Moving out and people viewing while I live in the house

JAMES VTI S

I'm not comfortable with people viewing my house while all my stuff is here, is it right that the auctioneer can bring in people while i live here ?

athtrasna

JAMES VTI S wrote: »

I'm not comfortable with people viewing my house while all my stuff is here, is it right that the auctioneer can bring in people while i live here ?

What did you agree to in your lease?

JAMES VTI S

Don't think there was any mention of that

Marcusm

Generally the lease should include a covenant for quiet or peaceful enjoyment - this has nothing to do with noise but is an agreement by the landlord that they will not interfere with your occupation of the property by entering it. There is generally an obligation to make the property available for periodic inspections at notice or for repairs. There is no general obligation on you to make the property available for viewings.

If you are unhappy with having any viewings or having anything other than fixed times, let the agent/landlord know. Beware that applying the lease strictly one way will likely lead to them applying it strictly in another manner.

If you agree to allowing viewings, I would first ask the agent or landlord to perform an inspection and confirm in writing that there are no reasons not to return the full deposit. Ie get a quid for your quo.

womandriver

JAMES VTI S wrote: »

I'm not comfortable with people viewing my house while all my stuff is here, is it right that the auctioneer can bring in people while i live here ?

You are not obliged to facilitate viewings during your lease regardless of whether it's on your lease or not.

Wabbit Ears

My sister had people viewing her rented accommodation (landlord was selling) and some random bint nicked her make-up from the bathroom!!

womandriver

Wabbit Ears wrote: »

My sister had people viewing her rented accommodation (landlord was selling) and some random bint nicked her make-up from the bathroom!!

OMG! That's awful! We actually had viewings recently and I was worried about that so I hid my more expensive make up. Should def complain to whoever was organising the viewings.

Wabbit Ears

complaints were made but the owner is out of the country, the estate agent didnt give a toss and theres no way of knowing who was actually in the house. nowhere near enough value to claim off her own contents insurance either, so SOL really.

TheDriver

If she contacted the estate agent to ask who was the EA who viewed with people as you want to file a theft with gardai? Its small but still a theft....

Grandpa Hassan

You are under no obligation. But if you have given notice yourself, and then don't allow any viewings, personally I think that is out of order. You can certainly expect the LL to be very strict when it comes to other obligations and deposit return.

You should check your lease to be sure. Many leases now specify that viewings have to be allowed, with notice, in the last month of a tenancy

womandriver

Grandpa Hassan wrote: »

You can certainly expect the LL to be very strict when it comes to other obligations and deposit return.


You should check your lease to be sure. Many leases now specify that viewings have to be allowed, with notice, in the last month of a tenancy

A landlord can be as "strict" as they want as long as they play by the rules. A tenant's deposit is not a barter for the landlord to use to force unreasonable conditions on tenants.
A condition like that is not worth the paper it's written on, a lease can't diminish your statutory rights.

It's funny how landlords on here always think tenants who don't want to permit strangers wandering around their home to benefit the landlord are unreasonable, yet if a tenant on here was looking for something outside the terms of their lease they'd be quickly told by landlords that they're running a business, it's nothing personal bla bla bla.

Grandpa Hassan

womandriver wrote: »

A landlord can be as "strict" as they want as long as they play by the rules. A tenant's deposit is not a barter for the landlord to use to force unreasonable conditions on tenants.
A condition like that is not worth the paper it's written on, a lease can't diminish your statutory rights.

It's funny how landlords on here always think tenants who don't want to permit strangers wandering around their home to benefit the landlord are unreasonable, yet if a tenant on here was looking for something outside the terms of their lease they'd be quickly told by landlords that they're running a business, it's nothing personal bla bla bla.

I am a tenant as well as a LL. I just have always had a very co-operative relationship with both my tenants and my LL, each of us doing things that were not laid out in the lease, but just made life more pleasurable for everyone. I would certainly allow viewings (in fact, I have rarely viewed a place that didn't have current occupants).

I swear most problems are created by people entering arrangement having already made up their mind that either their LL, agent or their tenant is not to be trusted.

I really don't understand how anyone would think that the viewings are an 'unreasonable condition'. But that's just me, I guess

odds_on

womandriver wrote: »

A landlord can be as "strict" as they want as long as they play by the rules. A tenant's deposit is not a barter for the landlord to use to force unreasonable conditions on tenants.
A condition like that is not worth the paper it's written on, a lease can't diminish your statutory rights.

Absolutely agree. Anything in a lease cannot take away the rights of the tenants' right to peaceful and exclusive enjoyment of the property.

However, a tenant sticking to that law is likely not to get a reference from the landlord which may hinder renting a property in the future. Thus, it is customary that tenants allow viewings during the last month of a tenancy, by arrangement with at least 48 hours notice or once or twice a week at specific times which can also be by arrangement, with or without notice as the tenant wants.

