Landlord selling property

[Shell8608]

So I received a text from my landlord informing me he has no option but to sell the house I have rented for the past 13 years due to financial reasons. I am a single part to 18yo son and 15yo daughter, both still in education. I work, but am unable to afford the price of rent now which is at least £400-£500 above what I currently pay. What are my options? I will contact the council but right now I am so worried about what is going to happen. I have pets too which makes it even more tricky. What sort of temporary accommodation could I end up in? And for how long? Will I even be classed as high priority with older children?
Any advice from anyone with similar experience will be appreciated.

Do you have a contract or are you on a rolling? He may sell the house to an investor or as a buy to let which means your contract sticks.

Planning to sell isn't the same thing as sold, he still has a legal obligation to give you all of the correct notifications and notice periods, he may also sell to another landlord.

Contact the council tomorrow and local housing associations to apply to get on their lists. Look at the Entitledto and Turn to Us websites and play around with their benefit calculators to see if you'd be eligible for any help with your rent, this will help you work out a budget.

As market rents are £400-500 higher have you contacted him to see whether paying an additional £200 makes it able for him to afford to keep it? It may be enough and you keep your home and he gets the amount to make it viable

Thing is unless you're evicted by the courts (even though he's selling) you'll be deemed as making yourself homeless by the council.

Have you asked if you paid more rent if that would help him keep the house?

What is your contract status atm?

Is all your paperwork in order - deposit protected, gas certificates issues etc ?

Speak to your local council and explain the situation. Ask them what their specific processes are.

This is the case in some councils but not all. Thing is unless you're evicted by the courts (even though he's selling) you'll be deemed as making yourself homeless by the council.
Here for example when you get a date for court they’ll rehouse you (usually into emergency first). Next council along it’s post-bailiffs. So you need to know exactly how it works in your area.

He has to issue you with notice properly - a text isn’t that - so once you’ve spoken to your council you can decide what to do next.

Contact the council but you will be very lucky to get rehoused until you get an eviction notice, it’s not nice for either side but that’s the way it works.

I have an assured short hold tenancy agreement, which has been rolling on for the past 13 years.
I am aware that he needs to serve proper notice, he has told me that the estate agent will be in touch and help me find other properties as I’ve been such a good tenant. I just know I can’t afford the current rents in this city- Bristol.
All paperwork is in order now as far as I am aware although we went many years without gas / electrical tests.
I did ask if I were to pay more rent are we able to sort something but he said no it’s unlikely.

Are housing association lists different to being on the council list? I am just panicking here. What is the likely timescale I have from when notice is served?

The best thing all round would be to negotiate with your landlord (whose costs will have hiked massively, they are not all greedy evil overlords). Failing that, ask if he/she is going to market with you in situ. Unfortunately, that is likely to give him/her about a 20% reduction in selling price.

If you are advised to stay until bailiffs/eviction as it seems many councils do then please be aware this is not to your advantage at all. They do this to drag out the process as long as possible because they have nowhere to put you. Then it is possible you will be housed in temporary b+b accomodation miles from where you are now, plus a massive hit to your credit rating which will follow you wherever you go. Whatever you do, do not stop paying your rent as a ccj against you will wreck future credit for things like mobile phones, bank loans, payment plans for objects like furniture etc, car finance, the list goes on

Blame successive governments for hammering small landlords. They, Shelter and Generation Rent activists have a lot to answer for.

It may be that they only take you and your youngest into account as the 18 year old is legally an adult so prepare for that

it’s awful Bristol from memory won’t help you till the very last moment but it’s unlikely they will force you into moving miles away

I think the HA register is the same as the councils you apply on one register rather than to individual HA

He is saying his only option is to sell he’s already had a valuation which I got told was for a remortgage which has been refused and that also had an epc and he needs to get the energy rating up on the house by 2025 which obviously costs money (no cavity walls, doesn’t hold heat, old double glazed windows) I have always had a good relationship with him and don’t want to make things hard or costly for him but I have nowhere to go as can’t afford the rental prices now.
I really don’t think he will want to sell with me as a sitting tenant - and also the rent will obviously go up which puts me in an even worse situation.
I will continue to pay my rent, as always but what happens if I leave before bailiffs etc and present myself as homeless with my children?

