As a landlord, you have a right to visit your rental property. But your tenants also have a right to quiet enjoyment while living there.
That’s why landlords should always have a reason for visiting and must give notice in writing before turning up at the door. If you don’t give notice, your tenants can refuse your entry.
If you’re not sure about your rights to visit a property as a landlord, we’ll provide an overview in this article on the circumstances you can visit, and how much notice you need to give.
How Much Notice Do Landlords Need to Give Tenants Before Visiting?
To visit your rental property, you need to provide your tenants with a minimum of 24 hours’ notice.
Written notice is generally required, as a tenant can refuse your entry if it’s not provided in writing. For this reason, it’s best to send a text or write a quick email to request the visit rather than asking over the phone.
You also have to arrange your visit for a ‘reasonable time of day’. This is subjective, but ultimately means you shouldn’t book a visit too late, early, or at unsociable or undesirable times for the tenant.
What Reasons Would a Landlord Need to Visit a Rental Property?
Generally, you shouldn’t visit your tenants unless there’s a specific purpose for the visit.
Since all tenants have a right to quiet enjoyment, regardless of whether it’s written in the lease or not, you or your letting agent shouldn’t be visiting the property very often or interfering too much with their lives.
As a landlord, you should only visit the property for things like:
- Carrying out repairs – including routine and emergency
- Undertaking maintenance on the property
- Undertaking a safety inspection – like a gas, electrical or energy performance assessment or inspection
- Carrying out a mid-term inspection – to check your tenants are keeping the property in good condition
- Undertaking viewings – which, of course, would only be suitable if the tenancy is ending or you are selling the property with sitting tenants
If you’re selling the property and want to host viewings, you need to be conscious of the impact this will have on the tenant. This is particularly important if they haven’t served you notice and you’re either selling the property with them as sitting tenants or you’ve served them notice.
Keeping a property clean and tidy for strangers to view when they’re not home can be a disruption and an inconvenience, especially if they are only made aware of the viewing 24 hours’ before.
To make it easier for them, try to arrange with your letting agent for viewings to be made in batches on certain days of the week.
Need Help Letting Your Property?
If you need help booking and managing visits to your rental property, Northwood Bristol are your local property experts in Bristol. With our expert property management services, we can help your tenancies run smoothly – keeping you and your tenants happy.
To learn more about our letting and property management services, get in touch with our friendly team today on 0117 9635777 or via email at bristol@northwooduk.com.
