Landlord Products / Services
I’m currently sitting across the room from my teary-eyed bald-headed friend, who somehow managed to appoint me as his personal agony aunt. Apparently I have nothing better to do than listen to his bellowing.
For the past month he’s been desperately trying to find a seedy little love-den to rent with his long-term girlfriend. Unfortunately, he’s having very little success. So for now, the embarrassment of his parents having to provide shelter for their 32 year old son continues…
The problems with Tenant viewings
One of his biggest gripes with the whole process is the number of viewings that get rescheduled and cancelled last minute, for one reason or another. It’s the “last minute” part which has driven him into the musky warmth of my arms for comfort. He’s on the brink of destruction, and I don’t blame him, because I’ve also felt the brutality of viewings as a landlord.
From my experience, viewings getting rescheduled/cancelled, whether it be by tenant or landlord, happens all the freaking time, particularly last minute. It’s irritating, and in an ideal world, the guilty party would be held accountable in medieval ways.
While my friend momentarily controlled his trembling jaw and wiped away his tears with the same tissue he used to clean the salad-cream-jizz away from his mouth, he confided in me and vented his frustrations.
The situation has got to the point where he’s genuinely aggravated by the process of viewing properties and dealing with letting agents. He’s using several local letting agents, and he’s experiencing the same issue from all of them. He keeps arranging viewings, which often result in rescheduling or cancellations right at the last minute. In the defence of the letting agents, it’s most likely not their fault. The root of the problem usually manifests from the landlord or current occupier rescheduling. But essentially, it all boils down to communication, and if this is happening on a frequent basis, there’s an underlying issue that should be resolved.
I can appreciate how infuriating it can be, because I’ve been in situations where I’ve made my way to a property to take a viewing only for the prospective tenant to reschedule or cancel… 5 minutes prior to the meeting time.
Clearly, 5 minutes before showtime is NO good to me. IDIOT!
Sorry, I’m going to have a nap… can we reschedule the viewing?
Generally speaking, people have to reschedule/arrange their diary in order to take viewings. Miraculously, that’s a simple consideration that seems to elude the masses. Take the following scenario for example:
Last week my friend was on route to view a property, which was a 40 minutes drive out of his way. 10 minutes prior to arriving at the property he received a phone call from the letting agent, notifying him that he had just spoken to the current tenant, and he said that his wife was still asleep, so the viewing required rescheduling.
WTF? Seriously? Sleeping?
I don’t care if she’s sleeping. Throw the lazy bitch into a wheelbarrow and park her in the garden shed next to the shovel.
Unbelievable. The tenants were clearly too self-involved and rude to appreciate the fact that my friend may have 1) scheduled his day, or at least part of, around the viewing 2) taken time off work 3) travelled a fair distance.
Don’t get me wrong, legitimate and worthy reasons for last minute rescheduling do exist, but sleeping is not one of them, and never will be.
But it’s not entirely the tenant’s fault. Of course, the tenants are a pair of wallys, and they should have at least two of their toes sacrificed with a blow torch for their inconsideration. However, the letting agent should also take responsibility. The letting agent could have contacted the current occupiers over an hour in advance to get confirmation on whether the appointment was still suitable. Then the agent could have confirmed with the tenant. It really is simple. Isn’t that common practise for agents? If not, it should be. It would probably save a lot of time.
The impact of rescheduling viewings
The impact of rescheduling isn’t limited to time-wasting, it’s also costly in the sense that the applicant (the tenant) could find an alternative property in the meantime, or the landlord could find alternative tenants; whichever case applies. So try to avoid it, because it’s stupid.
I don’t think there’s any real solution for this issue, it’s always going to happen. However, as said, communication is the key to limiting the tears. I always contact the party I’m scheduled to meet a few hours prior to the viewing, just to confirm. On a side note, I’m a firm believer in landlords always doing their own viewings (there are a few exceptions, of course) – the benefits of doing it yourself, as opposed to an agent, is unparalleled.
Tenants should do the same prior to viewings, and get their agent to get confirmation from the person occupying the property (if the property is occupied, that is). And if you’re the party that wants to reschedule, try to give as much notice as humanly possible.
I guess my point is… don’t be an inconsiderate idiot. Be kind, beautiful and sexy, just like me.
Disclaimer: I'm just a landlord blogger; I'm 100% not qualified to give legal or financial advice. I'm a doofus. Any information I share is my unqualified opinion, and should never be construed as professional legal or financial advice. You should definitely get advice from a qualified professional for any legal or financial matters. For more information, please read my full disclaimer.
Hello Mate!
First off, the fat, bald, emotional 'friend'
- is it you?
Irrespective of which, if your 'friend' was only 10 minutes from the property and was seriously looking, then why not knock on the door anyway?
A pissed off, soon to be ex tenant, although vindictive enough to screw around the landlord or letting agent, may be very happy to spill the beans to a prospective new occupier and show them around, warts and all. Especially if you offer him a drink* for the inconvenience.
Alternatively, he might tell you to fuck off and attack you with a claw hammer but life is full of risks. If you want to escape your parents spare room, sometimes you have to take them.
HTH
*For the avoidance of doubt, I'm not refering to a can of Pepsi.