I have a new tenant whose start date is imminent but now he tells me he won’t be there for an inventory/ check in process and wants me to hand keys to a friend. He will be away for a month and I have told him I won’t be handing keys over to any third party as he has to sign for them. I am worried that the ‘friend’ might change locks or move in. He is being quite insistent on his friend having the keys. His excuse is that he has moved out of his last rental (after 4 months) and his belongings are scattered around at friends and his friend is prepared to move them in. I think if he is not coming back for a month then his possessions are best left with friends until he is back from his holiday. I understand that you should only hand keys over to the person named on the tenancy. Does anyone know where I stand legally?
This sounds so dodgy. Have you signed a lease?
Had he not explained him ‘being away’ before this stage? and if not, why not?
Have you met him in person & done the Right to Rent Checks?
Are you going to be covered on your insurance policy for the period the property is empty, bearing in mind that this will be the period since the last tenant moved out, not the start date of his tenancy.
If he isnt available for a month then he dosent get the keys for a month if his friend is prepared to move his stuff can you not attend the property and allow his friend access with said stuff then lock and secure the property.
Whos name is the TA in
Who is paying the rent i am guessing they are both the alleged tenants
I personally wouldnt hand the keys over to anyone but the tenant and would follow up not long after moving in with a “visit”
This is what I’m worried about too. I’ve looked at my policy booklet but not a lot of information on unoccupied house. I’m near enough to the property to pop in everyday although that’s another expense in time & fuel. Not what i signed up for. He did say that he’d be away for a few days but not a whole month. He has passed right to rent checks.
Yes I have signed a tenancy agreement through Open Rent. I just don’t want him sub-letting. He appears to be a genuine person but there again so did Ted Bundy!
it is tough judging a person. whether they are honest or not. There is one group of people seems as a group they always blag. I try not to deal with them in business but cannot say who on here
Good advice. I won’t be giving keys to his friend. I will accommodate by allowing him to put in belongings at a mutually convenient time. I think it is wise but just wondered where i stood legally?
How do you know the belongings are his and not his friends ?
What happens if the friend then says they are his and wants stuff back ???…
I would wait till the tenant turns up with his own belongings to move them in
This does not sound right at all. Have you carried out a close check of his last 6 months bank statements for income and outgoings ? Also Previous rental address and employment details ? Gaining possession of your property is going to get a lot harder in the near future so extra caution is called for.
and only in the last rental for 4 months.
I think that’s one of the red flags. I have the address of his last ‘rental’ address but no landlord reference. I definitely intend to tread with caution. The last 4 months salary was checked through Open Banking but I’m not sure what that is. I used Open Rent referencing and he passed but I’m not sure how thorough they are? I think they use Equifax.
You need to view the bank statements and satisfy yourself the incomings and outgoings are legit. Previous rent payments, council tax etc should be on there.
Has he paid the deposit and bond? Usually there’s a deadline to pay it or the tenancy is void, no way under any circumstances you should hand keys to anyone but the tenant.
Look to see if you can rescind the tenancy, red flag now is more later.
Legally you are protected but not on inventory as he wasn’t there while you did it. But of course protected if you follow the procedure as reference check……EPC. Gaz certificate. EICR…. Hand it to tenant.
At end of tenancy any damage to the house happen are not protected. Landlord insurance will help you to evict tenant but not the damages
Spend £3 on the Land Registry website to find the owner of his previous rental address and contact him to check what happened.
Think I’d be looking for another Tenant, sounds very dodgy to me.
So. He has been dishonest before the deal was completed. He can’t be bothered to collect the keys and take responsibility for his tenancy and moving in. Presumably his friend is moving him in as it’s been difficult.
It’s your property, your keys your choice. Stay safe. He doesn’t sound like a responsible tenant to me.
No…don’t let the friend move stuff in…the tenant needs to be present for keys handover, inventory, meter reading
…etc…all kinds of papers need signing on move in day