One of my listings has been vacant for a while so the owner took on a tenant to help defer some expenses. The tenant knew full well that the house was for sale. Heck, I'm the one who showed it to her in the first place! When she moved in she said she had no problem with it and just come on in any time, but at least let her know we had been there.
Fast-forward to now...
This morning she decreed that she will only allow the house to be shown at her convenience, which happens to be between 5:30 and 6:30 pm, on weekdays only, and with a minimum 24 hours notice. Not only that, she has pulled my sigh out of the yard and removed the keybox. The sign was easy - it might have been a big honkin' thing, but a strong person could have just pulled it up. The keybox, however, was mounted on a metal fence. The only way to get it off was to cut up the fence or cut off the keybox.
To top it off, the tenancy agreement is verbal. What that means in layman's terms is that the owner really has no recourse for many, many months. Without a written lease agreement the tenant has all the power. She doesn't have to do a darn thing, not even let it be shown, if she doesn't want. Heck, truth be known she doesn't even have to pay for at least six months before the owner can begin the process of eviction in a non-lease situation.
About the only power the owner has at this point is the right to inspect the property, and even that only after a minimum 48 hour notice.
Basically, he's hosed. No way we can sell it with this b**** in place, and nothing he can legally do about it for half a year.
Brad