to think two months notice is a bit shit?

[Miren]

Just heard from a friend that her landlord has given her two months notice to vacate the property she has been renting for the last 5 years. It's come completely out of the blue, and she is so upset. She has 3 children, all in the local school, so, unless she moves schools, she has to find - a scarce - rental in the area, pack up and move, in 8 weeks. She took on the property on the understanding that it was long term enough to see the kids through first school. So sad for her.

Apermanentheadache you can have a fixed ast for up to 3 years less one day.

I had to move rental as floors collapsed.... A work colleague with one child just moved second time in three years as ll was selling, again... It us life really.
When you renting there Is little point looking until you moving within two. Months anyway as places are often vacant and want tenants straightaway. She just has to keep looking. Something will come up. She doesn't have to move the kids from their school tho yes might have to commute.... She could take a smaller property and have the kids share if prices have gone up so much.
She has to set her max rental then compromise on location or size.
Their employers may offer loans or short term help with advance on salary if they need to find deposit...

Council house I doubt would appear....

Suburban - what would you recommend then? She at most can stall for an extra 2 months, so in 4 months she'll be homeless. It's unlikely the council has a selection of appropriately sized houses in the area she wants and will give one to her in 4 months time.

Nothing she can do now would give her that extra 5(?) years she wants in that house until her dcs have finished primary school, and as others have said, if the landlord gave her 6 months notice it wouldn't help as rental properties are normally advertised for immediate occupation, so she couldn't look until around now anyway.

I hope the shock has worn off and she can find something suitable soon.

Agree with the posters who say this an example if why private rentals don't work; no security for people living there.

Private landlords make an enormous amount of money out of other's basic need for shelter, then have the ability to upend their lives at very short notice. It may be legal but it's horrendously unfair and IMO immoral.

For those who said that this is an accepted risk of renting; it may well be but people in this situation don't have a choice, not being able to save £0000s for deposits.

OP I'm sorry your friend is in this position and hope she gets something sorted out.

I'm a landlord and just had to issue 2 months notice to our tenants. They are amazing tenants, keep the house beautifully and no trouble at all. But rent doesn't cover mortgage, we want to buy a new place (we rent and it's extortionate) and we are ttc and need all the money we have. At the moment we pay our rent to where we live and also £200pcm for our owned property due to the shortfall. We can't afford it.

We felt awful issuing notice as it's their home but we have very good reason to do it, if they were to do what someone here suggested and go to court it would likely bankrupt us. So there are 2 sides to a story and sometimes sadly a landlord has no choice.

We also offered them first refusal to buy it as we wanted to be fair, but they turned it down.

On and we've never made a profit from our rental property so also that is not strictly true. We make a loss on it every month and will make loss when we sell due to housing market crash.

Just to put a few posters straight - most private landlords do not make a fortune out of renting out their properties. Some of us are renting out our houses because we can't afford to live in them ourselves - renting them out is the only option. When the interest rates change many are forced to sell, or lose the house altogether. This doesn't give LLs an excuse to treat tenants badly but if they find themselves in a position where they need the house back or have to sell then that's their right! They bought it, it's their money! The time of making a fortune out of rentals is over, most rental income doesn't even cover the mortgage.

Disgusting advice on here suggesting that she stays and takes the LL to court, making him jump through hoops because it's inconvenient for her to leave. Of course it's awful for her, particularly because of the children, but when did it become acceptable to be as awkward as possible just because something doesn't suit. This is a risk you take by renting, obviously it's not possible for everyone to buy a house but people who rent can't expect the same rights over a house as people who buy.

Awful times, but certainly not made any better by the selfish measures some people are willing to take.

Another private landlord here, due to the housing crash. I don't make a fortune, the rent doesn't cover the mortgage. I am lucky- I am about to sell the property with my tenant in situ so doing my best not to cause disruption (and I am glad I am getting rid as being a landlord is shit).

If I has needed to give the tenant notice to sell and they ended up taking me to court I have no idea how we could afford it. It is hugely unfair to suggest this, as people who rent (like I do in the property I live in) sign a contract so know they could be served notice.

I'm feeling really sorry for the landlord here. They sound great landlords letting for a long time, and at 50% less than the going rate. And the mn advice, from lawyers no less, is fuck them and screw them over? How lovely.

We have a house we let out on long tenancies, but invariably it's the tenants who end up messing us about and wanting to be released from the rental agreement. This sort of thing works both ways. One minute people are banging on about how they want to live there for ages, and can they completely redecorate in black and purple and completely remodel the garden to their taste, six months later they come with some tale of woe, want out of the contract, and refuse to put back any changes they made.

That having been said, there are also people who buy properties and find their circumstances change and they have to move and their kids have to change schools. It's just life. Nobody has a divine right to total and absolute continuity in their lives, sadly.

Whilst unfortunate for your friend, it doesn't matter how much higher the rent is elsewhere. Whether your friend and her family leave willingly (as is right and proper) or force the landlord to go to court and have them evicted, the end result will me the same. Though the latter will obviously show that she had a judgement against her when another landlord does a search.

It is a rubbish situation. I don't think tenants have enough rights really. Doesn't sound like the landlord is doing anything legally wrong.

Not a good situation to be in but she does have options
And moving schools is hardly the end of the world

It is definitely shit in that scenario. The advice to stay put isn't what I'd offer. Has she tried negotiating with LL for more notice?

I don't think the comparison with Tenant notice periods is valid for most cases, because it isn't a balanced transaction.

Private landlords make an enormous amount of money out of other's basic need for shelter,

do tell how this is done, we'd all like to know.

return on my place after expenses is 3% - don't earn enough to pay tax on it. Better than savings interest, but not my definition of 'enormous'.

sorry to spoil the landlord-hating with facts.

Apermanent an AST can be as long as is agreed, and notice periods can be whatever is agreed, although they cannot be less than the legal minimum which is 1 month tenant to landlord, 2 months landlord to tenant.

so you could have a year with a break at six months for the tenant if they want to leave, or 2 years with a break of a year for the tenant, or four years with a notice of 2 months for the tenant. These are all real-life examples in my experience.

And moving schools is hardly the end of the world

How about moving schools every 1-2 years? If you're lucky?

Landlords might not make regular monthly profit but all that rent builds up equity so if course they are making profit. Stupid to suggest otherwise.

"EhricLovesTheBhrothers Sun 27-Jul-14 10:47:14

And moving schools is hardly the end of the world

How about moving schools every 1-2 years? If you're lucky?"

forces children often move schools even more frequently than that and they cope

Yes, but presumably forces children come from families where parents knew they would have to move regularly because of the job they chose. No less disruptive for the DCs, of course, but they would have made that choice for their family with their eyes open.

If you think that's shit, try being a LL and not knowing if at the end of a tendency the tenants will be staying on with a rolling contract or leaving, they don't have to tell you either way.

Then, if they are on a rolling contract, they only need give 1 months notice!

Difference being that you arent losing your home at end of that month! its's not worse at all.

And their parents make that choice when they choose a career in the forces. Doesn't mean it's ok for every child!

Besides, I wouldn't necessarily accept the view that 'they cope' having been at school with lots of forces kids (day pupil at a boarding school)

I do understand both sides of the argument here, but I'm puzzled as to why it's seemingly ok for a LL to give the tenant notice because it's legal, but not ok for a tenant to take the LL to court (also legal).

Errrrrmm.