We have an inspection every 6 months, by appointment. We are good tenants who look after the property and in return any work or improvements are quickly done. Landlords have rights I am sure.
@raisingirl that sounds appalling and so dispiriting for you. I'm so sorry your efforts to be a good lalndlord have not been met with respect. Hope you get it all cleared up without too much bother and that you find good tenants next time.
Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
"The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
@raisingirl if I might make a suggestion. When a prospective tenant views the house, if they like it tell them you have others booked to see it which will probably be true. If you feel they might be good tenants arrange to meet them at their current house to discuss the matter further. If the house is as it should be then chances are that they will be good tenants. If it isn't then make excuses and leave. Sounds a faff but your rental house is your investment and you have to protect it because tenants have more rights than landlords these days.
Serving eviction notice is only the start of the process and it can take many months to get tenants out, even if they have stopped paying rent. A friend's son and his family was living in rented accommodation and was given notice to quit as the owners were returning from abroad and wanted to occupy. He approached the local council for accommodation who told him not to leave voluntarily as they would be deemed 'deliberately homeless' and the council would not then help. How is that fair on landlords?
My sister gave up renting out a house they owned after a family treated it terribly. Broke cupboards, and a shower tray. My sister had only had a new shower tray fitted for two weeks before they broke it again. Took them nearly a year before they finally got them out.
I can only imagine that, if they were eligible for a council flat, their needs were more than is usual and their capability of meeting their family’s needs was assessed as being inadequate, and that Children’s Services are involved. If you suspect that they are not involved, and if they had children in an insanitary and chaotic household, I would strongly urge that you make a referral to your local Children's Services Duty Team.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
@raisingirl if I might make a suggestion. When a prospective tenant views the house, if they like it tell them you have others booked to see it which will probably be true. If you feel they might be good tenants arrange to meet them at their current house to discuss the matter further. If the house is as it should be then chances are that they will be good tenants. If it isn't then make excuses and leave. Sounds a faff but your rental house is your investment and you have to protect it because tenants have more rights than landlords these days.
It's a good suggestion @Uff and we will definitely be more careful, within what we're allowed to do under data protection rules and all that jazz. But if we'd met them in their parents' house, they'd probably have been perfectly fine - they just don't how to look after themselves, apparently, once on their own. Maybe their parents' homes were as bad, but I would hazard a guess they'd have the sense to clear up before we came round. We can't charge a bigger deposit, we can't demand more rent, we can't forcibly enter the property to clean it without evicting them first and, as has been said, that can take months and most tenants will stop paying the rent if you serve them notice (unsurprisingly) and then sit rent free for as long as they can while the overloaded courts grind their slow way on. All we can do is insist on independent references that we can follow up directly (and even that isn't foolproof). But that means some very deserving people will be ruled out
Gardening on the edge of Exmoor, in Devon
“It's still magic even if you know how it's done.”
A friend of ours inherited a property and rented it for years with no problems. They even thought the most recent renter, who was there for several years, was fine - until they moved out. My friend went round to start redecorating, which she did between every rental, walked into the kitchen and nearly fell through the floor. Investigation established that there had been a leak under the sink which must have been going on for a very long time as the floorboards and joists were rotten. There is no way the tenant wouldn't have been aware, they just couldn't be bothered to report the problem. Repairs cost thousands, and she then decided to sell rather than risk any future hassle.
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Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
“It's still magic even if you know how it's done.”
I wonder at the mentality of some renters.