Can I as landlord exclude (+lock-up) attic for storage?

[magic.genie]

Hi everybody, hope your houses are all running smoothly.
I have 2 houses and a nice flat that I live in.

I've taken some work abroad and I need to store some stuff. My flat will, upon my departure be rented out too.

I wanted to store some stuff in the attic of my nicer house and perhaps lock the entrance to the attic.

I wondered if you'd been in a similair situation, working abroad and having to store some stuff, my question really is... Can I do this? What are your thoughts?

The tenants have actually given notice and are moving out of the house in question one week early of their AST ending in April, so are moving out this weekend.

Hope to hear from you, thanks for reading, kind regards
Alex

[Worldlife]

Hi...

This issue was well covered in a previous thread Access to loft (http://www.landlordzone.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=2046)

[magic.genie]

Hi
many thanks for your reply. It seems there are differing opinions, I remain confused, although happy to know it's an issue that's been discussed.

It seems clear it needs to be written into the AST. But I wonder if it's ok to do. Unsure now whether to seek legal advice or advice from the agent that will be letting the flat.

kind regards
Alex