To think someone needs to set up a letting agency for long term lets?

[AwfulMaureen]

It's impossible. I am currently looking for a new house...our landlord is selling...I see a house, call to enquire about it and ask the agent "Do you know if the owner is wanting a long let?" and they're all "Oh...um...I don't know"

A few have said "Yes...he's bought it as an investment...buy to let" but I'm so nervous....I don't want to choose a property and get asked to shift 6 months later.

The council isn't very good here for people who have jobs...bascially told me I have zero chance as wer'e both in work and they're so short of properties.

We have always had long term tenancies. You just have to pick your LL.

I think we only got asked to move out of a house once in the last 30 years of renting as the LL was terminally ill and really had to sell.

'All new tenancies as far as I know, at least, are required to be of 6 months' duration,"

Not sure where you got this idea, Fedup...? We tend to rent year to year, often with a break clause. However, we've always been the ones to be given notice, to to the LLs' selling, so when DS was at school application age, we negotiated a lease of well over 12 months, so wr could ensure we weren't moved out of catchment, losing a school place. However, that was a house that had had lets fall through a number of times, so had been on and off the rental market, meaning anyone who would rent it at all was in a stronger bargaining position. In spite of all that, I wouldn't have wanted a really long term let, as it was cold, badly laid out and ugly.

renter as far as I'm aware, all standard tenancies start off by being of 6 months' duration. All mine have been, and my tenants are all fairly long-standing. The contract rolls over unless someone gives notice. If there is a change in rent payable then this can be negotiated in the contract. This would also apply, I assume, to any other arrsgements, such as length of tenancy.

My tenants started off on standard ASTs, and have just carried on.

You sound as if you've negotiated something different according to your specific needs.

Not true. A tenancy can be as long as both parties agree to. Many letting agents will have a policy of six-month tenancies to begin with, because it means they can charge landlord and tenant a nice fat renewal fee when both parties decide they want to renew for a fixed term after that initial six months is up. It's all about lining agents' pockets.

I am a LL and we've always offered tenants as long a lease as they want. Our current ones started off on a two-year contract. We just make sure they are thoroughly vetted first and have never had a problem.

Where are you? sorry just read the thread but didn't see - We have had long terms as we rent from the National trust.

Lots coming up all the time at the moment sadly due to most of the Estate / Farm Workers are heading into their 70' and 80's and going into homes. Both of our last NT lets were due to older tenants moving to homes. Worth a look :-)

Well OP, you might just have spotted a business opportunity there! If it interests you...

Ones thank you for the tip...I just looked but they're mostly down South it would seem. I'm in Cheshire. I will keep looking though.

keep looking, there are other "estates" with long term lets, mainly rural or semi rural mind, not always what people want!

Good luck we had one place for 6 years and another for 5 an have just bought a place so will be our first owned house for 11 years and have raised our two DS & our two dogs in our lovely rented homes.

rally Might be the case in England but in Scotland after the first 6 months tenancies either automatically renew for the same period again or for month to month if that is what the lease says and that continues until one party serves notice. There is no need for anything to be renewed.

rally I've been a ll for 12 years, and worked as an estate agent too, and I have never cime across an instance of an agent charging to renew a 6month tenancy.

Tenancies do not need to be renewed after 6 months, they simply roll over.

That's my experience anyway.

Agreed, BUT many agents will encourage their Lls to only agree on an initial 6-month term, then strongly encourage both parties to renew for a further fixed term when those six months are up.

Of course there is no need to do so and the contracts can just roll, but many Lls and tenants will want the security of a further fixed term. And then the agents will charge both parties £100+ for the five minutes of work that are involved in administering that renewal. It's just a ploy by letting agents to make money and they bank on people not meeting that they don't have to follow their recommendations.

And an initial tenancy can be as long as both parties agree to (at least in England and Wales).

I can also confirm having been asked to pay an agent (for a property managed by a LL!) to sign a new lease. The agent said it was using a tenancy agreement which was licensed, so it would have pay the fee itself.

rallytog - I totally agree and it is a scam the whole renewal fee thing.

I was a long term tenant and frankly I had this argument so many times with agents. Most LL were quiet happy to let the agreement roll on when they found I was a good tenant. Most were happy anyway to sign a 1 year lease. The whole 6 month lease thing is a nonsense and the Govt ought to regulate it better. In fact it should be illegal to charge a renewal fee to a tenant or LL who are in an existing tenancy that could by law just roll on.

Landlords generally don't want to tie themselves into a long term let because they like having the flexibility of being able to sell when they want like if they get into difficulty . With a tenant stook in it makes that impossible.

You might get someone who isn't bothered whose paid off their mortgage say an older person and just wants an income for retirement but there generally older houses but most buy to let's have a mortgage.

Also they do look at your credentials and if your income doesn't look good it might put them off. Nothing worse than agreeing to a long let then the tenant can't pay and can't get you out.

anyone who buys a property as buy-to-let and expects to make a quick buck on the sale is deluded, except possibly in London.

most landlords buy them for long-term investment, as well as income which may just about cover the mortgage. Long term in property means 10 years at least.

I wonder what incentives the government could offer to Landlords to make it worth their while to offer long term lets...the shortage of social housing is giving rise to real problems for many people. I realise now that we are actually in a fortunate position...better than many people. But for those who aren't lucky enough and who need to rent long term...what could be done?

In the past, council housing was plentiful...but most of it got bought up in the 80s and 90s...now there's a real shortage. Could the government offer people who let, some reason to let for longer? Thus provide secure accommodation for people who aren't buying.

Awful Maureen tax breaks. Business Property Relief on inheritance tax, possibly something on Income Tax or CGT.