Landlord selling the flat - Viewings

Rednax

pyueck wrote: »

A good relationship is in everybodies interest. However a deposit deduction should only be based on facts and not based on anything else.

In any case a deposit dispute is ultimately the landlords liability not the agencies. As a landlord, I would have no interest in being in a dispute for 6 months, I like a quiet life really.

For me winding people up is not my cup of tea, I don't like bad tenants as much as the next person, but I find it is in my interest to move on once they are out, not let it hang over me with disputes and angry ex tenants haunting me.

I think most people want a quiet life (me included), my initial post was directed towards those on these boards who always seem to want to spoil for a fight with a landlord/lettings agents and were encouraging others to do so, so I apologise if you feel I was targeting you.

jayson043

Trust is a huge part of the landlord tenant relationship. Once that breaks down you have to look after your interests. If your worried about the deposit, find out how it's kept and what's the process for its return. Take photo evidence when you leave.

mrginge

interesting that the suggested courses of action for the tenant are described as 'militant' by the LA who it appears is quite prepared to threaten bad references, purposely delay deposit return and who knows what other 'consequences' when their tenants do not meet their 'expectations'.
If I was a cynical old chap I may think that such consequences were simply about attempting to intimidate tenants who were unaware of their statutory protections, but of course knowing that many LA's have such a strong level of professional integrity and a regulatory framework to follow, this couldn't possibly be the case.

sniggings

Rednax wrote: »

Yes, I completely agree that any tenant should be treated with respect and it should always be remembered that it is their home that they (hopefully) have always paid rent for. However, I am never concerned with 'tension' or legal action as I know I have been more than fair with the tenant and had not done anything wrong.

You are correct on the issue that with a 'bad' reference the tenant may stay put. However there are countless other ways that a tenant will want a lettings agent 'on side', whether it is doing them a favour and moving back the day they move out (regular occurrence), renting another place through me in the future, not tying up their deposit for months in a dispute via the deposit scheme (don't have many but one currently has been running for 6 months - and the tenant has seen none of their deposit back in that time) whether or not the dispute is justified etc etc

you sound lovely...so you can delay a deposit a few months, wow the power! (not to mention the cost and time it means for yourself).

ViolaLass

jayson043 wrote: »

If your worried about the deposit, find out how it's kept and what's the process for its return. Take photo evidence when you leave.

All tenants should do this anyway, regardless of what they think the agent/LL may or may not do.

Pixie5740

It's a bit off to let tenants move in and then a couple of months later expect them to bend over backwards to accommodate viewings so that their home can be sold.

OP, if your TA just says that you need to allow viewings at the end of the tenancy you can choose to accommodate the viewings (on your terms) or you can tell them to bog off. It's up to you. Since you haven't served notice and your LL hasn't served notice you don't actually know when the tenancy is going to end. It will be in your LL's interest to keep you in there paying rent until they've found a buyer and are about to exchange.

As for the LA threats, well the LA can just simmer down. LA don't actually wield that much power and the reference they provide really isn't the ace up the sleeve they think it is. 1) It's not in anyone's interests to delay a tenant in leaving by giving a deliberately malicious reference. 2) It's possible to rent another place without a reference or by providing a fake reference. 3) If you have other references from previous LL you can use those and explain that the last LA was an A-hole.

Whilst it's nice to try and keep everything cordial, that doesn't mean to say you have to be a doormat. If the LA keeps trying to bully and threaten you, and entering your home without giving notice or getting your permission then find out which redress scheme they are registered with (it's a criminal offence for them not to be registered to one) and raise a complaint with the redress scheme. Shelter have this guide to Letting Agent Redress Schemes.

See who's got the power then.

ruggedtoast

kiss_me_now9 wrote: »

Thank you for your comments.

I really do feel that this is going to come back up at the end of our tenancy - when I spoke to the lady on the phone she kept repeating that one of the fittings (the bathroom sink) wasn't clean and we live in a hard water area and she wouldn't want our taps to become unusable because we're not cleaning them? I fail to see how taps can become unusable in the two months we have left on the tenancy but the tone and subtext of what she was saying was basically "Smarten up for the viewings or you won't see your deposit again".

I do want a good relationship with them because I don't believe in creating agro for the sake of it but from the start this lady has been rude and obnoxious to us. She's younger than me but was giving me a nice lecture about how to clean my sink!

I don't mind doing one evening a week but being told that I "surely must have a gym class or something to do out of the house" isn't really the best way to get me to do what you want.

In all seriousness, it's highly unlikely that I'll be able to afford another place to rent by myself now, as I moved in with my partner and we've since split up. I can't afford to rent in my area on my own - and I've spent a lot of my savings on getting us into this place; having to buy new furniture, white goods and of course the letting agents fees. I am very concerned that having a bit of washing up on the side and some washing out to dry is going to affect my reference when I do go back into the rental market and I don't think that's fair.

They are bullying you.

You have a right to quiet enjoyment of your home. I suggest you speak to Shelter about your rights here and start standing up for yourself.

It would be nice to have a reference but you don't currently need one.

ruggedtoast

Rednax wrote: »

Yes, I completely agree that any tenant should be treated with respect and it should always be remembered that it is their home that they (hopefully) have always paid rent for. However, I am never concerned with 'tension' or legal action as I know I have been more than fair with the tenant and had not done anything wrong.

You are correct on the issue that with a 'bad' reference the tenant may stay put. However there are countless other ways that a tenant will want a lettings agent 'on side', whether it is doing them a favour and moving back the day they move out (regular occurrence), renting another place through me in the future, not tying up their deposit for months in a dispute via the deposit scheme (don't have many but one currently has been running for 6 months - and the tenant has seen none of their deposit back in that time) whether or not the dispute is justified etc etc

Didn't take long for the truth to come out did it?

Frankly you people, with a few noble exceptions, are an utter disgrace to your "profession".

Callie22

In ten years of renting I have never needed or been asked for a letting agent reference - and in only one case have any of the people or employers whom I have given as references ever been contacted. I've been credit checked, but the lack of interest in anything apart from my financial position suggests to me that letting agents are well aware of the 'honesty' and 'value' of a reference from anyone in their industry. It seems to be fairly common for letting agents (especially in small towns) to delude themselves that they're big fishes in small ponds and they can behave how they like.

Letting agents can and do use 'a bad reference' as something of a threat, as illustrated in some of the posts on this thread. But in my experience it's a very empty threat and a confident tenant can make it clear that if an agent tries any 'funny business' then the tenant will get the authorities involved. That's worked for me on more than one occasion.

Voyager2002

kiss_me_now9 wrote: »

I have basically been told now though that they will be serving us notice at some point soon (I imagine a month before our tenancy ends...) so I don't have a choice. Which is a shame, because it's a nice place.

I'm a bit bummed about the whole affair tbh - we only moved here because my ex didn't want to stay in our old flat, which was privately rented. Our old landlords were great and I would've stayed if I had had my way. Sigh.

So you can get a good reference from your previous landlords, so no need to worry at all about what this shower say about you.

Incidentally, if a landlord wishes to give a tenant notice then the notice period is TWO months in England and Wales.