I would just like to mention that just because you own/manage a property, does not give you carte blanch to behave in anyway YOU feel fit
When a tenant signs an assured shorthold tenancy, this means that you have given them, in law exclusive possession, clearly not many of you know what exactly this means....
It means that the tenant can exclude ANYONE including YOU!!!
This means that you must give the tenant notice if you wish to enter the property, if they say no, then no means no! It doesnt mean turn up anyway and let yourself in, it doesnt mean enter the property when the tenant is out, it doesnt mean come to the property and weed the garden
And letting agents, you cannot put clauses in your tenancy agreement saying you can conduct viewings in the last month of the tenancy, you have no legal right to do this and you are
1) in breach of the tenancy agreement 2) you have committed an offence by inserting an unfair clause in the agreement that is adverse to the law of entering a property and 3) if you do not have the tenants permission to enter the property and you do, you are commiting a crime and the tenants have every right to call the police.
So please be very careful when and how you enter your tenants property.
I am currently dealing with a huge increase of these exact issues and i am coming down very hard on letting agents and landlords.
Know your rights and more importantly know your tenants rights!!
