Tenant is now letting house get dirty

bjbyorkshire

Yorkie1 wrote: »

Actually, I wouldn't serve the s.21 right now, just because it will expire just into the New Year (assuming the rent day is the same as the start of each monthly tenancy period). The tenants haven't done anything particularly wrong, and it seems harsh to make them try to find something over Christmas and move at that point. It's bound to add extra stress to their Christmas period.

Yes, they may stay put, but (and I have no evidence to support this) I bet that the vast majority of tenants do in fact move out on the expiry of the s.21 notice.

If you served it at New Year (by 2 Jan at very latest if by first class post & with free certificate of posting, otherwise by 6 Jan in person with a witness) then the s.21 will expire on or after 6 March.

Entirely up to you; just thought I'd flag up the dates implications.

My thoughts too - I wouldn't feel good to be serving them notice to move out either before or just after Christmas/New Year so yes early January for early March would probably be the best idea.

cos_2

MissMoneypenny wrote: »

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".

Don't talk utter p*sh, please.

Thank you.

nonnatus

Well, I would ALSO be very happy to have a Landlord like BJB. She sounds lovely, not scary or threatening.
I have finally (at 43) been able to own my own home. Until then, my children and me have always rented. We have had good and bad landlords.
The kids are so concentrated on Landlord, that when we got to our gorgeous new home, they wanted to know what this set of rules would be! Are we allowed to move stuff, redecorate, stick pictures up, use blue tac etc. Very liberating to be told to "Please Yourself".

But UNTIL YOU OWN YOUR OWN HOUSE you will always be living in someone elses house, under their rules, with the threat of eviction over your head. Why is that so hard for people to understand. The house is worth £200k. For one year, you as a tenant pay £2k in rent - why should that entitle you to stink it out and mess it up for the owner. If you don't like the rules, go find a different landlord?? It's a free market....

Continue BJB. I admire your spirit against some of these twits. And you write well, too - very easy to read.

[Deleted User]

I have to be honest.., a landlord like this would annoy me rather.., but then I wouldn't let a bush get overgrown either.

I had to pay to put in insulation in this place because there was none in the attic and the kids couldn't sleep in the bedrooms. This meant I also had to remove bag after bag of chimney breast removal rubble a month after a minor heart attack following months of illness following a chest infection that wasn't diagnosed properly. It was a struggle but I got it done over a ten day period. The landlord wouldn't do it for me, so I had no choice. It was do it myself or the kids didn't sleep.

He came on one of his visits and actually had the rudeness to tell me to clear up the dining area because it was covered with rolls of insulation.., and the washing had piled up slightly (put it on a sideboard). There was no mess anywhere else. He even started telling me how to tidy up lol.

He got short shrift. And at that point I started refusing to allow him in as I said in an earlier post.

I'd hate a landlord coming in a 'doing things'. I'd also hate a landlord treating a property I was renting like it was still theirs. You have to leave it like it is, until the checkout inspection, this is the only point at which you can make any comments on how a tenant is upkeeping the property. Even after the inspection the LA is doing. Once they have left, you can deduct money from the deposit to repair damages and get it up to your standards. Not before.

Its not anything to do with 'softness' .., its not 'your' property while you are renting it out. Its the tenants.

HAMISH_MCTAVISH

deannatrois wrote: »

a landlord like this would annoy me rather.., but then I wouldn't let a bush get overgrown either.

And if the OP's tenant was more like you, wouldn't let a bush get overgrown, and would keep the place clean, then I rather suspect this thread wouldn't exist and the OP would not have had to worry about it or get involved to begin with.

its not 'your' property while you are renting it out. Its the tenants.

No.

It remains the landlord's property while the tenant rents it out.

As indeed most tenants are happy to remind their landlords the moment something needs fixing.;)

Their rights of access are limited, but it's still 'their' property, and will be long after a tenant moves on.

So while I can agree some landlords are too emotionally involved or worry about their properties too much, there are also plenty of tenants out there with less than ideal hygiene standards and that fail to properly care for the place they live in.

