UK Landlord Forum / Life

Just thought I'd share.

I've had a couple of prospects tell me their credit history was perfectly fine only for a CCJ to turn up once I'd conducted the checks.

They annoyed me at the time but I did a viewing today on a house which stipulates no smokers. The chap looking round absolutely reeked of cigarettes. I politely asked him if he smoked or had any pets (thought I'd keep it generic) and he had the gall to say no to both. Apparently he's a model tenant and he'd leave the place as he found it.

Bloody cheek of some people.

What's the worst lie you've had a tenant tell you.

About ten years ago I asked if them if they had any pets, I was thinking dogs or cats and she said no to both so I gave her the house.  But it turned out that she actually bred budgies in one of the bedrooms.
The bedroom floor was like a lawn where all the bird seed had germinated.  Did I laugh or did I cry?

You  - obviously - have the freedom (still) to let your property to who you want. But I would be careful about outright bans on smokers (because many people do not smoke in the house, which is seen to be good enough) and pets (which is frowned upon). Fair enough to try and weed people out at the viewing stage, but just be circumspect about inserting blanket bans on, say, smokers (as opposed to smoking in the property) and pets (all) in the AST.

I just remembered the tenant who was shocked when I didn't appreciate his home improvements.  He thought that painting the living room ceiling with black gloss was tres chic lol.

my tenants have been in my property for six years now, when they came to view they told me about the dog, and how difficult it was to find anywhere that would take dogs, my thoughts at that time were that I would rather have a couple with a little dog than a couple with two or three kids, as a little dog can't  potentially do as much damage as children....six years down the line and 48k in my bank later, my property is kept so tidy and clean, the garden neat and tidy too, so I think landlords who vet there potential tennants should sometime look at the bigger picture and having a no dog policy isn't always the best policy.

I could send you some pictures that would change your mind on that add to that that the smell was indescribable and you get the picture.

yes but my tennants aren't slobs, but decent clean living people, that makes a big difference....

At the moment. They've already wrecked your driveway.

I only have a cat/....and then when i actually visited after six months...she's practically built small zoo in the living room with a rabbit, couple of hamsters, and two cats