Problem tenants, advice needed

tootsmyboots

It is their HOME. Not everyone has time to wash up and make the beds before leaving for work every day. An inspection is of the property, not of the tidyness. Stand by your beds and make sure the corners are tight before matron checks them!

*miaomiao*

Then pay for them to move out! Sorted!

Nikel

AnnaEBA wrote: »

The works are not small, they are extensive and will require scaffolding throughout the hallway and stairs to rectify problems in the stairwell, and most of the rooms will need replastering. None of this can be done whilst the house is occupied

Jesus, I really feel sorry for these tenants....

Pinkruth

AnnaEBA wrote: »

I am NOT a troll, I would expect anyone knowing they have visitors to make the bed!

The works are not small, they are extensive and will require scaffolding throughout the hallway and stairs to rectify problems in the stairwell, and most of the rooms will need replastering. None of this can be done whilst the house is occupied, and because they've refused to move out as would have been reasonable, the problems are increasing. I'm looking at works in the region of £15,000 to fix, which is not a small amount of money!

How long were you previous tenants in residence? For repair issues like this I would say they are more historical then is being let on.

AnnaEBA

Pinkruth wrote: »

How long were you previous tenants in residence? For repair issues like this I would say they are more historical then is being let on.

They were in the house for 6 years, and as they were friends of mine I did not use the agent. Sadly they are no longer friends and I retained their full deposit, but it doesn't even cover the extent of the damage they did or caused by neglect.

tootsmyboots

I dont understand why you think it is acceptable to take money from people for what you are describing as an unacceptable living condition. If the property is so dangerous and squalid, you should be apologising to them! It sounds to be like you would be best to buy them out of the property and make sure you do the decent thing and pay for their costs in setting up a new tenancy.

Oh and letting agents doing an inspection are not visitors, they are doing a job. That job is to check the property's condition (which sounds pretty dodgy) and not how tidy they are.

Grimbal

Let's summarise shall we?

-your tenants are half way through a 12 month AST.
- they have lived in a property that has mould & has required extensive work from day 1
- they have continued to pay you rent
- they have requested that the work is carried out, and have offered to take time off work for it, only requesting that they are housed elsewhere at your expense for this time
-you have let contractors in without notice, and without agreement with your tenants
- you have failed to make repairs
- your major objections are that they have housed guests & pets & that they don't keep their home in the state that you feel acceptable

Really? you really feel that they are the ones with a case to answer?

satchmeister

*miaomiao* wrote: »

How about another reading of the Housing Act 2004, to start? The tenants do have a legal tenancy as you have accepted their deposit and monthly rent, regardless of your not having signed the contract.

I would advise your tenants to change the locks (which is also within your rights even if you have specified that they cannot do so in the contract - an unenforceable clause) because what you have done is considered harassment by accessing the property without notice and their permission.

Tenants do have considerable costs to budget for in moving, not to mention needing to take (possibly unpaid) time off work. In this case, your mistakes and bad management would incurr costs to the tenants that would be caused by your mistake in not allowing enough time between tenancies.

As a landlord you do not have the right to limit their guests.

As for the repairs, you cannot just ignore these until the tenancy ends September 2011.

Your only hope lies in offering the tenants an incredible refund of their monies paid. And in the meantime, please join a LL's association and get fully informed of what you can and cannot do. You may own the house, but it is the tenant's home until the tenancy ends. Sounds like the tenants are incredibly reasonable and you do not appear to value this.

Why should a landlord bother with the housing act or understanding the law, can't he just boot them out?

So what if they have spent over £900 and had the hassle of moving.

It's the landlord's house surely he can say who can stay and at what time the tenants must get up in a morning.

Just because they have paid their rent what gives them the right to live there.

And as the landlord OWNS the property he can go in whenever he likes.

Renters ... they will want to put up pictures and expect quiet enjoyment next ...

Callie22

AnnaEBA wrote: »

They were in the house for 6 years, and as they were friends of mine I did not use the agent. Sadly they are no longer friends and I retained their full deposit, but it doesn't even cover the extent of the damage they did or caused by neglect.

So they 'neglected' the house for six years yet you still let them stay?

Seriously, I hope to God you're a troll. You sound like an absolutely appaling landlord with absolutely no clue about what you're doing - and what's even worse is that you admit you've been a landlord for a long time and yet you don't even seem aware of the basics of the law as related to renting. I hope that your tenants read this (heaven knows you've given enough away for anyone to identify themselves) and report you, at the very least, for harassment and trespass.

If this is true, then I feel incredibly sorry for those poor people renting from you.

Nikel

Do I detect sarcasm......satchmeister....lol!!