At the end of the day, both landlords and tenants need to remember that along with their 'rights', come a number of 'responsibilities'.

And the vast majority of overbearing landlords are probably that way because they've been stung more than once by careless and irresponsible tenants.

Smith_007

nonnatus wrote: »

For one year, you as a tenant pay £2k in rent - why should that entitle you to stink it out and mess it up for the owner.

Because it is the tenants HOME! :wall:

You just don't get it do you?
If the landlord does not like having tenants who may (or may not) have a different lifestyle to them... then don’t rent the house out!

It is not the landlords business if a tenant chooses to keep coal in the bath or smell of ale & farts providing the house is returned in good order, minus wear and tear. Or perhaps you think those who rent are second class citizens to whom you can dictate your lifestyle choices too?

It is incredible how some landlords think they own their tenants.

HAMISH_MCTAVISH

Smith_007 wrote: »

It is not the landlords business if a tenant chooses to keep coal in the bath or smell of ale & farts providing the house is returned in good order, minus wear and tear.

Indeed.

However a tenant also does not get to arbitrarily decide what is "wear and tear" and what isn't.

For reference, keeping coal in a modern bathtub would necessitate replacement due to scratches in the surface, and may also require a plumber to remove accumulated coal dust deposits from the pipework in the house.

What is "wear and tear"....

- Minor wear to carpets or flooring consistent with normal usage.

- Sun induced fade to carpets, fabrics, curtains, paint, etc.

- Minor tarnishing or blemishes on handrails, fittings, switches, consistent with regular use by responsible adults.

And that's about it.

What is not normal "wear and tear"....

- Letting your dog/cat/child chew, scratch, draw on, permanently stain, or tear anything.

- Letting anything get so dirty it cannot be cleaned to the same condition you got it in.

- Leaving extensive scuff marks on walls, doors, etc, because you are clumsy or can't be bothered closing doors with your hands instead of your feet.

- Breaking furniture. If I can sit in a chair without snapping it in two, or tearing the fabric, so can you.

- Stains. Whether it be red wine on the sofa, dog poop on the carpet, or your little cherub's urine on the mattress. If you stain it, you bought it.

If the tenant can't act like a responsible adult, and many don't, it's hardly a surprise that some landlords will get a bit overwrought about property condition.

With 'rights' come 'responsibilities'.

Something that more tenants (and yes also some landlords) would do well to remember.

Soleil_lune

verulamium wrote: »

Lovely story by bjbyorkshire. We used to be tenants and if we had a landlord like the OP who actually cared about the property, we would be happy.

PMSL :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

Soleil_lune

Agree with the people here saying that it's up to the tenants how they live in their own home, and as long as it's not being smashed up, and a cannabis factory being grown there, leave the tenants alone.

Booting them out is a BIG mistake OP. They pay the rent do they not? Have they caused any issues that are potentially going to cost you 1000s of pounds? From what you say, no. Leave them alone and in peace.

I am very very very sorry your daughter died; genuinely,; but if the 'state' of this house upsets you, then I think it may be better that you don't let it out.

Voyager2002

Soleil_lune wrote: »

Agree with the people here saying that it's up to the tenants how they live in their own home, and as long as it's not being smashed up, and a cannabis factory being grown there, leave the tenants alone.

Booting them out is a BIG mistake OP. They pay the rent do they not? Have they caused any issues that are potentially going to cost you 1000s of pounds? From what you say, no. Leave them alone and in peace.

I am very very very sorry your daughter died; genuinely,; but if the 'state' of this house upsets you, then I think it may be better that you don't let it out.

Yes. However, it seems possible that if grease continues to build up in the kitchen then getting it clean at the end of the tenancy would not be possible. I think that a letter (coming from the agent) explaining the correct use of the extractor fan and highlighting this issue would be very sensible. I am sure that the tenants would prefer to be told about this rather than be forced to move. There do not seem to be any other serious issues upsetting the owner, and as others have pointed out, losing tenants who are generally good would be a shame.