Tenants not in for pre-arranged viewing

DRP

Ivana_Tinkle wrote: »

Just wait until they've gone and show potential buyers a nice, clean, chain-free property. Even if the tenants are amenable to viewings, they're not going to tidy up and clean in the same way as a home-owner selling their own home would (well, most homeowners anyway...), and IME that kind of thing makes an enormous difference - most buyers really can't see through that stuff. In any case, you don't really want viewings with the tenants hanging around making the place feel crowded.

agree with this.

last weekend we went to see a property being sold as no onward chain that was actually still occupied by renters... they were a nice bunch but had clearly not made any effort (why should they?) - hardly a place to step safely due to the clutter (guitars, drum kits,piles of magazines&games, many many bikes, bits of bikes, dirty dishes etc, overgrown garden), plus the three of them had to shuffle around the house whilst the three of us viewed each room.

Very inconvenient, very off-putting, let alone the fact that there is no way we would put an offer in on any occupied rental property - what would be the point?

theartfullodger

Yes DRP so most people will be put off & you might get a bargain!

DRP

theartfullodger wrote: »

Yes DRP so most people will be put off & you might get a bargain!

try telling my wife that!!:money:

jjlandlord

DRP wrote: »

Very inconvenient, very off-putting, let alone the fact that there is no way we would put an offer in on any occupied rental property - what would be the point?

I've just bought a property with vacant possession that was still tenanted when on the market.
While there's an extra element of uncertainty (will the tenant vacate following s.21 notice), it's not the end of the world, especially e.g. for FTB who might be able to live with a delayed exchange/completion .

Jimbo1976

I realise that most of the posts are regarding the tenants right to enjoy quiet possession etc but reading your post I wasn't sure if you were expecting the tenants to actually do your viewings for you.

I presume you are selling through an estate agent, so whether or not the tenants are at home, assuming the tenants consent to access, the estate agent should do the viewings as that's what you are paying them to do.

Leew1231

Thanks for all your opinions, I think it is a bit of a grey area regarding viewings/sales while the property is tenanted. I only decided to put it on the market - with an EA who are doing the viewings, as the notice letter from the tenant advised they were thankful for the time at the property and would be willing to help and co-operate with viewings etc.

Yes they may well have had an emergency or got stuck somewhere which means they couldn't make it home for the viewing, but a phone-call wouldn't have gone amiss. In the unlikely event that neither of them had a mobile phone, if they were stuck at work there will have been landlines, emails..... the only excuse these days for no communication is if incapacitated or overwhelmed by grief due to some sort of disaster. Thankfully it was none of these and they did apologise when questioned.

Regardless of this, I do not want to let people down with viewings, and despite the good intentions of the tenants, who have been good tenants I might add, I have decided to do as some have said and wait until they are out and get it cleaned up etc before allowing the viewings where hopefully people will be enticed by it really being 'chain free'.