Landlord selling, but won’t sell to me

I am a landlord and wouldn’t sell to my incumbent tenants either (their tenancy is ending and they’re moving out). Principally because they have run the inside of the house down horribly (every wall stained and drawn on, filthy bathrooms and kitchen, sticky floors, burns in the carpet etc) and the valuation we got (with them in situ) was much lower than what two agents have said we can target if we clear the property and thoroughly clean and redecorate (plus sort out the garden that they have turned into a junkyard). I’m not suggesting that is what’s going on for you but, yeah, it will be about money I would guess.

Since when were landlords charities?

Why don't you research what similar properties in the area have sold for and then offer him a good price based on this? if you can afford to go a bit above similar properties that sold recently s/he may be willing to consider it.

Is it in a popular area? He might be doing closed bids, he might want to put it on for more than the estate agent value, he will get more and easier sale with no tenant. He might want a cash buyer.
Loads of reasons.
Sorry, its shit but I can think of a dozen reasons why he will be doing it this way.

Perhaps he’s only told you he wants to sell it; he just needs you out for other reasons, perhaps needing to move a relative or friend in instead.

Look around at local properties, you are in a strong position, first time buyer, mortgage in place, need to move quickly. Lots of sellers will be happy to see you!

At first I thought it sounded a bit mean but actually it does sound like a sensible decision for him to protect his property.

If he agreed a price with you that he he was happy with. You could potentially just be making the offer and saying all this to stay in the house and then pull out later on. He would then still have to get you to move out and still have to sell the house. Maybe you haven't thought of this as it actually isn't your intention, but from his point of view.

By ensuring it is empty, he would be more certain if you wanted to buy it that you were serious and not just saying that to stay longer. Plus as everyone has said people are wary about purchasing with tenants in a house and he might get a better offer with more options. Although it would need to be significantly better as he will have to pay estate agents fees! I appreciate from your point of view it sounds really frustrating to have to rent somewhere else to just move back if you did get to buy it.

He obviously thinks the house is worth more than you can afford, which is a shame for you but if you can't afford it you can't afford it. On what basis did you make your offer? A valuation, or just went off what your budget it?

Some years ago I was buying my first flat, tennant of the flat out the offer in and landlord accepted. But nothing was happening. Landlord got few up after 6 months and put it back on the market. He later found out why, the family living in the flat was from another country and they had planned return date, they had zero intention to buy the flat, they just didn't want to move out and look for a new place 6 months before they were ready to go so they lied to the landlord.
I know this is not what you are doing OP but perhaps this is the sort of situation your landlord is trying to avoid.

But it is theit house they have the right to sell to who they want, it is logical in itself that they dont have to sell to you

Hes mad, the housing market is collapsing and going to crash soon!

This. The same happened to us over 20 years ago and the landlord wouldn’t sell to us despite us having a mortgage in principle. I’m so glad, as we ended up buying a house which was larger and in a nicer location for a similar price. We’d have been buying the house we were living in for convenience, as much as we liked it.

Once you've taken into account the cost of agent's fees and a rental void while it sells as well as any work needed prior to marketing it the landlord would need to be confident of selling for a good amount above what the OP might offer. Crazy if the market is not great where OP is imo. Unless, as other have said, there is another buyer already lined up or something similar.

What sort of condition is the property in? Maybe he wants you out so that he can give it a lick of paint and "stage" the property to maximise price.

Must be profit-maximising and wants to test the market.

I've just sold to a sitting tenant (at a massive discount) as it's way easier.

He might want to do it up and try to get top dollar but it's a risk as he'll have to cover void costs and conveyancing can take an age.

What sort of condition is it in? Mine wasn't in good nick but that's because the tenant had been there a long time, it was very "lived in " and it's hard to do upgrades if there's a tenant in situ. Best for all parties to sell to her.

I really don't think my tenant appreciated the discount she was getting but it suited me.

Round my way he'd get a rude awakening as the lower end of the market is doing quite poorly just now.

I'd offer a good amount, slightly above the market value if you can, with a deadline for him to accept of your move-out day (or otherwise before it hits the market, so your offer isn't used as leverage).

It’s also an opportunity for you to find somewhere to buy? Since you have the AIP.
Making offers as a chain free buyer, you could find someone keen to sell.
Then you never have to go through this again.

If I were you I’d invite an estate agent round and get them to value it (just don’t tell them you are a tenant). Get an idea of value and then put in an offer based on this and what you can afford.

Quite often people renting properties talk about buying them, but aren’t serious. If you have just said to him you would like to buy it, he may be viewing it as a delaying tactic or just a pipe dream. A formal offer of £X may make him think differently.

have you told him this?
...and could your mortgage amount cover it? mortgagers will only lenf what the property is worth on the open market, not a premium price fir your feelings, sorry

If you know the price you can always out in an offer during your notice period. Say what it is and it’s dependant on a quick decision and you staying put until completion.

Note that if he doesn’t sell within a year and the property is empty he will be on the hook for double council tax. Until then it’s still single council tax. He might be open to persuasion.

No decent landlord will want to advertise a house with a tenant - puts buyers right off, for very obvious reasons.

If the house market is really collapsing, it would make even less sense.

It's not a friends relationships, he's making a business decision, perfectly fair. You might dislike it, but he's not doing anything wrong, morally or else.

That’s not how the housing market works. The estate agent does not have a magic crystal ball to predict how much someone will be prepared to pay. The estate agent simply provides a guide price. Then hopefully a few people make an offer and the seller can choose the best offer.

Find out what the average estate agent charges - it’s generally around 1% + VAT of the sale price in my area but can be more. Then ask your Landlord what he intends to ask for the property (be a good idea to ask to see estate agent valuations at some point) and calculate what he will end up paying to the agents. Remind him that at the moment the market is dreadful following the stamp duty increase in April. Point out that he can save the selling costs and delays caused by marketing, viewings etc by selling direct to you.

If you keep the house tidy can you remain there while it’s on the market and put an offer in like anyone else?

I think he’s barmy. The housing market is collapsing. He’s got a ready buyer and no estate agent fees.