Don't want landlord coming round

minx1985

Hi all, was wondering if you could give me some advice please.

My partner and I are about to complete on our first house :j and so we have given our landlord (LL) one month's notice to terminate our rolling 1-month tenancy.

LL has quite frankly been a complete PITA for most of the tenancy- slow at getting repairs done with a number of them still outstanding, going OTT and mouthing off when I politely suggested he redirect all his mail (we are still getting letters from his mortgage lender despite us living there for 2 years so we are quite sure he doesn't have consent to let) , accusing us of "wanton damage" when things have broken/needed repair through wear and tear or poor maintenance on the LL's part... You get the idea.

I must confess that we haven't been angels either- we have two cats for whom we didn't seek permission for :eek: so the house smells "moggy" and basically the house needs a damn good deep clean- nothing that we aren't prepared to sort out before we leave.

Anyway I reminded the LA of all the outstanding repairs when we handed in our notice and now the LL wants to come round to "have a look" even though he knows all about them. Are we within our rights to refuse access until we have vacated the property? We really don't need the additional stress of his presence and prospective new tenants wandering in and out, we already have a pre-vacation checkout arranged for later this month though we leave on 3rd April and we will have the house sorted and empty before then.

Sorry for the ramble, any advice would be much appreciated

BitterAndTwisted

Cats don't smell. At least their coats don't, so are you saying that your rented property reeks of cat's pee?

Any road, you've courted danger yourself by reiterating about the necessary repairs when you gave your notice. However, your landlord sounds like a newby amateur adn prossibly has no idea that he doesn't have an automatic right of entry. Advising him of this is likely to inflame the situation rather than calming it. So, I suggest you write to the landlord, copying in the agent and in as calm and friendly manner as you can manage, and tell them that you'd rather they carried out any necessary repairs once you have left.

Ditto for viewings unless you want people in and out of your home until you leave.

thesaint

He can give at least 24 hours notice to inspect the property in regards to check the condition of the property.

Does your tenancy agreement state anything about access for viewings?

minx1985

Thanks for your replies. There have been a couple of "accidents" and whilst I have scrubbed the carpet regularly with a DIY enzyme cleaner (mix of bio washing powder and water) it would definitely benefit from a professional clean. I notice the smell, my partner doesn't...

The agreement states: "upon a min of 24hrs prior notification, to permit the property to be viewed...(by those) who are authorized to do so by the LL or appointed agent"

Take it we're stuffed, then?

agrinnall

minx1985 wrote: »

The agreement states: "upon a min of 24hrs prior notification, to permit the property to be viewed...(by those) who are authorized to do so by the LL or appointed agent"

Take it we're stuffed, then?

Not really. While the clause can be enforced, it would take a court order to do so, which isn't likely to be granted before you leave. So if you really don't want grant entry to the LL I expect you will be able to do so, although you might need to change to locks to prevent access while you are absent (not forgetting to change them back before you leave).

princeofpounds

Short answer is yes you can restrict access, no matter what the contract says.

The LL could seek to enforce their contractual arrangements, but as well as taking far too long to do, it is doubtful if they would actually succeed except on a limited basis. It would depend on what kind of access they were seeking and how fairly the clause was drafted.

Only exception is a genuine emergency (fire, flood, gas etc.), then the LL can force their way in. Not applicable here.

I have a cat, but wouldn't let it on carpet. The ammonia is a pain to get rid of so be prepared for a bill for carpet replacement even after a clean. Otherwise they are pretty good animals to live with as long as you don't have a furniture-scratcher.

AnnieO1234

Yes you can, just tell the agent you have packing boxes everywhere and you wouldn't want them to get a false impression, nor do you want to be in a position where random people could take your possessions.

As a pp said, they ultimately would need to enforce via court order, which isn't going to happen. Delay, delay and delay and then get the place cleaned. Read up on deposit protection, how to claim it back and do this immediately because it sounds like your LL is a bit of a chancer.

Xxx

minx1985

Thank you all for your helpful posts, feel a bit more at ease now. My main concern is actually for the little cat (the pee-er) as she has been quite stressed of late with big cat bullying her and so having people in and out and the inevitable argument with the k-n-0-b of a landlord if he turns up will not help matters. Plus moving house is stressful enough as it is! I will dig my heels in and refuse access until the place is spotless.

Thanks again xx

G_M

minx1985 wrote: »

Hi all, was wondering if you could give me some advice please.

My partner and I are about to complete on our first house :j and so we have given our landlord (LL) one month's notice to terminate our rolling 1-month tenancy.

One calender month?

Or one tenancy period?

......????

see

Ending/Renewing an AST (what happens when the Fixed Term ends?)(What is a Periodic Tenancy?)(How can a LL remove a tenant?)(How can a tenant end a tenancy?)

specialboy

What harm is there in letting the landlord in for 10 minutes at a time to suit you? Give him a call and tell him that you are available at say 10am Saturday morning if he wants to visit, no harm done but I would repeat earlier advice to change the lock so he can't just turn up when he wants to.

19lottie82

thesaint wrote: »

He can give at least 24 hours notice to inspect the property in regards to check the condition of the property.

Does your tenancy agreement state anything about access for viewings?

Not really, no. As someone has pointed out, a T can legally refuse a LL access, thus he will need to get a court order to gain access, so in effect, the 24 hour notice thing is pretty useless.

And likewise, the T can refuse viewings, regardless of what is stated in a contract.