“A tenant won’t let us to show their property on weekdays during business hours!”
September 28, 2023
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Q: I am having some trouble with a tenant who is not allowing us to show the unit on weekdays during business hours. The lease requires access during “reasonable” days and times. What counts as a “reasonable” day and time to show a unit currently occupied by a tenant?
A: The Virginia REALTORS® standard lease requires a tenant to cooperate with the landlord or licensee to show the unit at reasonable times when the tenant has received reasonable notice. What counts as a reasonable showing time will be fact-specific.
The language of the lease contemplates a situation in which the tenant cannot accommodate a showing on a particular date and time that might otherwise be reasonable. For example, if a tenant works from home, they might have a video conference on a particular day at a particular time that would make showing the unit during that time impractical. However, a blanket refusal by the tenant to cooperate with a showing on weekdays during business hours would likely be considered unreasonable, and therefore a violation of the lease.
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1 Reader Comment
As working at home has developed into a more routine situation, employers have developed ways of monitoring those efforts. This could give rise to a situation that would require someone to be in front of the computer at certain times. I agree with the above assumption. However, maybe we should be looking at developing a clearer way to accommodate this situation.