Tenant is now letting house get dirty

HAMISH_MCTAVISH

bjbyorkshire wrote: »

Thanks for all the helpful replies, very much appreciated, but I could have done without the abuse.

Ignore the abuse.

There's a fair few of the militant anti-landlord, 'tenants rights', brigade that post here, and you've handled them well by remaining civil and polite throughout, so well done you.

Houses are tricky things, eh?

As much as some tenants on here love to harp on about it being "their home, not yours" (and that's correct), at the end of the day it's "your asset, not theirs" and the vast majority of tenants will not treat it quite as well as they would their own home if they owned it, or as well as you might treat it if you lived there.

But ultimately, that's the reality and you have to get used to it.

And that's OK, because the vast majority of tenants won't wreck rental places either....

Most tenants are reasonable, decent, people, and although some may be a bit untidy at times (as can some homeowners), they'll generally do the right thing, they'll generally pay the rent more or less on time, and they'll generally try to leave a place as they find it.

So long as they call you immediately when something breaks so you can fix it and minimise the damage, pay the rent, don't damage the house beyond normal wear and tear, and make a real effort to clean up well before they leave, that's all you can or should be expecting.

Time to remove the emotion from it.

You'll have to redecorate at some point anyway so minor bits and pieces shouldn't worry you, a bit of dirt and grease can be cleaned, and it sounds like they're good about reporting serious issues that could worsen if left unattended.

The only thing that might concern me is the second cooking apparatus, and even then purely from a safety/fire-risk issue.

I'd point that out to the letting agent, and take a joint view from there as to whether it's reasonable or safe/unsafe, and then what steps can be taken through negotiation/compromise with the tenant to provide adequate facilities, or allow it to be used outside the back door, or switch to a counter-top variant designed for indoor use, or whatever.

A lot of landlords have a hard time 'letting go' of the emotion around a house they or a loved one used to live in.

But once you've done that, (and you'll need to), being a good, considerate, stable landlord really can be both financially rewarding and providing a useful service to people that need it when they're starting out in life.

And it sounds like you're sensible enough to be exactly that.

Good luck anyway....

anselld

bjbyorkshire wrote: »

I really want the LA to give the tenant his notice (2 months now) and for us to try to sell the house rather than go through all the hassle of finding new tenants.

What has not been pointed out so far is that you are completely entitled to do this (assuming fixed term has ended). You don't need any reason other than that you would like to sell. You can even sell with the tenant in situ if you want but it is much more difficult as you would be limited you to cash/investors.

CWSmith

Clearly and understandably, you have a very strong emotional attachment to this house. I can sympathise - I felt much the same (territorial and possessive!:o) when I first let out my mother's house. But the feeling passes; you get used to the new arrangement, so don't give up unless you really feel you have to. Evicting tenants can be a long and stressful process.

It might make your life easier if you engage with a management agent that does everything - sorts out all the tenants' issues, gets repairs done, etc etc, so that you have no reason to see the tenants, or the house until the tenancy is over. It worked for me!

Kynthia

I think many were blunt to get the message accross that you were overreacting, but I recall only one poster bordering on abusive, throwing around stereotypes, assumptions, and seemed to have a chip on their shoulder about landlords.

The thing is you have no right to interfere in how your tenants live, look up 'quiet enjoyment' as it's not about noise. You have the right to inspect, and that is to check for damage and faults to the property, illegal or dangerous activity by the tenants as well as subletting, etc. It's not to comment on their housekeeping, the fact they haven't mowed the lawn, use the lounge as their bedroom or even keep coal in the bath! It's their home until the tenancy ends, which can only be done by them or a court (I've been there).

MissMoneypenny

theartfullodger wrote: »

In Britain we have a tradition and set of values based on welcoming strangers: Why, even the ruddy English were initially welcomed before they took over..

Erm...Scotland asked to join the union because they were bankrupt.

The union was just between Wales and England and was called Britain. Then Scotland asked to join and to distinguish between the union of Wales and England (Britain) and now Scotland joining the union, the union became Great Britain. Hence why you see on the back of the unions sports tracksuits "GB and NI".

MissMoneypenny

bjbyorkshire wrote: »

I was so shocked as when the LA did a six month inspection with photos everything was fine

I feel that six monthly checks may not be quite often enough as a lot of muck can be generated in that time.

Those six monthly checks that the tenant allows, are for you to check if your property needs repairs; not to check on how the tenant is living. Any photos taken should have been of the repairs that needed doing; not photos of the tenents things or how they live.

Anyone can set themselves up as a letting agent, no qualifications needed. Many people use a LA as; I assume; they think that a LA must know the housing laws that landlords must comply with?

ognum

Op, firstly can I say I am sorry to hear of the loss of your daughter, I can understand your need to keep her home and in some ways protect her memory.

Secondly, these forums often bring the worst out of people, and frequently words appear more harsh when they are read.

I have experienced letting a property after a bereavement and know how difficult this is. I believe either you need to completely redecorate the property and depersonalise it or let it go and buy something else if you want to continue being a landlord.

