to think people you don't know well shouldn't ask you to trust them

[legolicious]

Our LL has told us he wants to sell, but will make sure we have at least 6 months, and will tell any buyer the sale will have to work around us. AIBU to think it's wrong for him to expect me to trust him when making arrangements for the security of my family? I know him as a LL, he is very nice but if he got a good offer and they were in a hurry, how on earth should I know what he would do? I would never ask someone I didn't know very well to trust me with something with such massive potential impact.

YANBU.

Start looking now for somewhere to move to.

He may be being genuine but you are right in this situation you should make plans to cover yourself rather rely on someone's word.

Well you don't have to trust him and he doesn't have to give you 6 months - he could give you 2 months notice and be done with.

He is being courteous by telling you now so that you can start looking.

What do you mean about telling someone you don't know something with massive potential impact? What should he have done - not told you until the first viewer turns up?

Really he is mad trying to sell with tenants in his property anyway - normally sales should be made once the tenant has vacated.

I would start looking for a new place now if I were you.

Well he can say what he likes, it's up to you whether you take him up on that isn't it. In your position, I would not.
What he feels like now may be very different to what he feels like when his buyer says something like 'yep, I have the full asking price sitting there in my bank and I'll pay you it, but only if we complete in 6 weeks. Is it a deal?'
Then it all gets kind of stressful.
Start looking.

We have started looking. It's just a really bad time. betty what I mean is, it has a huge potential impact on us if we're given 2 months to vacate, which is our statutory entitlement, because we can't buy something in that time. We had the first viewing today, and he only told us yesterday. He is saying if someone puts in an offer he will tell them they cannot complete for 6 months.

It is a very high value house, so a limited market.

I see, sorry!

Yeah, he may have good intentions now but if he gets someone is a position who wants to move quickly or no sale then who knows. People seem to lose their principals where money is concerned and if it is a limited market..................

Good luck!

So he's trying to be helpful by telling you he'll try to give you 6 months...and you're bitching about him and moaning how it's not convenient for you? You're right, he doesn't owe you anything and given your attitude, if he read your post I'm sure he'd change his mind and give you the 2 months' notice as is his only obligation.

I don't think he's asking you to trust him completely, just trying to reassure you that he will take your needs into account. It's up to you whether you take his word for it, or make other arrangements asap, but I think it's a bit churlish to be cross with him for making this offer and trying to make things easier for you than he has to.

I think you should see the alternative - I had 3.5 weeks notice when I rented from a policewoman! I think you are lucky he didn't just start without you. He is now leaving himself open to being out of pocket if you find somewhere next month and his sale could take 3+ months or much longer.

FWIW I am a landlady myself now but I have close relationships with my tenants and would tell them at the first hint of me needing to sell. I don't think I can see a downside to him forewarning you.

Crikey Jinglet what's up with you? I haven't bitched or moaned (or even discussed it with him yet) so not quite sure where you got that attitude unless it was out your ass.

I have said to him all along, is there anything to prevent us staying for 3 years which is the amount of time we need. We rent out 2 properties ourselves and I know that if you give tenants extra notice they will make their plans and possibly leave you without rental income. I shouldn't think he's much bothered about that though, in the circumstances.

You sound like you'd rather he said "you're out in your notice time of 2 months"? I'm sure you didn't mean it like that.

Sounds like he's being kind and giving you extra time.

When our landlady had to sell (her dm's house and needed to sell for care home fees) she phoned us up and said very similar. Luckily for us we were just thinking of looking to buy, so was perfect timing. Still took us 4 months to complete though. And then having had no problems at all barring squirrels in the loft in the 3 years we'd rented... the boiler broke and all the back fences blew down in the month after we bought.
Rather a wry chuckle with the LL next time we saw her.

The landlord might think that forewarning you is doing you a kindness but the absolute truth is that if he had a ready buyer wanting to exchange this side of Christmas he'd issue you with a Section 21 Notice giving you two month's notice and then it would be court if you didn't go.

I cannot conceive of any buyer being willing to wait six whole months before they could exchange.

He might be well-intentioned but he's living in a dream-world. As would you if you believed him

I agree bitter, this is my point. He's trying to be nice and just muddying the waters in the meantime.