Landlord selling up and can't afford to rent elsewhere

[Freeasabird76]

Dont know the point of this post to be honest,just need to vent I think.
Have lived in this house with my 2 Dds for 5 years now and been very lucky with no rent increases,although the rent was a bit steep when j first moved in,it is now the cheapest in the whole area.
My landlords visited today to do an inspection and dropped the bombshell that they're selling up asap.
My dilemma is,equivalent homes are now £200 more than I'm paying now a month and at present only 2 available in whole area anyway.
How can if ve that I've lived here all my 46 years and now I can't afford a house here anymore.

I would give them appropriate notice but if after for example 6 months they're refusing to move out that's surely really shitty.

Are there any shared ownership schemes in your area?

Well liek I said Alex's advice isn't right. The op needs to be looking for something suitable but I know it's taken months for my sister to find something because she's not in the best financial situation. Actually what landlords need to do IS to serve the S21 because Homeless won't do anything without it, they only get interested once the S21 expires. And taking the legal steps appropriately is fine. Expecting them to just pack up and move out of your way is not.

How people could suggest 'not moving until evicted'? The landlord was nice enough not to raise rent for 5 years and after that they should get such treatment? No decency left

Because sadly the council won’t help unless she waits it out to that stage. If she leaves when asked the council will say she’s made herself homeless I think

I think we'll see more and more of this with the ever increasing demands on landlords and as mortgages are going up the finances don't stack up .Sec 21 is also off putting .

I don't know what to suggest OP other than to contact Shelter and your local council for suggestions. I wish you the best of luck.

I have a friend in a similar situation. The rent hasn't been put in up in a few years (it's unmodernised and in disrepair), and comparable properties in the area are £300 more. She thinks the landlord is planning to sell or put the rent up as he's started doing jobs and renovations, including a new kitchen. She's lived there so long, like you, that if it had been a mortgage she'd have long since paid it off, but will leave with nothing. Landlord has dozens of similar buy to lets.

Legally a landlord can only repossess a property if they have taken the appropriate steps, so serve correct notice, obtain PO from court and then bailiffs warrant. That is exactly what the law says. If potential landlords don't wish to do that, then don't become a landlord. I don't know how many times I said this during my working life; but stick to the law and you will be fine, doing anything else you might be in trouble. A landlord is expected to understand the legislation regarding tenancies and not try to bypass the law.

Mumsnet is full of LL haters who relish advising tenants to stay out and force the LL to go through the courts for a PO and eventually bailiffs. Nice way to pretty much guarantee the tenant won't find anywhere decent to rent again.

The LL in question here could no doubt have raised the rent in line with the Tenancy agreement 4 or 5 times now, considering the years the tenant has been there. They haven't, which has allowed the tenant stability and a favourable deal.

No one has a god given right to stay living in the same property or area forever... loads of people move for work, for cheaper areas or a multitude of reasons.

Stay put

So I provide housing for someone (and btw I haven't raised rent either though I easily could have, city in great demand), don't make any profits (eaten up by costs anyway, mortgage, tenant issues, etc) and in return someone will make my life as hard as possible, force me to evict them, etc?

That's extremely shitty. If you can't afford to rent where you are, you might have to move out a bit further, the world doesn't owe you under market rate rent and for people to hold on to their properties so you can stay there forever.

It's very irresponsible and shocking to see - no wonder a lot of landlord sell up or behave like bastards if tenants behave like this.

I definitely do not want to go down eviction route as I've worked hard to always keep a very good credit score,I've contacted all local agents to be put forward for whatever comes up reasonably priced,I did apply for a house in next town this morning but don't fit the criteria.Been onto housing but do not get extra points until I'm served.phoned the local housing advice centre but because of backlog wont hear back for 10-12 days.

Sorry to hear that OP it's a horrible situation. I'm also in this potential scenario as all the surrounding houses available to rent are about £300 more a month to rent than the long term let I'm in and I live in fear of that eviction letter. This may be totally unhelpful but how possible would it be for you 16 year old to get a part time job to put towards the rent to make up the difference? This is what I did at 16 I worked part time evenings and one weekend day and school holidays in a shop around college hours, and it helped my mum pay rent as well as really boosted my career so would benefit your teenager too. Sorry if that's not a useful suggestion for your circumstances though. I know times have changed.