As others have said being a landlord is a buisness, you need to allow your tenants space to enjoy their home. It will take you time.

k4ssie

Just to disagree with almost everyone (bring on the yelling )

I rented out my old home when i moved, instead of selling it. I had agents check it 6 monthly and checked it myself 6 monthly (so effectively every 3). I was horrified at how dirty the tenants were letting it get, but was told that not everyone has my standards etc etc they will clean when they move out.

They very much did not, and by then were also a month in arrears with the rent. If dirt is allowed to accumulate it gets to the point where the only way to fix it is to rip everything out (kitchen units, flooring, carpets and wallpaper elsewhere) and start again. Unless you have a MASSIVE deposit you'll be left out of pocket - i was, to the tune of about £2.5k.

So personally, I wish i'd got new tenants when I started to feel uneasy. I'm not saying boot them out immediately, but don't ignore it either - maybe ask the agents to check again in a month or two and specifically ask for a report on the state of stuff you're concerned about. If it's just getting dirtier, then you might need to take action if you want to protect the value of your property.

Footnote - if this sort of thing bothers you though, you probably will just get more peace of mind by selling the place. To be a good landlord you really have to put good legal safeguards in place and then just not care what happened - personally i was really upset by the horrible state of the house when i got it back, so clearly i'm not well suited to treating it as a business

moromir

k4ssie wrote:

Just to disagree with almost everyone (bring on the yelling )

I rented out my old home when i moved, instead of selling it. I had agents check it 6 monthly and checked it myself 6 monthly (so effectively every 3). I was horrified at how dirty the tenants were letting it get, but was told that not everyone has my standards etc etc they will clean when they move out.

They very much did not, and by then were also a month in arrears with the rent. If dirt is allowed to accumulate it gets to the point where the only way to fix it is to rip everything out (kitchen units, flooring, carpets and wallpaper elsewhere) and start again. Unless you have a MASSIVE deposit you'll be left out of pocket - i was, to the tune of about £2.5k.

So personally, I wish i'd got new tenants when I started to feel uneasy. I'm not saying boot them out immediately, but don't ignore it either - maybe ask the agents to check again in a month or two and specifically ask for a report on the state of stuff you're concerned about. If it's just getting dirtier, then you might need to take action if you want to protect the value of your property.

Footnote - if this sort of thing bothers you though, you probably will just get more peace of mind by selling the place. To be a good landlord you really have to put good legal safeguards in place and then just not care what happened - personally i was really upset by the horrible state of the house when i got it back, so clearly i'm not well suited to treating it as a business

Thank you. Finally a voice of reason on this thread.

This particular subforum has gotten a lot nastier in the last few weeks and its a shame because it used to be everyone got the help they needed and now it seems to be lets rag on the OP because they're not super-tenant or more usually, super-landlord.

bjbyorkshire

Thanks again for all the responses. Today's posters were much more civilised and that is much more the spirit of what I thought this forum was about. Help and advice for anyone either letting or renting a property.

This thread has been most enlightening as well as being a wake up call to "the real world". Up until the dreadful death of DD 15 months ago my own "real world" was for the most part a fairly sheltered and happy existence I do know. I have worked in a very deprived area so I am fully aware of how some people are a) forced to live or b) choose to live. My own neighbours are for the most part like me, home owners but most are younger and still have a mortgage. They all work hard to pay their bills, bring up their families and just try to live a good life. I do know what the other side of life can be like for many people and have thanked my lucky stars to be in the position we have been in.

Tricky Wicky, I forgive your tirade because it is obvious that you have had hardship and some not very good experiences of rented properties/horrible landlords. I am a reasonable, kind hearted woman who is just trying to get a perspective on the rest of my life and this really has been an interesting, if unwanted, late life experience for hubby and me.

I now totally understand what the role of a landlord needs to be and although I don't agree that I should not have concerns re the state of the house I will try extra hard to step back from the emotion I have with the property. My tenant has paid his rent on time every month and for that I am thankful, so I will let this tenancy run its course but may not repeat the experience again and just decide to sell, if I can, after that.

I will update you after tomorrow's visit and again, assuming you are interested, after the next LA inspection takes place. By the way the LA did take photos of each room on their update letter to me after the 6 month inspection and stated that the tenant appears to be looking after the property well. I have not been popping in all the time to check on them and never would do, that's what I assume my monthly management fee is for. I have only visited the property once in 12 months, at the invitation of my tenant who wanted us to look at some work he needed doing. We shared a cuppa and got to know each other in a most civilised way. The house at that point was fine.

The LA is part of a chain of well known agents with multiple branches in the area. I asked the tenant to contact us in the first instance if he had a problem so that if we know of a local tradesman we can get them in first, only using the agents workmen as last resort.

I am going tomorrow to let in the Gas man in to do the 12 month safety checks, that is with the agreement of the tenant as he is working but will come home as soon as he can and hopefully before we have to leave. I am going to have a quick look at the griddle he appears to be using - which is most likely the cause of the greasy vapour, to see if it is gas powered or electric (my safety check). There is a perfectly working cooker, hob, electric carbon filter extractor fan and also a little pull fan in the outside wall. I cannot see how, assuming they use the 2 fans when cooking, that the greasy fume isn't being dispersed.

The agent has now made contact to ask me if they could do the 6 month check. I said that actually it's not me you need to contact, I'm the landlord not the tenant.

Byeeee for now.