Jamal pays $3000 a month in rent. After a week away he returned home to a terse note

A renter in the UK has been left fuming after returning home from a trip away to find a tersely worded note from his landlord.

The tenant, known only as Jamal, claims his landlord, known only as Alan, trespassed when he was out of town and left a handwritten note on his kitchen table.

A robust message exchange ensued between the pair was made public by UK property strategist Jack Rooke on his TikTok account.

“Alan, I’ve just returned from a week away and found a handwritten note on my kitchen table that says ‘Clean this place up,’” Rooke said in a video, quoting Jamal’s message. 

“Can you explain why you were inside my flat while I was away? I did not give you permission to enter and this feels like a complete invasion of my privacy.”

Rooke shared Alan’s reply.

“I’m the owner of that property. I do not require your permission to step foot into it. You rent from me, which means I have every right to check the state of the flat at any time,” Rooke quoted Alan as writing.

“What I found was unacceptable. Dishes left in the sink. Surfaces not wiped. It is not the standard I expect in a property I own. If you want to live in filth, do it elsewhere.”

The exchange left Rooke wondering how things would turn out.

“This has gone from nought to heated immediately,” he said.

He then returned to the message chain. He continued reading Jamal’s message.

“Alan, with respect, you are completely out of order. Regardless of ownership, you cannot simply enter a tenant’s home without notice. It is trespassing plain and simple. I pay you 1500 pounds every month. That should buy me at least some privacy,” he read.

Alan did not agree.

“Jamal, privacy comes with responsibility. If you want me to stay out, keep the place spotless. If you don’t like my standards, you are more than welcome to leave. I already have other tenants ready and waiting,” Rooke quoted the landlord as writing.

The situation then went from simmer to boil.

“Alan, so to be clear, you’re threatening to evict me over a few dishes in the sink?” Rooke quoted Jamal as writing.

It then boiled over.

“Yes. Consider this your official warning,” Rooke quoted Alan as replying.

It was at this point that Rooke took a moment of pause to reflect on the situation.

“This is a toxic relationship between tenant and landlord. This is clearly not working for either of them,” he deduced.

“They’re probably best to cut their losses. The landlord is so far in the wrong here.”

Many of Rooke’s almost 50,000 followers agreed.

“Some landlords really shouldn’t be landlords, 24 hours notice is required. If you act like this towards tenants then you should consider selling up,” one person wrote.

“‘I have other tenants lined up’ he’s trying to get rid of the current tenant to jack up the price,” another person suggested.

In the UK, landlords must provide at least 24 hours’ written notice before entering a rental property. The exception to this is if it’s an emergency.

The visit also needs to be at a reasonable time that is convenient for the tenant.

The same written rule applies to landlords in Australia. 

Though, when it comes to rental inspections, there’s a common limit for routine inspections of just four times per year. This varies in some states, with some states allowing fewer visits.

The video is part of a regular series shared by Rooke called Most Toxic Tenancies. 

Rooke has previously shared accounts of a landlord allegedly slugging a tenant with an extra fee for letting his girlfriend stay over.

He’s also shared how one landlord allegedly installed a coin operated shower in a rental property.