That’s my concern, my son is 18 and in college getting ready to sit his A levels. Let’s face it, he will be living at home for many years to come as will many children with the current cost of property. And he still needs a roof over his head regardless to his age. He is also on a waiting list to be referred for an autism assessment.
I will contact the council tomorrow- absolutely dreading it

I am sorry.

The private rental market is not helping anyone at the moment. Good luck.

As your son is going to be working in a few months, can you offer to pay market rent and assume that he will be able to contribute financially later this year?

If you leave beforehand you will have made yourself intentionally homeless and the council will not help you. You’ll be on your own.
Can you move further afield from where you are to somewhere more affordable but commutable to schools etc

In all fairness the house isn’t worth market rent, I have been here 13 years it needs improvements in places some I’ve actually done myself as was always told he doesn’t plan to sell until retirement and was hoping to be in a position to buy by then. The plan for my son is an apprenticeship so his wage will be relatively low, it will still make rental property unaffordable. Then there’s the issue with my dogs, with many places not accepting pets- rehoming them is not and will never be an option!
Moving further afield wont make a difference every area in Bristol is a minimum of £400-£500 extra on what I am currently paying. Even the less desirable areas. I work local too, although some days work from home.
The stress I feel right now is ridiculous, this is only going to get worse isn’t it.
I have heard of a local scheme where they build eco homes in council tenants gardens to try and combat the current housing crisis, anyone have information on this if I had someone with a council
property willing to do so?

Don’t panic.

I know it’s easier said than done, but you’ll get it sorted. You’ve got time - it’ll take him time to get everything into motion.

Timescales are impossible for people to tell you as no-one knows your councils policies. So find that out first. Speak to them.

I’d advise making a list for when you speak to them so that if you get flustered you won’t miss anything important.

Explain to them about your son - ask them very specifically what you need to ensure he’s still counted as a dependent even when he’s 18 due to his needs.

Ask them about HAs as well. Find out if it’s a central register or individual ones.

Also ask about any deposit schemes that could help you move - thats especially important when you have a good reputation with your current LL’s EA.

Have a check done to see if you’re entitled to any help with higher rents - my tenant had no idea until recently she was actually entitled for about £30 a month help. It’s not loads but every little helps.

Is there any way you could buy the property you are currently renting?

You've said the amount of work needed on it means it won't get market rate for rental so it wouldn't be priced at the top end.

Thank you, certainly easier said than done it’s consuming my mind and thoughts constantly.
I rented from my landlord direct no estate agents were ever involved, but he is trying to get the estate agents who will be selling the house to help me with rental properties.
I never really thought of my son being an adult and not being recognised as such, he is still currently fully dependent on me.

Thanks for your help I will put a list together and speak with them tomorrow

There’s no way I can buy, I don’t have the deposit and highly unlikely to be accepted for a mortgage with being a single person (crazy as I have paid my rent on time every month for the past 13 years)

Of course rehoming your animals is an option unless you’re prepared to live on the streets with them 🙄 What a silly statement.

you sound lovely.

Clearly you don’t have pets!! They are part of our family. Please don’t comment with unhelpful comments, I never expected to be in this situation with market rents now unaffordable. I won’t be living on the streets with my children! I’m seeking advice not unhelpful opinions

OP go onto the Shelter website , lots of help on there .

I’m realistic.

She doesn’t have two children at home, she has one child and an adult. If she manages to find someone to take her and the child the likelihood is they aren’t going to take the animals too.

No sane person is going to turn down a property to house their child simply because their animals can’t come along for the ride too.

He is my child! Also still
in education and currently on a referral list for autism as previously stated. He is family and we all live together just because he has recently turned 18 doesn’t make him any less important. I won’t go somewhere where only one of my CHILDREN is housed!! Already stated that rent is unaffordable so not an option unfortunately.
There is always one who has something inconsiderate and unnecessary to say