Grandpa Hassan

womandriver wrote: »

A landlord can be as "strict" as they want as long as they play by the rules. A tenant's deposit is not a barter for the landlord to use to force unreasonable conditions on tenants..

By the way, I didn't mean that the LL would break the rules. I just mean that they wouldn't be inclined to let any small things slide, given as the relationship would have deteriorated.

womandriver

Grandpa Hassan wrote: »

I am a tenant as well as a LL. I just have always had a very co-operative relationship with both my tenants and my LL, each of us doing things that were not laid out in the lease, but just made life more pleasurable for everyone. I would certainly allow viewings (in fact, I have rarely viewed a place that didn't have current occupants).

I swear most problems are created by people entering arrangement having already made up their mind that either their LL, agent or their tenant is not to be trusted.

I really don't understand how anyone would think that the viewings are an 'unreasonable condition'. But that's just me, I guess

odds_on wrote: »

Absolutely agree. Anything in a lease cannot take away the rights of the tenants' right to peaceful and exclusive enjoyment of the property.

However, a tenant sticking to that law is likely not to get a reference from the landlord which may hinder renting a property in the future. Thus, it is customary that tenants allow viewings during the last month of a tenancy, by arrangement with at least 48 hours notice or once or twice a week at specific times which can also be by arrangement, with or without notice as the tenant wants.

I too have recently facilitated viewings but that doesn't mean I think everyone should be expected to do. Do as you see fit but don't expect every other tenant to have to just because it suits you. It's your business whether you think viewing are reasonable but you don't get to make that decision for anyone else and quiet frankly your comments alluding to viewings being in any way connected to the return of a tenant's security deposit is the type of thing that causes distrust of landlords.

We recently had 4 separate viewings in our absence and came home after one to find lights on all over the house and on a different occasion to find the patio doors left unlocked. Unless the letting agent is planning to contribute to our electricity bill and is going to take responsibility for the consequences of leaving a city centre apartment unlocked all day, they can do me the courtesy of leaving the place as they found it or we will not be so accommodating in future. Regardless of whether or not that's frowned upon by anonymous people on internet forums.

odds_on

womandriver wrote: »

I too have recently facilitated viewings but that doesn't mean I think everyone should be expected to do. Do as you see fit but don't expect every other tenant to have to just because it suits you. It's your business whether you think viewing are reasonable but you don't get to make that decision for anyone else and quiet frankly your comments alluding to viewings being in any way connected to the return of a tenant's security deposit is the type of thing that causes distrust of landlords.

We recently had 4 separate viewings in our absence and came home after one to find lights on all over the house and on a different occasion to find the patio doors left unlocked. Unless the letting agent is planning to contribute to our electricity bill and is going to take responsibility for the consequences of leaving a city centre apartment unlocked all day, they can do me the courtesy of leaving the place as they found it or we will not be so accommodating in future. Regardless of whether or not that's frowned upon but anonymous people on internet forums.

Personally, I would only agree to viewings when I was at home. As a renter, I always found it advantageous to have the present occupant there so that I could ask them questions, rather than the EA who is just trying to get his commission and often will not answer a question as truthfully as he could - a bit like politicians.

womandriver

odds_on wrote: »

Personally, I would only agree to viewings when I was at home. As a renter, I always found it advantageous to have the present occupant there so that I could ask them questions, rather than the EA who is just trying to get his commission and often will not answer a question as truthfully as he could - a bit like politicians.

We really weren't happy about it either but the letting agent insisted that they could only do viewings before 5pm.

odds_on

womandriver wrote: »

We really weren't happy about it either but the letting agent insisted that they could only do viewings before 5pm.

Ah, yes! A letting agent's working hours. If he can't organize viewings a a mutually convenient time, then he doesn't get his viewings.

Grandpa Hassan

womandriver wrote: »

We really weren't happy about it either but the letting agent insisted that they could only do viewings before 5pm.

It is up to you when you do viewings. That is a lazy estate agent. Any good agent would work outside of those hours when they have viewings to do

womandriver

Grandpa Hassan wrote: »

It is up to you when you do viewings. That is a lazy estate agent. Any good agent would work outside of those hours when they have viewings to do

Lol yeah right!! Dream on....

Grandpa Hassan

womandriver wrote: »

Lol yeah right!! Dream on....

Then it is the agent's fault that the LL doesn't get people viewing the place, not the tenant. I allowed plenty of viewings when I moved, but only between 6 - 8pm.

TheBandicoot

Sitting tenant personal belongings 100% do go missing in these scenarios, it has happened to people I know. Viewings these days are a mob- a house down the road for me was for rent and there was a crowd of at least 25 people streaming in. That's a lot of bodies and it is very invasive if you are living there, I wouldn't be too comfortable with it unless I had the opportunity to move some of my stuff into the attic/out of the place etc.

drumswan

The landlord should just do the viewings when the place is vacant, its a bit ridiculous to have groups of people traipsing around a property you rent.