Bricks&Mortar 21
Devon
Built as a “gentleman’s residence” at the
end of the 18th century, Church Stile has
been immortalised in Travels in Georgian
Devon — The Illustrated Journals of the
Reverend John Swete. The 4,400 sq ft
grade II listed house has lofty ceilings
and curved sash windows, from where
you can take in views across the Exe
estuary to Topsham. The house is a
short walk from the centre of Exminster,
a pretty village four and a half miles
south of Exeter. Accommodation is
arranged over three floors, and the
basement is a self-contained one-bed
flat. Channel The Good Life in the raised
vegetable gardens and greenhouse.
Air pollution 7.9mcg/m³, 2.1mcg/m³
below the WHO guideline of 10mcg/m³.
Upside Lovely walks near by.
Downside Two of the seven bedrooms
are on the lower ground floor.
Contact knightfrank.co.uk
Tuscany, Italy
Dating from the 1700s, this five-bedroom
country retreat is within easy reach of
Monte San Savino, a centuries-old
hilltop town in the Chiana Valley. The
town is a 20-minute drive from the city
of Arezzo; the central square was where
Roberto Benigni’s Life is Beautiful was
filmed. The home’s drawing room has a
beamed ceiling, an open fire, French
doors that open on to a veranda and a
covered terrace with an outdoor wood-
fired oven. There’s a large kitchen and
a study, plus a self-contained apartment
with a kitchenette, a living room and
a bathroom. Solar panels provide hot
water and underfloor heating. A further
30 acres of olive grove, vineyards and
woodland are available by separate
negotiation. Siena is a 45-minute drive.
Upside The saltwater pool.
Downside You’ll need a car.
Contact sothebysrealty.com£895,000 €990,000
Above: Summerhill
House, built in 1850,
is on the market for
€8.9 million with
Sotheby’s International
Realty. Left: the three-
bedroom San Elmo
Lodge in Dalkey costs
€4.3 million and, right,
this five-bedroom house
in Dalkey is €1.425 million.
Both are for sale through
Sherry Fitzgerald. Far
right: a five-bedroom
property overlooking
Dublin Bay is €7.95 million
with Sherry Fitzgerald
?
I rent out a flat, but I haven’t been
there since the Covid-19 lockdown.
I have now asked to inspect, but the
tenants don’t reply to emails. What
legal rights do landlords have to
inspect their rental properties?Landlords’ main rights relate to
repairs and redecoration. Under
section 11(6) of the Landlord and
Tenant Act 1985, landlords and their
contractors have a statutory right “to
enter the premises... for the purpose
of viewing their condition and state of
repair” and to carry out work. Access
must be at reasonable times of the
day and is subject to giving 24 hours’
written notice to the occupiers.
However, apart from repairs,
landlords have no general right to
enter a tenanted property. In fact,
entering without permission may be
a breach of their obligation to allow
tenants quiet enjoyment.
Properly drafted tenancy
agreements usually grant landlords
extended rights to enter their
properties in other circumstances. For
example, they often require tenants to
allow access to letting agents near the
end of the letting, or allow landlords
or their agents to make periodic
inspections. Any provision that is too
widely worded (such as one that
allows a landlord to enter without
permission for any reason) is likely to
be struck out as an unfair term under
the Unfair Terms in Consumer
Contracts Regulations 1999.
You therefore have rights to go into
your rental property to inspect the
condition and state of repair or for
any reason specifically set out in the
tenancy agreement — provided those
rights are not too widely worded.
Mark Loveday is a barrister with
Tanfield Chambers. Email questions
to [email protected]Ask an expert
Can I get access
to my rental f lat?
Compiled by Victoria Brzezinski
@vbrzezin