I am about to advertise for new tenants for two bedroom flat that I own. The existing tenants are very nice but don’t keep the place particularly tidy day-to-day. Can I reasonably expect them to keep it tidy when new prospective tenants are visiting? And what other expectations can I have of them in terms of making the place accessible - I realise it’s clearly a bit of an inconvenience for them if people are coming to visit all the time.
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I assume the current tenants have given notice? No, you cannot expect anything from them. Even if your tenancy agreement says you can visit with prospective tenants, they can still refuse entry if they wish. Any cooperation you get is a bonus, but as I’ve written here before, in my experience you only get top rent by showing the property once they’ve gone and you’ve had a chance to tidy up and present it at its best.
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If they’ve given notice, your.TA may specify that they allow viewings in last 60 days of tenancy so you can reasonably expect them to comply so long as you point out the relevant clause to them. But whether they will is another matter. Obviously you can work with them to reduce inconvenience by eg having a 2h slot and fit all potential tenants into that - Saturdays works well for many people.
Depends on tenants if you have goodwill and they would like to move sooner (to reduce overlap between current and a new place) you might offer to return a week’s rent if you find someone ready to move earlier and they can then save a week’s rent. So if so in their interest to help you and you might ask if they could tidy before the viewing slot(s).
You can also say you’ll deal with returning deposit very quickly after they move if they are helpful..
So.you can’t ‘expect’ but you may be able to negotiate
As @David122 says you might get higher offers if you wait till they’ve gone but at least if you put the advert live before they go you will find out if you get any interest at the price you are planning on.
Good luck
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Thanks folks, this is very useful
I email the tenants to make it clean and presentable. If they don’t I’ve gone in and cleaned kitchen and bathrooms in an HMO
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I don’t worry, as long as current tenants give access for viewings. If place is a mess I stress to new tenants that there’ll be a professional clean and maintenance carried out before new tenancy and to trust me on that. They usually do and are happy when they check in. That way I minimise void to the time needed to prepare the flat. People usually want property for it’s location, size, facilities, they understand if current tenants are messy.
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In an HMO, (with individual tenancies) it’s your job to ensure the common parts are clean.
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You can ask, but they’re not under any obligation.
I tend to only advertise once tenants have moved out and I’ve done any needed repairs. Up to now I’ve always been able to get new tenants pretty rapidly, so that’s not been an issue.
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