As Agents For The Landlord: Fill & Download for Free

Why would my landlord specifically request that I NOT be present in the property for an hour when he has arranged to show someone round re "changing his insurance company"? I feel very uncomfortable about this.My guess—and I think you may have the same idea—is that he’s planning on selling the property. The person he’s showing around could be a real estate agent.I can understand the landlord’s desire to speak openly with a real estate agent about the property without the tenant present. On the other hand, though it’s possible, there’s a lot less sensitivity or need for privacy if the landlord is showing an insurance agent around.(I don’t recall ever having had an insurance agent inspect either my rental property or my primary residence. Often, rather than an “insurance agent,” the person is described as bank appraiser evaluating the house for a refinance.)One point to keep in mind: If you have an existing lease with the landlord, that lease will continue to run regardless of property ownership. For example, if you have 10 months’ left on the lease and he sells the property in 4 months, the new owner would have to abide by the lease for the remaining 6 months. (That’s if your lease doesn’t address the issue. A lease could require you to vacate the property upon sale. That would be unusual, but it’s possible.)I’d suggest, first, that you agree to be elsewhere. Don’t make a big deal about it. But I’d also suggest that you have a talk with your landlord—polite, pleasant, etc.—and ask him what’s really going on.

Oh yes.I worked for a property rental company and had a tenant who was always notoriously late paying the rent. The tenant had moved in before my time there, based on what I saw and discovered there was no way I’d have okayed the tenancy to begin with, and to be honest, I very rarely turned down anyone. I was lucky enough to be given a chance when my back was against the wall, and I understand that life isn’t always easy. I was flexible over deposits, easy going with references and took people as they were. I also never got stung either.But this tenant pre-dated me.As the manager I kept an eye on it. I gave leeway where I could but when it got to be regular and beyond a joke I knew I had to visit in person. And convey a warning that my patience was wearing thin.So I went to visit them.And was offered payment in kind. Oral sex to be exact.It was first time I’d ever had an offer like that! I was speechless! I was a reasonably attractive woman in my early 30’s but I was also a professional career woman, how in gods name do I handle this one? When a 6ft tall, 6ft wide biker says that, what do you do?I blustered, I flushed, I coughed then I carried on. There was a sizeable shortfall in the rent, and the rent was late, and I’d been more than reasonable over the last few months but if things didn’t change I’d have to terminate the tenancy when it shortly came due for renewal.Then I was offered full sex!I explained all the above again, and added this time, to be crystal clear, that I was only the agent, I wasn’t even the landlord! I explained that it wasn’t me that wanted the payment, and ultimately it was the building society who held the mortgage that wanted the money, I just worked for the landlord - but was told the offer was open to both of us!Erm, thanks but no thanks! I left very very quickly!I also left without payment. Or any sexual favours either. Just NO. I reported to the landlord, and he thought it was the funniest thing he’d ever heard.Yeah, we terminated HER tenancy a few weeks later!Edit - Just to be clear as people have asked - I’m a woman and so was the tenant!Edit - because people keep asking - Yes she really was a SHE & was a 6ft tall biker!

No, your landlord can not give the police consent to search the house you rent. In an apartment building the landlord can give consent to search the common areas of the building, such as a community laundry room, but not the apartments or storage closets, etc.Many leases include a provision for the landlord to make inspections of the property from time to time. This creates a somewhat more complex situation. If the landlord enters the property under such a provision and sees evidence of a crime, he can tell the police about it. The police can then get a search warrant and even “freeze” the house by making sure no people are in it and not allowing anyone to enter while the warrant is being obtained. If whatever the landlord discovered constitutes an emergency, then exigent circumstances might apply which would justify the police (or anyone else) going in without a warrant. If the landlord tells the police there are children chained to the wall in the basement, for example, the police are going in immediately to rescue those children without waiting for a warrant.The landlord cannot, however, use that “inspection of the property” clause to make a search on behalf of the police. If a police officer asks the landlord to go into the house and check for evidence of the crime, and the landlord agrees, then the landlord has just become an “agent of the police.” That trick has been tried and subsequently prohibited by the courts. Remember, we (American society) have only been applying all of this 4th amendment stuff to local police since around the middle of the 20th century, so these details have been getting worked out slowly through court cases ever since then. These questions don’t get answered academically. We have to wait for some cop to try it and then wait for the defendant to appeal that action and get the case all the way up through the appeals process before we get a solid answer.I’ve had landlords offer to search a premises for me in the past. I have to explain to them that my asking them to do so would make them an agent of the police and make the search illegal. It would violate the occupant’s Rights, and anything that was found would be inadmissible in court anyway. Every single time, after I explain to them very clearly that I will not ask them to do any such thing, I get the sort of “wink and a nod” and an exaggerated agreement that they understand completely what I’m hinting at. Then, I stop them again and explain that it isn’t a game and that I’m dead serious about them not doing that search for me. It always takes two or three tries before they understand that I’m not asking them to do something “under the table” by not officially asking them to do it.