Fake landlord visit. Invasion of privacy? Trespass?

ispartacus75

Jan 25 we were contacted by the letting agent giving us 24 hrs notice of landlord access to the property. My wife rang the letting agent to be told the landlord just wanted to check everything was ok. No problem from us there. We didn't have to be in the property but I preferred to be as we have never actually met the landlord, so took the time off work.

The following day Jan 26 I heard the door open and went to meet the landlord. I was greeted instead by a woman I can only assume was from the letting agent, and approximately 20 people with her. She informed me that the landlord was selling up to 18 properties in the building and these people were all prospective buyers of the properties. This was confirmed when one person enquired as to the price of our home. I was then asked by another if we were moving out. As we still have almost 5 months left on our current tenancy agreement I told her No.

My main concern at this time was that the property has 9 rooms. There were 20 visitors, 2 letting agent representatives (I assume they were from the letting agent) and myself. This meant that at any one time there were strangers in at least 6 rooms in my home completely unsupervised. These included the bedrooms of my 17 and 15 year old children as well as mine and my partners bedroom.

After they all left I dug out the tenancy, I'm not sure why, I just did. In the tenancy it clearly stated that the landlord can only send in prospective buyers in the last 2 months of the tenancy, and we have almost 5 months left on our tenancy.

I emailed the letting agent Jan 28 to inform them of what went on, the clause in the tenancy and my views on the invasion of privacy etc. They have passed it onto the landlord who has yet to respond. I have again emailed the letting agent today to give the landlord until Friday to respond. If the landlord again fails to respond I am unsure what to do next.

Our home was entered by complete strangers, we were given a false reason for the visit facilitating these strangers coming into our home, and had we followed their email and not been here at the time of the visit we would have known nothing about it.

Anything could have been taken from our home, or deposited in our home with that many people viewing I was still unable to monitor every room.

We feel that our home has been violated, the trust in both our letting agent and landlord severely damaged, and our privacy completely invaded.

Im looking for some advice on what to do net in the event that the landlord fails to respond by Friday.

Thanks for your time.

Paul

G_M

1) write a formal letter addressed to the landlord at the address provided for the servng of notices.
* Make clear that you will not accept visits without 24 hours written notice
* Any visits must be for the reason stated at the time
* visist must be at a time you agree as you wich to be present
* visits must be limieted to a maximum 3 peope at a time
* Visits for viewing cannot start till the final 2 months of the tenancy
* visits before then must be limited to 6 monthly inspections, and repairing visits by contractors only

2) change the locks - keep the old one(s) to replace if/when you leave.

Sorted.

What do you plan to do in 5 months? Stay or leave?

Rosemary7391

Personally, I'd have said they couldn't come in. And I'd certainly say it to any further visit from the landlord or letting agent - I wouldn't trust them. It should be fairly easy for you to change the lock to enforce that - and they won't know about it unless they try and enter your home without your permission. Replace it with the LL's lock again when you leave.

marksoton

How refreshing. Not a single mention of potential compensation.

Change the locks OP.

Guest101

Before the OP responds saying the tenancy agreement states we can't change locks, and this becomes yet another thread about rights.

Let's shorten it.

1 change the locks
2 if the ll objects let him justify it to a court

ispartacus75

We did get 24 hours notice, just, I think it was like 24 hours and 14 minutes notice.

Hadn't considered changing the locks.

At the end of the tenancy we aren't sure what we want to do yet, it depends by how much the rent goes up by. But our circumstances are changing as well, daughter will be going to university so we are open to moving on if necessary.

HouseBuyer77

We did get 24 hours notice, just, I think it was like 24 hours and 14 minutes notice.

I believe the 24 hours notice is generally for necessary access (e.g. for the plumber to do a boiler service), not to show around 20 prospective buyers! You do have a right to quiet enjoyment of the property, precisely what rights the tenant has to deny access is often debated. But the practical answer is for a LL to do anything to you they'd need to take you to court and demonstrate some kind of loss.

marksoton

ispartacus75 wrote: »

We did get 24 hours notice, just, I think it was like 24 hours and 14 minutes notice.

Hadn't considered changing the locks.

At the end of the tenancy we aren't sure what we want to do yet, it depends by how much the rent goes up by. But our circumstances are changing as well, daughter will be going to university so we are open to moving on if necessary.

Then you hold the balance of power.

Change the locks.

m0bov

Change the locks!

G_M

As the advice seems to be unanimous:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LA580cRHXDY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7VHm_QhWlMQ

ViolaLass

You didn't really get 24 hours notice, did you? Not of what they actually intended to do.