Like others have said, I think you did right. I would never want to let anyone into a tenanted house without the tenant’s consent. However, I’ve also had lots of experience where the tenants just simply do not reply despite the amount of notice provided. It’s possible that the estate agents are used to this so they have sent the email and let the tradesman get on. I would never provide the tradesman with keys to the property though unless I have the agreement of the tenant.
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Any tenant that changed the locks or refused me reasonable entry to one of my properties would face eviction.
Having said that I always give them plenty notice on things and have never given them cause or alarm.
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I agree. We also were at the point of evicting one T who wouldn’t cooperate about gas safety check. He realised it and relented.
However, we would never give worker the key or let ourselves in without T’s permission, cooperating or not. That’s a rude invasion of privacy and reminds me of police and their ways. I don’t want this done to me and won’t do it to others. To have a stranger in your house is shocking. Not to mention, he could have been less than honest and helped themselves of some T’s possessions. It just gets complicated.
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Been a landlord for 20 years would never enter a tenant’s property without speaking or receiving consent before hand the action of the managing agent is completely out of order and should be told so
Well done you for asking them to leave
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I would never ever enter a home that was not mine, except in an emergency which this clearly was not.
This is poor practice in the extreme. Thank you for taking the Estate Agent to task, Hopefully they will rethink their actions and put something in place, so it doesn’t happen to you or any of their other tenants ever again.
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I find it absolutely disgusting they’ve done. I’m just curious if you are male or female? Just curious. I would be traumatised if I came into my that and someone was inside my flat but even more so if it were a guy.
I’ve been through this myself as a freehold. I have terrible issues with a tenant who lived in the property above mine. He refused access constantly while water was pouring down into my flat, ceilings, falling in, you name it. His landlord gave 10 days notice for urgent repairs naming me and a buikder as people allowed access. He was reminded three days before & he said he was going to be in. I went there with Contractor as notified. The man opened the door and attacked me physically with bruises all over my body. Police charged him with grievous bodily harm eventually after a lot of me having to fight them to take a statement from me, even though I had a witness builder who is willing to go to court: They dropped it in the end, because they said that he had every right to not let me in. The man physically attacked me at the door. They said he claimed “self defence”. He got away was with it!! There was no self defence as we did not do anything.
No, it absolutely is not alright for you to come home and find some stranger in your own home. I would say that’s Tresspassing. And yes, you can change the locks as long as the contract does not specifically disallow it. I have experience with this.
And even though the contract says you must allow access for various things, no one is ever going to do anything about it because tenants effing rule. You do not have to let them in. Saying that if you should if done properly. Get them to sign a contract saying they won’t enter your property again without your written consent unless there is a real emergency such as a fire.
I would want the agent to change the locks & give you new keys. That might show them. If they don’t, it’s cheap & easy to look up the lock online & order a new one which should just slip into place with only a few screws.
Changing the locks is allowed as long as they don’t cause damage. What are you afraid of?
Is it okay for someone who rents anything else such as a car to change the locks, NO.There is no reason for them to change locks, if the do they are doing that to gain control over a property that does not belong to them and they in my opinion are dodgy.
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But you read the first post in this thread, didn’t you?
Amy the idea is to post on here and get some feedback and take some valuable suggestions away hopefully. it seems you have been traumatized and are very angry at the perceived injustice you have received. However it wasnt anybody on here who hurt you and people are just voicing some opinions and suggestions so no need to attack them if you dont agree with their viewpoint
oh and the post is by a female (Vanessa)
You have every right to feel aggrieved.
This isn’t. Acceptable. You are right to bring this to task.
It is bad practise and you have to be asked if it is alright for someone to enter your Home as that is what it is when you are a tenant.
They are in the wrong and it is a violation of your privacy, don’t question yourself as you are the one who has been wronged.
Good job for speaking up. A booby trap is not illegal neither is a door cam or alarm for intruders.
just take the moderate view You are getting a lot of booby trap cobblers
I don’t need a lecture. Why on earth would anyone think it’s ok to just barge into someone’s home while they are out? It’s trespassing. Plain & clear. If she did not agree to it, they have absolutely no right to do it. It’s the law. It’s factual. And they need to be held account.
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Its not tresspassing. Its a lawful action that has been legislated for and which the tenant has already agreed to when they signed the contract.
Clearly the agents actions were high handed and showed a lack of respect. Hopefully they will learn from their mistake with the right approach from the tenant.
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So you think it’s ok for a LL to voice on here, that after a tenant finding a man (a contractor she knew nothing about) in her flat when she arrives home, that she shouldn’t make a big deal of it, and to just let the man just get on with the works?
“I work in a school and came home today to find a man in my bedroom”
Shocking!! In her bedroom!!! I have a heart condition ACM which causes sudden death. If I came home to such a situation, I would imagine it would trigger an episode. And this could kill me.
That post needed a very heavy response! As you can see it’s strongly not acceptable by landlords who are voicing their opinion on this. And it is gobsmacking that ANYONE would think this is ok. It’s trespassing. It’s illegal. It’s very scary for someone to come home to this kind of situation as the T says, she was “shaken” by it! No it absolutely is not acceptable this behaviour of the agent/LL to do this sort of thing. Wow! Thought police, oops I mean post police. Thanks for blocking my original post
It’s Trespassing. By just sending an email without a response is not acceptable notice. And LL managing agent has absolutely no right whatsoever to just let themselves in. They would lose in a court of law saying they had served notice.
you are getting more irritated than the original poster . Look how many landlords have said the agents were wrong.
You are absolutely wrong about this. You can not enter the property without consent unless it is a real emergency. And the bar is extremely high on that if you end up in court. We are talking fire. Not a little leak or something.
I am irritated because it appears Sidney1 blocked my post
In Scotland, (don’t know about rest of UK), tenants have an absolute right to change the locks if they want to. I give my tenants a ‘key agreement’ which they sign to give me permission to keep spare keys. I explain that this is really useful in emergency and I’ll never enter without permission other than emergency. To date, no one has ever refused permission.
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