Landlord won't sell. Another second home in our dying village

This is the problem with renting and I’m guilty of doing it in the past but stop doing too much to a house you don’t own.

You’ll grow to love somewhere else.

OP - I understand your disappointment but you’re being unreasonable. This is one of the (many) reasons it’s a bad idea to invest so heavily in a property you don’t own - it’s easy to get attached because you’ve personalized it and have sunk money into it. No landlord will stop you from improving the property because you’re creating value for them at your own expense. The LL could have a million reasons - good or bad - for not wanting to sell, and doesn’t owe you an explanation or justification. Appreciate and be grateful for the years you had in the house and shift your mind and resources to finding a home you can own. All the best x

I understand you are disappointed, but I think it is making you unreasonable. The owner of the house is entitled to do whatever they want, it’s their house, When you rent you have to accept that there is always the risk you will have to move on and spending money on a house that isn’t yours is always foolish from an economic perspective. I am also confused as to whether or not they are actually asking you to leave.

This is what I'm thinking.

Its not selfish of the landlord at all, like everyone else in the world, she is just doing what she can to provide herself with security.

It’s irrelevant that you worked on the house. You did that to make iit nice while you were living there, and you have the option of staying if you want to.

OP, have you considered that the house is security for the woman who left it?
Perhaps she feels equally sentimental about it.

I suspect they are not telling you the truth. Don't just assume they are. Some people just don't want others to know their business so they confabulate to fill in.
There are lots of alternate realities to the 'just leaving it empty' that might be the truth here.

The capital gains tax they would be expected to pay if they sell is likely to be one possible reason. They might want to sell it in a financial year where the burden in that year is less high.

We've all 'edited' a story just so we don't have to have a conversation we don't want to have.

Edited to add....the fact they alluded to the fact they might sell to you, adds to this.

As they haven't evicted you, why don't you just wait another year or two, save up a bigger deposit and either buy the current house or another home in the area.

You re in a great position.

But that's always a risk with renting. Circumstances change, things change. Of course unexpected events crop up when you're a home owner, where you're then stuck with trying to sell in a hurry. Children have to move schools, people have to change jobs. Not the end of the world, not psychologically damaging to a child unless it is made into a disaster/catastrophe by a parent.
Yes, this is a blow, but this outcome should have been on your mind from day 1. Investing in a rental, emotionally or financially, is a fool's errand. Landlords/ladies may be lovely, but by definition they are running a business, not a charity. So sadly, you've invested in their business with no return. Shit lesson leant.
I hope you find an equally lovely home that you and your family can make yours!

I had clients who lived in a beautiful rural rental owned by Duchy of Cornwall. They had bought a normal house somewhere else which was rented out. Could you do that?

Have you actually made them an offer at the market value op? Or have you said "please can you sell us the house"?

If they see an offer of cold hard cash, they might change their mind. But it sounds like a lovely house, i can see why they might not want to sell. Are they actually asking you to leave, or can you stay there if you want to?

You don’t know their personal circumstances and you are acting as this has been personal against you. You say she married a farmer- they aren’t doing very well at the moment so it may be they need a back up plan and the house is it. An elderly relative might need it in the future ect.
I live in a village a bit like this and houses never make it on the market officially. People will leaflet asking about sale opportunities or use the Facebook group to express interest in any houses going on sale soon. Sounds like you are very ingrained in the local community so lots of people to keep an ear out for you!

How about asking about reduced rent? It’s more than they’d get if you moved out, and allows you to save for a bigger deposit instead of owning immediately.

Work out a number that would make it worth your while to stay.

I feel for you @AppelationStation it's your home. It's just another asset to people that have more homes than they can live in. You've spent money, made it lovely and her response is to just leave it empty. That level of selfishness is killing villages and other small communities.

I doubt you’ve added much value by doing up the garden - and you seem to regard you looking after the place as doing some great favour to the LL instead of taking care of your home. If you weren’t looking after it you’d have been evicted

The difference here is that it won't be a second income but tbh if she can afford to leave it empty I wouldn't sell either for the other reasons you give, security and passing it on to children.

I think you sound entitled op. I don't know why landlords get so much hate on MN. We became landlords after moving abroad. The rent pays the mortgage and management fees but that's it. Lots of additional costs in maintenance.
In my home town in Wales there are not enough rental properties for tenants. It's not worth the hassle being a landlord and financially not viable for alot of people so the majority of sold up. This hasn't helped those that cannot afford to buy and need to rent. And it's just pushed up rental prices.
My mum is 75 and rents. She did own a home years ago but now rents and is terrified on the landlord selling up because there are so few rental properties available.
Your landlord doesn't have to sell up. She could have lots of reasons for keeping the property. You should have anticipated this

In the nicest possible way, you need to try and move on from this

See the next step as a positive and adventure. You will come to love your new home and area as much as you do this one.

You asked, and got your answer. Try not to dwell on that.

You were not unreasonable to ask, but landlord is also not unreasonable to not sell, its not fair to feel angry at her, she may have a lot of reasons why not to sell

Start house hunting now and look to the future

Some errors being written on this thread.

The current EPC rule is that a property must be a E as a minimum, thats not going to change until 2030, initially for new tenancies and within 12 months, to ALL tenancies.

To get to an EPC of E is ridiculously easy and relatively cheap, it also applies to existing tenancies, so this house has to meet this standard.

The LL never promised to sell to the OP either, as for the advice "take out all the the nice things you've put in to the house/garden" WTAF??

OP isn't being evicted, she can stay there for the foreseeable future.

If the LL and her DH don't need the money, has no significant mortgage, she has no need to sell, the rent is a steady and permanent income for her, vast majority of Farmers are very well off.

Spare room.com is what I've had to use moving round the country every 6m-1Y as a Dr. Great fun as a career choice

She may want to keep it to pass on to kids or younger generation in her family. If you left possibly she would pass it straight on, you just don't know

I might be wrong but weren’t the EPC rules only going to apply to new tenants, no5 existing ones? Though the rules may have changed again. There’s been a lot of chopping and changing.

Sorry am I misunderstanding? It’s nothing to do with electrics? It’s about energy efficiency isn’t it?

So, why can't you stay there, even pay directly to the landlord, until you find the perfect home nearby?
Would the landlord let you stay until you find a place?

I'm not surprised she wants to hold on to it. I kept my house when I moved in with my partner several years ago. It's a great second income, my son can use it when he's older if he's struggling to get onto the housing ladder, and I have it as security if anything should go wrong in my relationship. I worked hard to buy it and pay of the mortgage myself. My tenant, who is from overseas and can't get a mortgage himself, benefits too. I've never felt that I owe it to others to sell it.