Landlord Inspections

[littlegreenfairy]

I've never rented before this (and tbh can't wait to get out and get our own place again. It's been unpleasant and can't see why anyone would want to do this out of choice) so don't know how it works.

There is a quarterly inspection (every 4 months. Work that one out) but the day before, is another inspection (landlord uses A to manage his properties and uses B to rent it out)

Is it right to be inspected by BOTH agents? One on a Sunday too... We rent from B and don't see why A need to come too.

We're fairly sure that A don't know we have pets so it might mean we can get out of the contract (even though our contract with B says we can have them) but we don't want to be out because the rabbits are very inquisitive and will want to see whats going on, and we're afraid they'll get shut in a room and all hell will break out.

I'm rambling I know, but is it usual to have inspections by 2 people.

(I just hate strangers in the house...I'm a bit of a hermit these days)

Edited by littlegreenfairy on Wednesday 20th October 11:27

[CatherineJ]

Am I right is thinking there is a managing agent involved?

3 inspections a year sounds quite high to me. It's a long time since i've rented a property, but I think 2 different people inspecting the property does seam a little odd.

Are you south of the M4 in Wilts, or North?

Edited by CatherineJ on Friday 15th October 20:43

[Dixie68]

Mine has someone from the agency visit on a day set by me every 6 months and it takes ten minutes.

[littlegreenfairy]

CatherineJ said:

Am I right is thinking there is a managing agent involved?

3 inspections a year sounds quite high to me. It's a long time since i've rented a property, but I think 2 does seam a little odd.

Edited by CatherineJ on Friday 15th October 20:42

There is a management agent for the block, the agents we rent through, and someone else who looks after the owners affairs.

So A (the owners affairs manager) and B (the lettings agents) will each visit 4 times a year....

Oh and North Wilts, just by the M4!

And the inspections are quarterly (but said every 4 months, it's actually every 3)

Edited by littlegreenfairy on Friday 15th October 20:45

Edited by littlegreenfairy on Friday 15th October 20:45

[CatherineJ]

littlegreenfairy said:

CatherineJ said:

Am I right is thinking there is a managing agent involved?

3 inspections a year sounds quite high to me. It's a long time since i've rented a property, but I think 2 does seam a little odd.

Edited by CatherineJ on Friday 15th October 20:42

There is a management agent for the block, the agents we rent through, and someone else who looks after the owners affairs.

So A (the owners affairs manager) and B (the lettings agents) will each visit 4 times a year....

Oh and North Wilts, just by the M4!

And the inspections are quarterly (but said every 4 months, it's actually every 3)

Edited by littlegreenfairy on Friday 15th October 20:45

Edited by littlegreenfairy on Friday 15th October 20:45

Blimey, nope I can honestly say i've never heard of that before. Most of the Estate Agents I have met around here, that do lettings would just do the annual inspection. I wonder if it is that the letting agent is finding a reason to justify his fee to the owner.

Edited by CatherineJ on Friday 15th October 20:50

[littlegreenfairy]

CatherineJ said:

littlegreenfairy said:

CatherineJ said:

Am I right is thinking there is a managing agent involved?

3 inspections a year sounds quite high to me. It's a long time since i've rented a property, but I think 2 does seam a little odd.

Edited by CatherineJ on Friday 15th October 20:42

There is a management agent for the block, the agents we rent through, and someone else who looks after the owners affairs.

So A (the owners affairs manager) and B (the lettings agents) will each visit 4 times a year....

Oh and North Wilts, just by the M4!

And the inspections are quarterly (but said every 4 months, it's actually every 3)

Edited by littlegreenfairy on Friday 15th October 20:45

Edited by littlegreenfairy on Friday 15th October 20:45

Blimey, nope I can honestly say i've never heard of that before. Most of the Estate Agents I have met around here, that do lettings would just do the annual inspection. I wonder if it is that the letting agent is finding a reason to justify his fee to the owner.

Edited by CatherineJ on Friday 15th October 20:50

I think I might be having a word about invasion of privacy. Fingers crossed the business will do well and I'll be in a position to buy a house again soon. I'm beginning to get really down in this place.

They've also said there is no need for us to be in and they will be entering if it is convenient or not.

[CatherineJ]

I certainly wouldn't be happy with someone coming in when I wasn't in. I'm not sure about the bit about it being convenient or not, assuming they have given you fair notice.

If you do need another letting agent, I can point you in the direction of some good estate agents, that I have know for a long time.

[thetapeworm]

Quarterly inspections for me, having said this they rarely turn up on the date they give in the letter.

[littlegreenfairy]

CatherineJ said:

I certainly wouldn't be happy with someone coming in when I wasn't in. I'm not sure about the bit about it being convenient or not, assuming they have given you fair notice.

If you do need another letting agent, I can point you in the direction of some good estate agents, that I have know for a long time.

That would be lovely thank you

Firstly I'm a bit funny about strangers coming into my house when I'm not here, secondly - exactly how many bloody keys for this place are in the ether?!! and thirdly, I'm a bit protective of the bunnies as they panic if they get shut in anywhere - especially if not together.

[Simpo Two]

littlegreenfairy said:

We're fairly sure that A don't know we have pets so it might mean we can get out of the contract

Is the idea that the landlord will be so outraged by Flopsy, Mopsy and Cottontail that you'll be asked to leave?

[Wings]

Simpo Two said:

littlegreenfairy said:

We're fairly sure that A don't know we have pets so it might mean we can get out of the contract

Is the idea that the landlord will be so outraged by Flopsy, Mopsy and Cottontail that you'll be asked to leave?

