Oh no! Unexpected flat inspection

CCP

Sorry to bump this, but I have finally received the report on the flat inspection, which the letting agent 'forgot' to send me earlier. I am furious (well, OK, not furious but rather narked) to see that the inspector has complained in several places that the flat is "cluttered with the tenant's personal belongings", despite assuring me during his visit that what I do with my own possessions is none of his (or the landlord's) business. :mad:

I will be sending the letting agent a rather cross email later, when I've simmered down from my current state of wanting to throw something at them!

Out,_Vile_Jelly

God I hate letting agents. Ask them to point out the clause in the contract that specifies the amount of "personal belongings" you are allowed in the property. What nonsense.

CCP

I've just had a response from the letting agent, assuring me that they won't "take this (my possessions) into consideration". How kind! :undecided

So why mention it in the report at all? :mad:

tooties

Hi,

That's an awful comment, cheeky sod. I would be livid too.

Regards

allybee101

Cheeky toerag!
Perhaps the inspector uses it as a cover all so that if they are accused of missing something then they could blame it on the tenant's possessions being in the way?
Or perhaps they comment as a marker in case people start moving into the territory of hoarding.
Either way it shouldn't count against you if your possessions aren't casuing damage to the property (i.e hoarding to the extent that the floor's giving way). 'Clutter' is quite an ambiguous term - one person's china figurine/beer can/pencil sharpener collection is another's pile of unnecessaries.

Lynplatinum

Hi All

Among other things I rent out 2 houses. My Mum left me one of them and I tried to start a business on the back of it. Everyone seems to be against landlords on here but could you please at least listen to another view?

I hoped to make half a living from the two houses - i.e. 1/4 of my livelyhood from each house. Last year one of the houses earned me £134.00 all year. Why - lots of renovations - partially due to damage in the gales last year but also from when one tenant moved out and the next one moved in. No 1 tenant left the place in such a mess I had to replace the bathroom/paint everywhere/get carpets professionally clean or replaced/ replaster in places/ get a new lock for front door. Plus they left owing me a month's rent!! She was a nice young girl who moved in the house with her partner - partner left - money went down - she 're decorated' in dark colours and not to a good standard. :eek: Nightmare!

I am a responsible and caring landlord and would like my tenants to be comfortable - believing that this will make for good tenants! It was true of my other house tho.

Re letting agents - there may be an exception somewhere but the experience my son had while at uni and a friend of mine who employed some- scum of the earth would seem an adequate description!! They take a lot of money from landlords, dont tell them the truth about the tenants, the repairs that are needed, the state of the houses (my friends rental property needed professional deep clean after one set of tenants- cost £2000).

If a tenant has a property issue they should contact the landlord if the agents dont play ball (you can find out who it is at the Land Registry) and then proceed to Citizens Advice if they dont respond - landlords tend to jump when CA get involved cos they will take things to court! When you sign your tenancy agreement it is usual for the landlord to have a right of inspection at least once a year with 24 hours notice - check out your agreement! (if they ve given you more they are actually being kind

Finally I hate bad landlords because they give those of us who are trying to provide nice homes for families a very bad name!

I hope this goes someway towards explaining things and giving a bit of balance. I do hope your home is restored to a good condition soon OP.

CCP

Lynplatinum wrote: »

Everyone seems to be against landlords on here but could you please at least listen to another view?

I'm sorry if it sounded at all like I'm anti-landlord - I'm not at all! I know several people who are landlords and, like you, make a lot of effort to be good at it: I've just been unlucky with my last landlord (who took the local council to court - and somehow won - when they re-housed the people in the flat next to mine because the flat was uninhabitable with water running down the walls :eek:), and my current landlord, who is also the manager of the letting agency, who isn't a bad landlord but simply irretrievably lazy!

There are good landlords and bad ones, and good tenants and bad ones - it's just a shame that us good tenants and good landlords can't get together, and leave the bad un's to sort each other out!

lynsayjane

Hi,

Another landlord here and I hope my tenants would say I'm a good one. I'm on my second set in the flat I rent out. First one's decided to announce at 10pm on New Years Day that they wished to end the tenancy early! Once they left I had to clean it out, found a hole in a wall, the tip of a knife in the floor (I kid you not!) and got nothing but hassle regarding the deposit. Thankfully it was held as it should be with a third party and I got the money for the repairs required.
The second set of tenants have been fantastic, were understanding when I explained the damage wouldn't be fixed before they moved in (only a few hours in between) but would be fixed ASAP. I feel we have a good relationship and after seeing the condition of the property at times when I've had to visit for repairs I don't feel the need to use the inspection right, though I did ensure it was included in the contract just in case.

With regards the report (and bear in mind it's difficult to gauge the tone from one line or in text in general), could they just have been noting this as it could have been hiding damage? I guess I see it a bit along the lines of the inspection report linked to selling a house, they always state they didn't lift flooring or that walls were covered in paper etc to cover themselves in case there is an issue that's hidden. It may not be an insulting comment, rather just covering their own back? Sorry, devil's advocate!

LJ