Advice Needed: Landlord Selling House and Showing Tenants (Pittsburgh, Penn: for sale, real estate)

[jmd1513]

Hey All,

Just looking for a little advice on how to handle this situation I am going to be finding myself in shortly.

Our two apartment house has been on sale since November. After January the listing switched to a Multi-Listing. So we have no idea how many people are out there trying to sell our place. Their is a lock box on our front door (visible from the street) and a big sign in the yard. We have been averaging 3-4 showings a week. The realtors have been good about giving notice 12-24hrs. in advance, with a few exceptions.

The house is in bad shape and only one person made an offer so far and they low balled it because they want to tear the place down and redo from the foundation up over the next 5 years.

We are about to inform our property management company that we do not wish to renew our lease. Our lease says that the management company "may show the property to prospective tenants from 9am-8pm" but makes no mention of notice. Are they required to provide a reasonable notice more than just a knock on the door?

I am going to speak with them tomorrow and see if they want to be reasonable and we can work something out so neither side is inconvenienced. However I am prepping for the worse, and can easily see how this can get out of control.

A few examples, we have had people come in off the street trying to look at the property. Last night (sunday) at 5:30pm we had a guy come inside our entrance way. He hit the upstairs doorbell, then yelled something before trying the door knob to enter our apartment. I thought someone was trying to break in and came out yelling baseball bat in hand. Last month I caught a women walking around the outside of the house and looking in through the windows, she was about to look in the bedroom window (gf was still in bed) when I chased her off saying I was calling the cops.

How much worse can it get and what can I do to help keep us from living paranoid that a stranger is going to show up at anytime?

Thanks in advance.

Edit: We don't move out until July, but the lease says they can show the place starting immediately.

[Hopes]

There's nothing you can do about random strangers wandering around.

I don't know anything about notice to access property since it was always written into my leases in a more acceptable way than your lease. I found this, and it says there are no statutes pertaining to it for Pennsylvania. Since it's stated in the lease the way it is without providing specified notice, I suspect you're going to have endure whatever notice they choose to give you. I'd hope they would prefer to call ahead since it's in their best interest to make it less of a hassle for the buyers. Just in case, I'd plan on having bathrobes readily available for answering the door, then leave them stand outside until you're dressed.

[Moby Hick]

Originally Posted by Hopes

There's nothing you can do about random strangers wandering around.

I'm pretty sure the cops would come if there were random strangers looking in your windows without notice or knocking. That seems like an actual crime.

[sparrowmint]

Definitely try talking to them. Like Hopes said, it's in their interest for there to be some kind of notice required (even if it's just a "next day" type thing). If they're hostile to that, then it's not in your interest to be particularly tidy around the house or welcoming.

[Hopes]

Originally Posted by Moby Hick

I'm pretty sure the cops would come if there were random strangers looking in your windows without notice or knocking. That seems like an actual crime.

Of course, but he can't prevent people from doing it.

[Moby Hick]

Originally Posted by Hopes

Of course, but he can't prevent people from doing it.

The landlord probably can't stop that either. Some people just need the cops called on them.

[Hopes]

Originally Posted by Moby Hick

The landlord probably can't stop that either. Some people just need the cops called on them.

Of course the landlord can't stop it. The cops can't stop it either. Unfortunately, people look in windows when properties are for sale. The privacy is already violated by the time the cops arrive. I recommend curtains. Definitely call the police when it happens, but still protect your privacy by anticipating it will continue to happen.

[jmd1513]

Cops are not particularly responsive in this neighborhood. While technically inside the city and in Pittsburgh's "next up and coming" borough, it's not as nice as every article says.

Main realtor will not move the location of the lock box and said their is nothing he can and will do. Told me to post a sign saying showings by appointment only. However that violates my lease and I can't give the property management any violations over the next few months. Their yelp reviews are bad especially if you trace them back to their previous name. Nexus real estate and Trends Select Realty.

[Hopes]

Control your sex drive and make sure you're dressed from 9am to 8pm. That's really all you can do. You might not be able to put a sign that says "appointment only," but you can put a sign that says "please knock!"

Realtors are used to tenants giving them a hard time because most tenants don't want to move. They'll do anything to make it difficult for realtors to show a property. Homeowners are motivated because they want to sell their property.

[jmd1513]

Lease says explicitly the tenant will not post any signs that will be visible to either visitors or the public outside.