As a landlord the thought of having rabbits in residence would horrify me, how disgusting!!

[littlegreenfairy]

Simpo Two said:

littlegreenfairy said:

We're fairly sure that A don't know we have pets so it might mean we can get out of the contract

Is the idea that the landlord will be so outraged by Flopsy, Mopsy and Cottontail that you'll be asked to leave?

Well we're more hoping that the agents have mentioned it to the landlord as they don't seem to know anything about it. However, we have paid a bond for them to the agent. S

Wings - they are really clean, litter trained and very sociable animals! They don't chew (except for the sofa which they hate for some reason, but it's ours anyhow) and curtains (which we don't have- just blinds. Apparently curtains look like they are weeds so rabbits try to keep them down) They are cleaner than cats and don't smell at all

Edited by littlegreenfairy on Wednesday 20th October 11:28

[Rags]

So you're keeping pets in your rented accommodation against the terms of the tenancy?
If I was your landlord, I would probably ask you to leave....

[Wings]

littlegreenfairy said:

Simpo Two said:

littlegreenfairy said:

We're fairly sure that A don't know we have pets so it might mean we can get out of the contract

Is the idea that the landlord will be so outraged by Flopsy, Mopsy and Cottontail that you'll be asked to leave?

Well we're more hoping that the agents have not mentioned it to the landlord as they don't seem to know anything about it. However, we have paid a bond for them to the agent. Sort of hoping the landlord doesn't like it and lets us leave. We're not that happy here. If not, we'll just leave at the end of the tenancy.

Wings - they are really clean, litter trained and very sociable animals! They don't chew (except for the sofa which they hate for some reason, but it's ours anyhow) and curtains (which we don't have- just blinds. Apparently curtains look like they are weeds so rabbits try to keep them down) They are cleaner than cats and don't smell at all

I once got involved with a legal dispute between a landlord and tenant, where the tenant had stopped paying the rent, due to unexplained smell in the property, and water ingress in the downstairs area, due to a leak frim the upstairs bathroom.

The tenant a single mum with 2 children, had called in the local council's environmental health officer, with a complaint based upon the above. The property was a new built 3 bed house. There were no visibl reason for either the damp/water ingress and bad smells, that is until calling unannounced it was found she had a rabbits hutch in the kitchen, with rabbits running loose around the house. The water ingress being causeed by the tenant undoing the waste trap under the bathroom sink.

[Simpo Two]

Actually I quite like the idea, if one wishes to end one's tenancy early, of being caught with one of these in the living room:

Edited by Simpo Two on Saturday 16th October 23:20

[littlegreenfairy]

Do they do mini ones? I think the horns might damage the ceilings.

It's more that we don't think the landlord has been told about the bunnies, but the agent has said it's ok. Complete with a deposit for each one.

Ours really are like cats, they sleep on the bed during the day and just lollop around to their hearts content.

[k22wes]

the only ones you should be dealing with are the letting agents that you pay your rent to. your contract is with them so they are the only ones you should be letting into your house. if the other company needs to come in for any reason (which i dont see why they would) then they should make an appointment with your letting agent who will then make an appointment with you.

[Deva Link]

littlegreenfairy said:

We're fairly sure that A don't know we have pets so it might mean we can get out of the contract (even though our contract with B says we can have them) but we don't want to be out because the rabbits are very inquisitive and will want to see whats going on, and we're afraid they'll get shut in a room and all hell will break out.

If the contract with the letting agent says you can have the rabbits then surely that's the end of the matter.

Are you not bothered about them making a run for it if someone visits and leaves the front door open? My daughter has a house rabbit and it would be out of the door like a shot, although she keeps it in a large pen when she's out. It tries to chew wires too, although I guess it will stop if it ever gets chance to break through the insulation!

[littlegreenfairy]

Deva Link said:

littlegreenfairy said:

We're fairly sure that A don't know we have pets so it might mean we can get out of the contract (even though our contract with B says we can have them) but we don't want to be out because the rabbits are very inquisitive and will want to see whats going on, and we're afraid they'll get shut in a room and all hell will break out.

If the contract with the letting agent says you can have the rabbits then surely that's the end of the matter.

Are you not bothered about them making a run for it if someone visits and leaves the front door open? My daughter has a house rabbit and it would be out of the door like a shot, although she keeps it in a large pen when she's out. It tries to chew wires too, although I guess it will stop if it ever gets chance to break through the insulation!

We're on the top floor of a small apartment block so they'd have to negotiate 3 flights of stairs first and they don't really understand stairs as never had them. We sometimes let them out on to the landing as we're the only people up there and they potter around for a bit and then go back inside. We even let them out into my parents garden whilst they were staying there and they hopped around and chose to go back inside. They were both rescues and not terribly fond of going outside. For the time being.......

Greatest thing to stop chewing - cover the cables with Wilkinson's cheapest hosepipe. They hate the taste of it.

[hidetheelephants]

littlegreenfairy said:

I think I might be having a word about invasion of privacy. Fingers crossed the business will do well and I'll be in a position to buy a house again soon. I'm beginning to get really down in this place.

They've also said there is no need for us to be in and they will be entering if it is convenient or not.

They do not have a right to gain access except in an emergency, and emergency is normally confined to significant water leakage and fire. If you do not want them in your flat(and in law it is your flat as far as access is concerned) you do not have to let them in. On the other hand if your tenancy agreement is conditional on periodic inspections it would likely cause them to issue notice to quit.

Access is entirely at your pleasure, and they should dance to your tune. If it's inconvenient to you, they should reschedule within reason. Any landlord or landlord representative gaining access without your permission is breaking the law, and you should call the police.