Landlord selling my home, where do I stand with agents/viewings?

lisa_cornwall

Hi all, hopefully after some advice! I rent my home from a private landlord, a few months ago he informed me that he needs to sell my home.
My landlord is being very reasonable in my eyes, he has allowed me to stay in the property, and then moving me into his new build next door when complete next year. He even said that if my home sold before completion of the new build, he would temporarily home me in his sister-in-law's house that is currently empty.

I had a few run-ins with the estate agents handling the sale though! I happily gave them a set of keys so that I wasn't required to be at home for their viewings, not ideal, but better than trying to stop 5 children throwing toys everywhere 5 minutes before viewings arrive! Myself and my landlord made sure that the agents knew that even though they had a key, they must contact me to make sure the appointment for viewings was convenient etc.

However, there were 2 incidents very shortly after this, at one point they turned up and let themselves in completely unannounced, and a few days later i returned home a few hours after a viewing, to find my back door unlocked and wide open. My landlord had stern words with the agents, and threatened to change agents if they weren't more professional.

So now, when they arrive for a confirmed viewing, they knock before letting themselves in, incase i'm at home which I'm fine with.

My landlord has also asked them to give me atleast 2 days notice for viewings, mainly because the house in question is 3 story, 6 bed, 5 bath/shower room house, and we have 5 children, 4 of which have various disabilities, so keeping the house perfectly clean and tidy at all times incase theres a viewing tomorrow, just doesn't happen!
Since then, the agents seem to be taking the !!!! a bit. At one point they called me asking to arrange a viewing for 5pm the following week. I politely requested that they rearrange saying it wasn't a convenient time, at which point i was very rudely told that since they were giving me 2 weeks notice (they werent) i should be abe to make it convenient. After a disagreement I felt bullied into giving out personal information about 1 of my daughters conditions and the exact reason that it wasn't convenient, leaving me in tears. I emailed the manager about it, and she replied telling me that she was sat next to the agent at the time, and he did nothing wrong! They did rearrange in the end, and then canceled 5 minutes before the viewing was due!

Anyway, the final straw, yesterday the estate agent knocks on the door at 9.20, luckily I had taken one of my daughters to an appointment, otherwise, with it being half term, and me at home, i'd quite likely have been in the shower, so he'd have let himself in with 2 strangers who would then want to view the shower i was standing in. My partner reluctantly let them in!

When I got home I again emailed the manager of the estate agent to ask if there are any more viewings this week that have not been confirmed with me after yesterdays unannounced viewing. Her reply states that

"yesterdays viewing was confirmed to me by text and was not unannounced".

Firstly, since the house went on the market, they have never sent me a txt message, they always phone me, and leave a voicemail if I don't answer, and if I've not returned their call within a couple of hours, they get my landlord to contact me to check its ok.

I replied telling her that I have not received a txt about this or any other viewing, and therefore I obviously didn't reply to confirm it was a convenient time. I also reminded her that I have always contacted them to either confirm, or to ask them to rearrange a viewing and so they should have phoned me for confirmation when the apparent text went unanswered, which is what I have asked them to do in future.

Now Obviously I am trying my best to not !!!! my landlord off, since he will still be my landlord after this house is sold so I certainly don't want to completely refuse access for viewings, but I am finding it increasingly difficult to deal with these agents calmly!

I'm sure my tenancy agreement says something about allowing access for viewings during the 2 months notice of tenancy ending etc, but I havn't been given notice, and my tenancy is not ending, so I assume I am well within my rights to insist that the agents have actual confirmation from me, and not just an apparent unanswered text message?

Wow, sorry that turned out to be so long, feels better to get it all off my chest though!! lol. Thank you very much to anyone that made it to the end

G_M

You have several choices:

1) do nothing. Let things go on as they are. This will be disruptive and drive you bonkers.