@Miajk I am pointing out what the law says. If you haven't already done so, read the Protection from Eviction Act 1977 . Being a landlord means that certain behaviours are expected, and as I said earlier any landlord is expected to go down that route if the tenant cannot make other arrangements. The fact that you make no profit, and haven't put the rent up makes no difference as you have made a legal agreement and part of that is knowing how to,legally, end that tenancy. Over the years I dealt with many landlords who just did not understand or did not want to understand their responsibilities and sometimes those landlords ended up in court as they thought they could get round legal procedure.

BTW, when I started as a homeless officer, there were no assured shorthold tenancies but protected tenancies, and it was harder for the landlord to repossess. The main reasons were that a condition of the tenancy had been broken and that had to be proved in court. Far fewer people became homeless from private rents then.

I don't think most posters advocate sitting there doing nothing until eviction, but the point is as soon as OP packs her bags and moves out, she's a screwed from a HA/Council housing/ homeless perspective as she's MADE herself homeless.
Yes vyou should do everything possible to find a new place. No you shouldn't end up somewhere unsuitable because a landlord is trying to bully you out faster than the process takes

So I provide housing for someone (and btw I haven't raised rent either though I easily could have, city in great demand), don't make any profits (eaten up by costs anyway, mortgage, tenant issues, etc) and in return someone will make my life as hard as possible, force me to evict them, etc?

Very philanthropic of you providing housing I'm sure
They are paying your mortgage, or most of it...

Yes and living in my house, using my furniture, having me cover costs of repairs etc. The point being I'm fulfilling my responsibility as a LL and I'd expect the tenant to do the only thing they're required to do - pay & move out if I need to sell the property.

I'd give them plenty of notice but forcing someone to evict you and delaying the process is irresponsible. Finding cheaper housing even in a less favourable location is what you should do if you can afford it, it's basic common decency.

So I provide housing for someone (and btw I haven't raised rent either though I easily could have, city in great demand) you're renting it to them, not giving it to them. don't make any profits (eaten up by costs anyway, mortgage, tenant issues, etc) that's on you, you are after all setting the rent and in return someone will make my life as hard as possible, force me to evict them, etc? getting a section 21 is the only way to trigger any council help to get them rehoused if they can't find private. It isn't great but it isn't their fault. And it isn't about making your life hard, it's about not putting their kids on the street r recasting you think low rent means no rights.

If you can't afford to rent where you are, you might have to move out a bit further, the world doesn't owe you under market rate rent and for people to hold on to their properties so you can stay there forever. it doesn't owe her undermarket rents, but "moving a bit further" may well mean pulling kids out of schools, quitting work and moving away from any semblance of support network depending on where the cheaper rents kick in. It can't be impossible to work out why people don't want to end up in an area they don't know, taking whatever potluck schools are available with no job?

Have you thought about the fact that if the tenant takes that route it puts the LL in the exact same position? Not being able to sell the property, being in limbo, having rent costs of their own.

It's not okay to think that you're entitled to stay, if you've been given appropriate notice and can afford anywhere else.

Yes and living in my house, using my furniture, having me cover costs of repairs etc. The point being I'm fulfilling my responsibility as a LL and I'd expect the tenant to do the only thing they're required to do - pay & move out if I need to sell the property.

As I said, and to repeat; very philanthropic.
They're paying your mortgage.

Can we stop with the landlord v tenant argument every time a similar thread is posted. So bloody annoying. OP is asking for practical advice.

OP, I suppose you don't have any family you could stay with otherwise you would have considered that?

If not, my only other advice is what some have already said, contact your council and see where you go from there.

@RedPlumbob
With attudies like take thats why I left a perfectly good family home empty for 3 years . That could of provided a family with a good home.

It’s the law. If you don’t know the basics, don’t be a landlord. Staying put was very rare until recently.

I’ve had 6 S21s in the 17 years I’ve been renting and have always found somewhere else within 2 weeks of it being served. Not this time.

Perhaps if we had a functioning government over the last 9 years people wouldn't be in the position of being unable to afford basic housing. Let's lay the blame squarely where it belongs.

And it isn't the law. Try reading the Housing Acts in conjunction with the Homelessness Code of Guidance and you will see a local authority owes a duty to those they believe may be in priority need as soon as the s21 is served. The issue for local authorities is they have nowhere to put people because the private landlords are getting out of the sector due to this government's ill conceived, I'll thought out policies.