Tenants making viewings difficult

[areweonabreak]

We have a flat that we rent out. It was my DH’s flat before we met. It’s been rented out for 10 years now (by only 2 tenants) but we’re now in a position where our own house needs a lot of money spending on it and we want to free up some capital.

we do feel bad for the current tenant, we offered them first refusal to buy the flat (it’s on the market for £90k) but they cannot afford it (even though a mortgage would probably be cheaper than the rent but they’d another thread)

we’ve had a few viewings now but all the feedback is that the tenants have told them that they don’t want to move so they’re put off as they don’t want the hassle.

we live about a 40 minute drive away from the flat so the agents are sorting out all of the viewings. The agents have suggested that it might be easier to sell if it’s empty.

We’re really not sure what to do, they’re on a rolling monthly contract at the moment.

has anyone else been in this position before?

would anyone else recommend selling as a vacant property?

So let me get this straight. You’re against the OP for being a landlord, but for the tenant making it difficult to sell the place, so she’s not a landlord and someone who can buy it stops her from, as you so charmingly put it ‘hoarding properties’. OK then.

Your tenants have kindly allowed viewings. If they're in their home at the time of viewings (why should they) its not that odd that they would mention they're tenants who liked living here.
I agree with the agent that its probably better to do viewings when the house is empty or at least the tenants are out. To empty it you need to serve them notice. There's a chance of course that they won't comply. There's a chance also that they'll move out and you don't get a buyervorva tenant for some time.
Here's a suggestion. Offer to 'put them up' for 2 weeks whilst you show potential buyers around. Offer them with a fortnight in Turkey (or wherever) whilst you get a buyer (and carry out remedial repairs and staging). This is so you can secure a buyer.

I’d advise posting on the Landlordzone forum, the residential letting section. Posting a landlord question on mumsnet is never going to end well.

🙄

We need an end to this culture where people can own more than one property - it's as simple as that. We need a return to decent levels of social housing stock for people who are not in a position to buy, not relying on private rentals which are often eating up housing benefit money and ultimately costing the taxpayer.

Contempt ? FFS where ? She’s just trying to sell the place and the tenants obviously don’t want to comply. I feel for them but at the end of the day it’s not their property and making things difficult isn’t likely to end well for them. I wouldn’t be arsed trying to please them if they’re actively putting off buyers. I’d serve notice and evict.

Well OP is trying😂

I wouldn’t disagree with any of that. At all. But it’s not the fault of LLs like the OP. And decent levels of social housing stock went out of the window with the Thatcher governments’ ‘right to buy’ scheme. In circumstances like the OP’s and those of people who inherit properties I don’t know how you’re going to stop people using them however they see fit. Unless you’re proposing confiscation, or levying so much inheritance tax they would have to sell - which IRL wouldn’t work.

One way would be to cap private rents, at the same time as making Council Tax the responsibility of the property owner, not the tenants, and raising Council Tax for properties in which you are not resident high enough to make it impossible to profit from the rental, with the cap in place. There could be a grace period to allow time for a property to be sold after it was inherited, or moved out of.

So there we have it @PlaitBilledDuckyPuss
Its jealousy because you own one property and you’re jealous if some people own more.

Does your neighbour have a bigger car too, or is that not allowed either.
Its called Democracy……….

Serve notice.you want to sell the flat so vacant possession will attract more interest BUT it may well empty for a months.

But then you couldn't have your cake and eat it.

Taking money from someone who is entitled to be left alone in the the space that pay you for AND at the same time imposing on them intruders for your benefit, not theirs. Cakeism 101.

I don't drive and what I know about cars, you could write on a postage stamp. I know my neighbour has one, but I couldn't tell you what make or colour it is.

If I somehow became possessed of a second property, I would sell it ASAP. Leaving aside my moral objections, I wouldn't want the worry of being responsible for maintaining more than one house.

Actually I’ll take that back.
Youre a renter, obvious from your comments.

Maybe you could give an incite for OP into how she can somehow get her tenants to be reasonable during viewings .
With all your obvious experience.

Why on earth are you selling equity? That's insane. Just refinance on a HELOC which will give you the cash you need but allow you to keep your property.

They're within their rights to refuse viewings so your best option would be to either sell to a landlord who will buy it with tenants in situ or to serve notice on your tenants.

That’s why she really needs to serve notice properly. Then legally she can show people around, tenants can’t unreasonably object. ( the law)
The reality is what OP is experiencing
It rarely works, its too intrusive on the tenants and most tenants will be upset they have to move anyway.

Yes, I did rent back in the 1990s for a couple of years. My rent was 3x what the mortgage was on a (larger) house when I bought, which was really when I realised what a total con the rental market was. Fortunately, in those days you could get a decent 3 bed house for less than £50k. If I were 25 years younger and trying to buy now, I wouldn't have a hope.

Well then it would no longer a democracy we live in would it ? The free market would be the domain of the rich, and us minions would be allowed to own very little for ourselves, and that which we do would be taxed so heavily there would be little point in owning it. Meanwhile, the rich have something to laugh at while they’re eating their caviar.

The rich would be subject to the same taxes. Including the types who own whole swathes of London.

And of course they would pay them wouldn’t they ? They have clever accountants to avoid paying taxes but they wouldn’t use them would they ? They’d just cough up and pay them in the name of ‘fairness’. Always assuming a government of any colour would want to commit political suicide by introducing such a policy. You’re angry at the wrong people.

The rich can afford to pay them
🙃
The rich can afford excellent professionals to avoid them,

Tax avoidance generally is another issue which should be addressed, I agree. A complete overall of 'the system' is needed.

So she’s geeedy for trying to sell it, and an ‘immoral’ slum landlord if she keeps it?

Jesus Christ. 😂

Ps. Many who own ‘whole swathes of london’ historically owned the land as farm land .
Duke of Bedford, for egs
Then built properties themselves on them, then rented, or sold, or rented as market places and so on.
you’re living in the wrong country…..this is a democracy.

Dwelling on what others have that you don’t is making you very bitter.
Drop into the landlords thread, they’ll love you😂😂