2) Put your foot down. Change the locks and write to the LL sayig that due to repeated harassment and breaches of your right to 'Quiet Enjoyment' you will not permit further viewings. This will damage your relationship with the LL, and affect plans for the move to new property.

3) talk to the LL again and see if he'll change agent. He may be contractually locked in to them for a period.

4) talk to the LL again and see if he can get the agent to act diffeently. But this has been tried efore without success....

5) some combination of the above. eg change the locks and agree to viewings in future only when you are there to let them in AND after proper agreement on day/time

I suspect the bottom line is that the agents only care about finding a buyer. So doing viewings whenever a buyer wants. They don't care about you.

Pixie5740

lisa_cornwall wrote: »

Hi all, hopefully after some advice! I rent my home from a private landlord, a few months ago he informed me that he needs to sell my home.
My landlord is being very reasonable in my eyes, he has allowed me to stay in the property, and then moving me into his new build next door when complete next year. He even said that if my home sold before completion of the new build, he would temporarily home me in his sister-in-law's house that is currently empty. How very generous of him to keep a roof over your head whilst you pay him rent. :rotfl: What type of tenancy do you have> Fixed term or periodic?

I had a few run-ins with the estate agents handling the sale though! I happily gave them a set of keys so that I wasn't required to be at home for their viewings, not ideal, but better than trying to stop 5 children throwing toys everywhere 5 minutes before viewings arrive! That was kind of you.Myself and my landlord made sure that the agents knew that even though they had a key, they must contact me to make sure the appointment for viewings was convenient etc. Yes, the landlord or an agent acting on his behalf MUST give you 24 hours written notice before entering your home.

However, there were 2 incidents very shortly after this, at one point they turned up and let themselves in completely unannounced, and a few days later i returned home a few hours after a viewing, to find my back door unlocked and wide open. Naughty estate agents My landlord had stern words with the agents, and threatened to change agents if they weren't more professional. I should bloody well hope he did.

So now, when they arrive for a confirmed viewing, they knock before letting themselves in, incase i'm at home which I'm fine with.

My landlord has also asked them to give me atleast 2 days notice for viewings, mainly because the house in question is 3 story, 6 bed, 5 bath/shower room house, and we have 5 children, 4 of which have various disabilities, so keeping the house perfectly clean and tidy at all times incase theres a viewing tomorrow, just doesn't happen!
Since then, the agents seem to be taking the !!!! a bit. At one point they called me asking to arrange a viewing for 5pm the following week. I politely requested that they rearrange saying it wasn't a convenient time, at which point i was very rudely told that since they were giving me 2 weeks notice (they werent) i should be abe to make it convenient. After a disagreement I felt bullied into giving out personal information about 1 of my daughters conditions and the exact reason that it wasn't convenient, leaving me in tears. I emailed the manager about it, and she replied telling me that she was sat next to the agent at the time, and he did nothing wrong! They did rearrange in the end, and then canceled 5 minutes before the viewing was due! Don't allow yourself to be bullied by some spiv in a shiny suit. You don't have to justify why it's not convenient for you to have strangers wandering around your home.

Anyway, the final straw, yesterday the estate agent knocks on the door at 9.20, luckily I had taken one of my daughters to an appointment, otherwise, with it being half term, and me at home, i'd quite likely have been in the shower, so he'd have let himself in with 2 strangers who would then want to view the shower i was standing in. My partner reluctantly let them in!
Why? Why didn't he just say no?
When I got home I again emailed the manager of the estate agent to ask if there are any more viewings this week that have not been confirmed with me after yesterdays unannounced viewing. Her reply states that

"yesterdays viewing was confirmed to me by text and was not unannounced". Stop contacting the estate agent. Phone your landlord, follow it up with a letter, telling him that you are not happy with the way the estate agents are conducting themselves.

Firstly, since the house went on the market, they have never sent me a txt message, they always phone me, and leave a voicemail if I don't answer, and if I've not returned their call within a couple of hours, they get my landlord to contact me to check its ok.

