Anyone else’s landlord selling up right before Christmas??

[CozyNovemberMum]

hi just need a bit of advice really or even just to know im not the only one 😢
got a message last night from landlord saying hes selling the house and estate agent will be in touch about viewings. i honestly just sat and cried when i read it. ive been here 4 years its not posh or anything but its home for me and the kids and im 30 weeks pregnant so its just awful timing.

i messaged back asking if he’d give me more time but he said depends how fast it sells. i rang the council this morning and they just said “you’ll need to wait until you get an eviction notice” which could be right before christmas?? how is that even fair.

ive looked on rightmove and theres literally nothing in my price range nearby. i dont drive so i need to stay near the schools. even the tiny flats are like double what i pay now. i just feel sick thinking about packing up with 4 kids and a newborn due in january.

ex has said he “cant help right now” because hes sorting his own place out 🙄 so it’s basically all on me again. ive been trying to keep things normal for the kids but i just keep crying when they’ve gone to bed.

has anyone been through this? will the council actually help once i get the notice or are we basically on our own? i just dont know what to do anymore. sorry if this doesnt make sense im shattered.

get yourself on the bidding list now, it takes a few weeks to sort most places is two months. When you get your section 21 they will bump you up bands, but do not leave without the baliffs forcing you out or else they will deem you making yourself homeless.

Step 1: has the landlord actually served you notice? Usually a s21. And have they done that correctly (Shelter can help you determine that)?

I’m also not sure that you have to facilitate viewings, and I would query that too.

Section 21 will give you two months, but with them having to take you to court to evict you it could be anything up to a year. A lot of landlords are doing this so there will be a long wait so realistically you do have a lot of time to find another place.
also many people will not want to buy a house with a tenant there, so he might not be able to sell.

There’s no chance a property will sell , complete and you have to leave after notice period before Christmas

As above get on the council bidding list. Has your landlord given you a section 21 notice yet?? If not that gives you two months notice to quit. Good luck 🍀 💐🙏❤️

Has your landlord said you have to leave? They might be selling as a buy to let with sitting tenant in which case you’re fine.

What everyone else has said - your LL needs to serve a S21 (and can only do so if all other paperwork associated with renting has been given to you). If you need to be rehoused by the local authority, your LL has to take you to court -land formally evict you. Bailiffs will attend and you present yourself at the housing office.

This, as said, could take up to a year to process.

Is he the dad of all 5, surely their wellbeing comes before his?
I don't want to sound cruel, but I have 2 kids, am a single mum, work hard and would love to have another child with my partner, but know I can't afford it... why would you have chosen to have another?

It won't sell before Christmas.
Like others have said, speak to the council. How it works will depend on your area, but you should be able to find the basic info online for your council.

Yes, this was me last year.And a few months later, he took it off the market.Because he couldn't get rid of the fucking thing.

Don't stress x

You aren't going to get an eviction notice before Christmas!!
Firstly he needs to serve you 2 months notice. Then after that notice expires he has to apply to court to evict you. That process takes 4-6 months at least. So you have at least 6 months to look for somewhere else. Keep paying rent after the s21 notice expires and you can't be made to leave.

Well you can be made to leave but only after court action and being evicted by Baillifs

What a stressful situation. If your ex is sorting somewhere local suggest he takes on residency of the children, I am sure he will be more helpful given that option.

Other than that sit tight, start bidding and try not to get too stressed.

I can't even imagine private renting with kids. You need to take advantage of this situation and get yourself a forever home.

Having a social home is the most secure thing right now. No sudden mortgage hikes during the cossie lives, and no evictions.

As for landlord, screw him. Sit tight and get that notice and get housed.

Relocate. Who cares? New beginnings. As for it being Christmas, you'll probably be there over Christmas and I'd not worry.

New year new home.

thank you everyone honestly feel a bit calmer reading this. i’ve not had a proper notice yet just a message saying hes putting it on the market and estate agent will be in touch. so guessing thats not the same as a section 21? i didn’t even know what that was til now 😅

i’ve not had any of the official papers or anything so maybe i’ve got more time than i thought. i was just panicking thinking we’d be out before christmas.

i’ll ring the council again on monday and ask about bidding cos i’ve never done that before, last time i rented private cos it was quicker. didn’t realise you had to wait for bailiffs etc before they actually rehouse you that’s mad.

and yeah you’re probably right about it not selling that quick, it needs quite a bit of work so maybe no one will even want it 😂 just wish he’d waited til after baby was here it’s just all too much atm.

thanks again for all the advice it really helps x

@CozyNovemberMum most bidding for housing is online. You have to register with your local housing supplier. The landlord definitely needs to serve you with a section 21 before he can get you out x

Regardless of what it says in your lease you dont have to allow viewings. Why should you run around tidying up when your LL is prepared to make you homeless? There is nothing in it for you. Most purchasers would run a mile rather than offer on a house with a tenant in it. There is no telling how long it will take him to get you out - as other posters have said it could take up to a year.

This happened to me a while back and I asked for 30% discount to allow viewings. The LL refused so I refused viewings. I got another house just down the road but things were a lot different then. Good luck.

I’m a landlord that is currently selling, you do need to make sure it is all done by the book. I gave my tenant early warning I’d be selling and then a further 3 months official notice after that. I was and am meticulous with the paperwork so make sure there’s nothing missing from yours which makes the notice invalid.

A word of warning though, if you wait for bailiff eviction (as everyone on here will tell you to do) and you don’t secure social housing, you will find that most agents or landlords won’t touch you with a bargepole for future tenancies. It will come up on referencing. So it’s not exactly the magic solution that gets touted. I wouldn’t do that unless you have absolutely no choice.

This thread is not about you. You have no idea of the circumstances OP was in before the breakup. Your post was totally unnecessary.

OP most evictions take months, I would reccomend speaking to shelter, they are very helpful.

Oh and you don't have to allow viewings, no matter what your tenancy agreement says. In my last rental I did allow viewings, but they all had to be on the same day, within a time slot. I wasn't prepared to have the agents demanding same or next day viewings.

It may not be about me, but it is about me and the likes of me paying for other people to enjoy things we can't afford because we don't want to lumber others with our costs.

You need to explain the situation to your landlord. They are probably being cheeky and hoping that you will move without fuss when you are given notice, which he clearly doesn’t want to give you until after he has a buyer if you’re expected to facilitate viewings.

Tell them that you won’t accommodate viewings, as is your right, and that he is unfortunately not going to be unable to take possession of the property until the full eviction process has been exhausted, including bailiffs, because you are unable to house yourself so are reliant on the councils stupid system.

The responses on this thread sums up why there’s no point being a landlord in the Uk - sadly, it’s a vicious cycle when landlords like OP’s then get fed up and then sell up…

Are you on any benefits yourself? UC?

If the OP is renting due to living in an expensive place like the S.E. her and her ex could easily be paying more tax than you and your partner. OP's first action was to look for private rentals, but there aren't any!