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Can I refuse my LA access?

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nnb
nnb Posts: 127 Forumite
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in House buying, renting & selling
I had an email yesterday from my letting agent informing me that the new tenants have arranged to have broadband installed and they are letting this go ahead while I am still in the property - specifically, TWO MONTHS before I move out.

I have NEVER heard of this being allowed and I had to wait til I moved in to do it myself. Two months in advance also seems highly excessive - AND I see it causing a headache with billing and risks me being cut off early as it's the same internet provider (who from my experience aren't the most intelligent - my sign up and installation was a bit 'Chuckle Brothers' to put it politely.)

Can I just refuse access until I've moved out? I have been VERY polite regarding their viewings - some of which don't happen, others have 6 hours notice, and others rock up completely unannounced! I have refused a couple of them that were unannounced but generally I've just let it go as I want to end on friendly terms...But now I feel like they're just taking the mickey... If there even is really new tenants, as they sometimes have the properties mixed up and have told me about viewings that don't even exist and was for a completely different building!

But anyway, my question is - can I legally refuse to let my agent and any contractors/workers access my home for ANYTHING that doesn't relate to me and my tenancy, while I still live here?

Thank you :)
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  • ThePants999
    ThePants999 Posts: 1,748 Forumite
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    edited 11 July 2017 at 8:21PM
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    Yup. Strictly speaking, if your tenancy agreement contains a provision for them to enter, and this satisfies the requirements of the relevant clause, you'd be in breach of the tenancy agreement if you denied them entry. But absolutely nothing will come of that since you're leaving anyway! In the vanishingly small chance that they took you to court for it, they'd have to prove that the tenancy agreement was reasonable (and allowing access solely for the the benefit of a future tenant surely would not be!) and they'd have to prove that they'd suffered a loss from your action (which it's extraordinarily unlikely they'd be able to do).

    Edit: to be clear, "in breach of the tenancy agreement" does NOT mean "illegal".
  • Cheeky_Monkey
    Cheeky_Monkey Posts: 2,072 Forumite
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    Tell them to jog on. I doubt very much if there's anything in your tenancy agreement that allows them access unless it's an emergency. I hope they haven't got a key :eek:
  • nnb
    nnb Posts: 127 Forumite
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    ThePants999 wrote: »
    Yup. Strictly speaking, if your tenancy agreement contains a provision for them to enter, and this satisfies the requirements of the relevant clause, you'd be in breach of the tenancy agreement if you denied them entry. But absolutely nothing will come of that since you're leaving anyway! In the vanishingly small chance that they took you to court for it, they'd have to prove that the tenancy agreement was reasonable (and allowing access solely for the the benefit of a future tenant surely would not be!) and they'd have to prove that they'd suffered a loss from your action (which it's extraordinarily unlikely they'd be able to do).

    Edit: to be clear, "in breach of the tenancy agreement" does NOT mean "illegal".

    Yes, sorry, that was bad phrasing on my part when I said 'legally'. I obviously meant regarding my contract - although I also wondered if it wasn't clear, would I legally be allowed to refuse access :) Sorry for the confusion!
    Cheeky_Monkey wrote: »
    Tell them to jog on. I doubt very much if there's anything in your tenancy agreement that allows them access unless it's an emergency. I hope they haven't got a key :eek:

    Sadly they do, as do the maintenance people - and random contractors, as I recently found out when someone came out and I found out had random keys that worked on most of our doors?! And I can't change the blasted thing either as it's not a standard lock. (And changing it would probably get me in trouble anyway.) It's pretty damn scary as I am a female living alone, knowing god knows how many random men have keys to my home! Wouldn't surprise me if they give the internet guy a key just so they don't have to come out with him.
  • t0rt0ise
    t0rt0ise Posts: 4,276 Forumite
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    What are they actually going to do to install broadband? All sounds a bit strange.
  • nnb
    nnb Posts: 127 Forumite
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    t0rt0ise wrote: »
    What are they actually going to do to install broadband? All sounds a bit strange.

    I had to have those little boxes fitted to the wall and some cabling done outside when I had it put in... (It's a crap building and the outside bit wasn't working and this IP had never installed in our block so apparently needed their own cabling done...) It does seem weird to me that the new people couldn't just book the installation for the day they move in, it's usually a 2 week wait so they could easily pick a date and time in September if they were ordering it now.
  • ThePants999
    ThePants999 Posts: 1,748 Forumite
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    Not being a "standard lock" doesn't mean you can't change it. Hell, you could replace the entire door if you wanted to, as long as you put the old one back when you left!
  • nnb
    nnb Posts: 127 Forumite
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    ThePants999 wrote: »
    Not being a "standard lock" doesn't mean you can't change it. Hell, you could replace the entire door if you wanted to, as long as you put the old one back when you left!

    I can't even get my key cut as no keycutter can do it (a lot of students pass through so I guess the LA use this type of lock so they don't have to worry about untrustworthy past tenants - not that I'm judging students! It's just the only theory I've come up with and all keycutters I've asked to cut it have said I must be in student accommodation!)

    I will have another look into it though... Although I do have a feeling my agreement says I wasn't allowed (or I would have to give them copies if I did) - I presume if I ignore the agreement and change the locks and don't give my LA copies, this would not bode well for me? I've never had an issue in the past with giving copies to other LAs when housemates/exes moved out but I've never had to want to keep an LA out before so this is new territory for me!
  • ThePants999
    ThePants999 Posts: 1,748 Forumite
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    I understand you have a non-standard lock so can't get a key cut. But it would have to be very non-standard indeed for you to be unable to remove the entire lock from the door and put a different lock in its place!

    While you're the tenant, it's your home. The landlord will have no recourse if you change the lock and don't provide a key except to evict you - and you're leaving anyway, so that's hardly a consequence you fear :) You just have to return things to how they were when you leave, otherwise they can claim their costs back from you.
  • Guest101
    Guest101 Posts: 15,764 Forumite
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    What ThePants999 said - thanks for typing it out perfectly
  • HB58
    HB58 Posts: 1,787 Forumite
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    The only way anyone would know you had changed the lock would be if they tried to enter without permission . . .
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