15September

Can a Landlord Enter my Rented Property Without my Permission?

Known as a polarising issue within the renting/letting world, many people are unsure where the restrictions lie in the allowance of a landlord to enter their tenant’s property without obtaining permission. Whether you’re a landlord who lets out a property or a tenant currently renting from a landlord, it is important to know the legal bounds that are set within your tenancy agreement and externally through the law. Read on to find out about the rules in relation to your specific query.

Ownership

Many believe that permission to enter is decided by the owner of the property, luckily for many tenants, this is not the case. As a part of your tenancy agreement, there is likely a clause allowing for the tenant to be able to live in the property without being disturbed by estate/ letting agents or landlords. On the other hand, this may not always be the case as the landlord also has a legal obligation to carry out routine checks and repairs for which access must be provided.

To summarise, in order for the landlord to be able to enter the property they have to either be provided permission, give ample warning ahead of time when looking to do maintenance or have a valid reason to justify an emergency visit.

Letting Agents

If letting agents are involved in the process they will have to adhere to the same rules as the landlord.

Denying Permission

If you are asked to provide permission or ask to be provided permission, chances are its as simple as organising a date. You may not be able to find a date that suits both parties but as long as both are reasonable and look to get the issue resolved or inspection carried out finding a suitable timeframe to get this completed should be easy. It is best to keep a record of any exchange discussing permission in case it is required further down the line.

Making Alterations

At some point down the line, it’s likely that a tenant will want to make changes to the property from an accessibility standpoint, this may include changing locks, doors or windows. As is the case with any other work to be done within the home, permission from the landlord needs to be acquired first and if the changes inhibit the landlords’ access to the home, they also need to be alerted to this. This can be something as simple as swapping out locks in line with a rising number of burglaries in the area and after attaining permission from the landlord also providing them with the updated set of keys.

By following these rules and adhering to politeness and manners when communicating with your landlord or tenant, the process of entering or having your home entered becomes much simpler.