My missus is kicking up a bit of a stink about a tenancy agreement that she has to sign to live where I live at the moment.
I've already signed it, albeit a version of the agreement that's just in my name, this is a new agreement.
She (and her sister, who is a solicitor in employment law) have pointed out the following clauses in the agreement for me to raise with the letting agent as being potentially unreasonable. What are the resident BeEx lawyers opinion?
1) If they want to increase the rent, they have to give us one month notice. If we want to leave, we have to give them one month notice. So if they decide to put the rent up, we have to give notice on the same day to avoid being charged.
2) A clause stating that we would have to pay any expenses incurred by the landlord in drawing up/preparing a list of dilapidations etc. at the end of the tenancy.
3) A clause stating that at the end of the tenancy, any carpets in the property (just one) must be professionally cleaned at our expense.
4) A clause stating that we can't affix anything adhesive to the walls, including Blutak, without written consent from the landlord.
5) A clause stating that we must take reasonable precautions to prevent frost damage. Complaint with this bit is "what's reasonable?"
6) A restriction on holding any parties at the property at all.
7) A restriction on playing sound between the hours of 11pm and 8am if it can be heard outside the premises.
A requirement to mow the lawns every fortnight in growing season. Complaint here is that every fortnight is unreasonable, and that it should read "keep reasonably tidy" or similar.
9) A clause stating that they have to give only 8 hours notice to enter the property for the purposes of inspection or to carry out remedial work that we should have carried out etc. - complaint with this one is that the legal requirement is 24 hours notice.
Now, I'm of the opinion that the vast majority of these are quite reasonable, and many of the ones that aren't are unenforceable anyway (the 8 hours notice one, in particular) as they can't change your statutory rights in a contract. Consequently I have no qualms in signing it, the missus not so though.
Any thoughts, legal bods?