Do tenants have to allow viewings? Running them while someone is still living there

In England, a tenant’s home is still their home while it is being marketed, so viewings depend on agreement, not just the landlord’s timetable. The practical answer is to pre-screen fairly, ask early, and treat access as something to arrange rather than enforce at the door.

Do tenants have to allow viewings?

Tenants do not have to allow sale or letting viewings in England unless the tenancy agreement says they must, and even then the landlord or agent still needs the tenant’s actual agreement before entering. Shelter’s England guidance puts the starting point plainly: “You do not have to let them in unless your tenancy agreement says so,” and adds that “If your tenancy agreement says you must allow viewings, your landlord still needs you to agree.” That means a clause helps the landlord ask, but it is not a licence to let themselves in with keys or arrive with prospective tenants. The same practical default holds across the UK: repair-access rules are not general viewing rights. Wales gives the point a statutory form, because “The landlord under an occupation contract may not, by any act or omission, interfere with the contract-holder's right to occupy the dwelling.” In short, does my tenant have to allow viewings? Only if the agreement requires cooperation, and access is still by consent.

What can you do if your tenant refuses viewings?

If your tenant refuses viewings, you can remind them of any viewing clause, offer reasonable times, and take legal steps if necessary, but you should not let yourself in or pressure them into giving access. Shelter’s England guidance says of a tenant who refuses despite a viewings clause: “They might take legal steps to access the property for viewings if you refuse.” The line between persistence and harassment matters: the Protection from Eviction Act 1977 catches a landlord or agent who “does acts likely to interfere with the peace or comfort of the residential occupier or members of his household” where the statutory elements are met. The commercial answer is usually negotiation rather than litigation: agree short viewing windows, give plenty of warning, offer to group appointments, and accept that an occupied property may need fewer, better-qualified viewings. When a tenant refuses viewings, confrontation rarely solves it; the practical route is to reduce disruption enough that the tenant says yes.

How do you run viewings while the current tenant is still living there?

The notice periods landlords often rely on do not authorise viewings: England and Wales’s 24-hour Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 access right is only for condition and repair inspection, and Scotland’s 48-hour access rule is tied to authorised purposes, not general viewings. The 1985 Act permits entry “for the purpose of viewing their condition and state of repair,” which is not the same as showing a buyer or new tenant round. Scotland’s Private Housing (Tenancies) Act 2016 Schedule 2 says access can follow where “the tenant has been given at least 48 hours' notice,” but the authorised-purpose list is repair work, inspection and valuation, not re-letting viewings. So a landlord or agent cannot just turn up with a buyer or prospective tenant even with notice served. Run viewings by asking first, agreeing time slots, limiting numbers, confirming who will attend, and using video or floorplans to reduce repeat visits while the current tenant is still living there.

Do you have to offer every applicant a viewing before screening them out?

In England, you do not have to offer every applicant a viewing before screening them out, but you must not refuse or discourage a viewing because the applicant has children, may have children visiting or living there, or is on benefits. The Renters’ Rights Act 2025 protects access to “viewing the dwelling in order to consider whether to seek to rent it” for those family and benefits-status grounds, while the same Act preserves ordinary affordability checks: “Nothing in this Chapter prohibits taking a person's income into account when considering whether that person would be able to afford to pay rent under a relevant tenancy.” That is the key line for landlords trying to avoid wasting everyone’s time: pre-screen by phone or message on rent budget, move-in date, household size, right-to-rent process and referencing criteria, but do not use benefits status or children as a shortcut for rejection. The NRLA’s practical approach is selective viewings after questions: “You can then invite the applicants with the best answers to a viewing.”

Are virtual viewings worth offering on a rental property?

Virtual viewings are worth offering on a rental property as a filter and convenience tool, but they should be treated as a supplement to in-person viewings rather than proof that serious tenants will not want to visit. There is no UK rule that requires a virtual viewing, and the England legislation closest to the topic merely treats “publishing advertisements or disseminating information” separately from refusing protected applicants a chance to view. The market evidence is still useful: The Negotiator reported that “a third of tenants told a survey that they would make an offer on a property following only a virtual viewing,” while Letting Agent Today reported that, among tenants using virtual viewings, “two thirds of which go on to let the property without a physical viewing.” For landlords, the practical value is fewer wasted appointments: a clear video, accurate photos and a floorplan help unsuitable applicants opt out before disturbing the sitting tenant. Abodient can store property documents and tenancy records against the property, which matters because agreed viewing conditions should sit with the letting record rather than in scattered messages.

Last reviewed September 2026.

Sources

• Shelter England, repairs and inspections access guidance — “You do not have to let them in unless your tenancy agreement says so.” Source
• Shelter England, repairs and inspections access guidance — “If your tenancy agreement says you must allow viewings, your landlord still needs you to agree.” Source
• Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016, section 54 — “The landlord under an occupation contract may not, by any act or omission, interfere with the contract-holder's right to occupy the dwelling.” Source
• Shelter England, repairs and inspections access guidance — “They might take legal steps to access the property for viewings if you refuse.” Source
• Protection from Eviction Act 1977, section 1 — “does acts likely to interfere with the peace or comfort of the residential occupier or members of his household” Source
• Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, section 11(6) — “for the purpose of viewing their condition and state of repair.” Source
• Private Housing (Tenancies) (Scotland) Act 2016, Schedule 2 — “the tenant has been given at least 48 hours' notice” Source
• Renters’ Rights Act 2025, section 33 — “viewing the dwelling in order to consider whether to seek to rent it” Source
• Renters’ Rights Act 2025, section 41 — “Nothing in this Chapter prohibits taking a person's income into account when considering whether that person would be able to afford to pay rent under a relevant tenancy.” Source
• National Residential Landlords Association, questions to ask before a viewing — “You can then invite the applicants with the best answers to a viewing.” Source
• Renters’ Rights Act 2025, section 33 — “publishing advertisements or disseminating information” Source
• The Negotiator, tenant virtual viewing survey report — “a third of tenants told a survey that they would make an offer on a property following only a virtual viewing.” Source
• Letting Agent Today, virtual viewings report — “two thirds of which go on to let the property without a physical viewing” Source