S but whatever
.

Likewise the sunlounge is all Ikea units, 2 cream sofas and my ind sewing machines and work storage the other end.

Howver, My room is irregular shape, full height leadlight windows and original parquet floor so just has a carved walnut bed 19c, antique white linen and a couple of old pieces I bought at auction.

It's how you market the look I guess

fc123

Actualy, I am going to add to this thread about BTL responsibilities as I don't feel some really take on board how much responsibility is involved in renting out to people.

I hope people who may consider doing BTL do read some of this thread as I know, once we did our own mini accidental LL period, it certainly isn't 'easy money'. We already have an accountant and so on so it was all fairly straightforward but the whole costing in maintenance is something that really has to be taken seriously.