I replied telling her that I have not received a txt about this or any other viewing, and therefore I obviously didn't reply to confirm it was a convenient time. I also reminded her that I have always contacted them to either confirm, or to ask them to rearrange a viewing and so they should have phoned me for confirmation when the apparent text went unanswered, which is what I have asked them to do in future.

Now Obviously I am trying my best to not !!!! my landlord off, since he will still be my landlord after this house is sold so I certainly don't want to completely refuse access for viewings, but I am finding it increasingly difficult to deal with these agents calmly!

I'm sure my tenancy agreement says something about allowing access for viewings during the 2 months notice of tenancy ending etc, but I havn't been given notice, and my tenancy is not ending, so I assume I am well within my rights to insist that the agents have actual confirmation from me, and not just an apparent unanswered text message?

Wow, sorry that turned out to be so long, feels better to get it all off my chest though!! lol. Thank you very much to anyone that made it to the end

Your landlord is trying to have his cake and eat it here. He wants you paying rent whilst you put up with the inconvenience of having estate agents and potential buyers wandering around YOUR home. It's very likely he will need to give vacant possession in order to complete the sale so he will need you to move out. To be honest I wouldn't worry about p'ing off your landlord. I would be finding somewhere else to live (never mind staying with his family or another property of his) and serving notice at the first possible opportunity.

Any more crap from the estate agents and I'd be changing the locks too.

pmlindyloo

G_M wrote: »

You have several choices:

1) do nothing. Let things go on as they are. This will be disruptive and drive you bonkers.

2) Put your foot down. Change the locks and write to the LL sayig that due to repeated harassment and breaches of your right to 'Quiet Enjoyment' you will not permit further viewings. This will damage your relationship with the LL, and affect plans for the move to new property.

3) talk to the LL again and see if he'll change agent. He may be contractually locked in to them for a period.

4) talk to the LL again and see if he can get the agent to act diffeently. But this has been tried efore without success....

5) some combination of the above. eg change the locks and agree to viewings in future only when you are there to let them in AND after proper agreement on day/time

I suspect the bottom line is that the agents only care about finding a buyer. So doing viewings whenever a buyer wants. They don't care about you.

I would personally do number 5 as it prevents disruption and yet still allows access for viewings conducted with proper notice and agreement.

There is nothing to prevent your allowing the viewing and then taking yourself out of the house (with children) and then returning after an agreed length of time.

And just to add. Let your LL know that this is what you intend to do. Then let your LL tell the EA that this is what is going to happen.

I think enough is enough - you have tried to sort this out and the EA has not 'played' fair.

thesaint

Make the agents aware that viewings will only be allowed when you have verbally confirmed with them that you are happy with the time and day.

G_M

thesaint wrote: »

Make the agents aware that viewings will only be allowed when you have verbally confirmed with them that you are happy with the time and day.

I'd agree except that:

Myself and my landlord made sure that the agents knew that even though they had a key, they must contact me to make sure....

My landlord had stern words with the agents, and threatened to change agents if .....

My landlord has also asked them to give me atleast 2 days notice for viewings,....

Enough is enough.....

foxy-stoat

You should really tell him to cease all viewings, change the locks and request that you move into the empty sister in law's house ASAP.

NEXT !

giddypenguin

I can't comment on what you can/cannot contractually do - but do you have a chain/dead lock you can put on the door so at least you can have a shower in peace?

Agents are out of order... Hope the new build is progressing swiftly!

AdrianC

lisa_cornwall wrote: »

They ... then canceled 5 minutes before the viewing was due!

Perhaps that's when the viewer phoned them to say "I'm not coming" - or quite simply didn't turn up?

Her reply states that

"yesterdays viewing was confirmed to me by text and was not unannounced".

Firstly, since the house went on the market, they have never sent me a txt message, they always phone me, and leave a voicemail if I don't answer

On the same mobile they claim to have texted?