I was recently commissioned to let a house in Lower Austria and it was the landlady's first letting. A very likeable, self-confident woman who came to me by recommendation and asked me for advice on what she should consider when letting and what she should renovate in the house. The house was freshly painted and broken tiles were replaced. Otherwise, the house was in perfect order. Every estate agent would like to have such a freshly renovated house to offer!

The landlady told me that she would like to get to know potential tenants before accepting the rental offer.

No sooner said than done.

A number of prospective tenants were quickly found for the beautiful house, who also provided proof of financial viability, which we always have to check in advance for rental properties.

Interview with the landlady

A likeable, divorced single man came to the interview with the tenant - together with me.

Everyone was sympathetic, but then came the questions from the landlady, who meant too well. She obviously couldn't imagine that this young man was a house guy and could manage the garden work, such as cutting hedges, mowing the lawn, cleaning the pool, etc. She also let the prospective tenant know this. She also let the prospective tenant know this. Wrong questions! It was all about getting to know each other and not about talking a potential customer out of the house and telling him he wasn't the house type.

In any case, we continued chatting for 2 hours in a cosy atmosphere, but in the end the prospective tenant wanted to sleep on it again.

What I had suspected came true the next morning: The tenant cancelled. It was very unpleasant for him, but at least he was fair enough to call me after the written WhatsApp cancellation. In the phone call, he explained to me personally that the conversation with the landlady had made him rethink his decision and that he might not be the house type after all!

Conclusion: There are no more discussions with the landlord and prospective tenant if there is not already a written rental offer and the "familiarisation phase" is limited in time.