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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To not move out of rented house until I'm ready?

378 replies

longtermsinglemummy · 13/09/2016 11:41

I have rented my current home for 5 years. I've looked after it as if it were my own and we've been really happy here. The landlord lives abroad.

In April I had a phone call from the letting agents asking for the property to be valued as the landlord was looking into selling it (huge shock as you can imagine). To cut a long story short he did decide to sell the property and we were given 2 months notice on 21st May, which was then extended by another 2 months expiring on September 22nd as it was still unsold.

In this period I have complied with their wishes. I have had people view the property (which was galling as it feels like our home), and then a mortgage valuation and survey once the house was sold (they only told us it was sold at the end of July). Since then we have looked at so many houses both online and in person but there were none that we really liked or that were suitable for us. I also have legacy credit issues which have stood in our way.

I have finally found a house that we like, and they will have us Grin

But am I being unreasonable in saying we are not able to move out by the 22nd? This date would put so much pressure on me as I couldn't get my head around moving until we had somewhere to move to, so still have loads to do. There is no chain, the buyers aren't selling their house and my landlord is abroad and has a home there. I also have to get my daughter back to university which wipes out one weekend. My ideal scenario would be to vacate the house on Monday October 10th, 2.5 weeks after my notice runs out.

I just feel that I have been a really good tenant over the years, I have been compliant during this horrible shitty period when I could have been obstructive had I chosen to be. The letting agents are saying it has to be Sept 22nd and it's not possible to go past this date, contracts have been drawn up etc.

Surely another 2.5 weeks couldn't be that much of an issue?

OP posts:
Original poster
longtermsinglemummy · 13/09/2016 14:22

We have a house agreed and references have gone through already.

OP posts:
Original poster
longtermsinglemummy · 13/09/2016 14:23

purple The buyers aren't selling, they have a house.

OP posts:
SaggyBaggyPuss · 13/09/2016 14:26

What is the LL going to put on the reference if the OP stays for another 2 weeks? Excellent tenant for 5 years, paid on time, no anti-social issues, she even maintained the property herself and allowed people in and out to view the property BUT she informed me before the Section 21 ran out that she needed to stay on for another 2 weeks due to the logistics of moving out Hmm. I wouldn't have a problem with that.

FloggingMolly you sound even denser hun x

Maryann1975 · 13/09/2016 14:27

I can't believe you even think this is ok to do. You have been given notice, this was extended to give you extra time (yes to suit the ll, but you were still able to stay longer, you presumably could have moved out after the origional two with no penalty).
Why should your LL put up with you messing around, risk losing a sale just becasue you can't get sorted with your packing. And just becasue the new buyers are keen does not mean they will take being messed around over completion dates. What if your LL says you can have an extra couple of weeks and your new rental place falls through, you will be asking for longer and longer. YABVU.

SaggyBaggyPuss · 13/09/2016 14:28

Doesn't matter whether viewings were in the tenancy agreement. OP did not have to allow them.

SaggyBaggyPuss · 13/09/2016 14:30

A decent landlord would have negotiated a leaving date with a long standing tenant long before exchange of contracts on the sale. Or even better, not marketed the property for sale until the tenants had left the property within the parameters of the law.

NEmum · 13/09/2016 14:30

Privilege of having his mortgage paid..??! You have paid rent to live somewhere, he has ultimate responsibility for the property & if you've decided to pay for upkeep that's your own fault!

Don't mean to bash you but you're being really unfair & resentful about the whole situation

Mummyoflittledragon · 13/09/2016 14:31

So we've really only had since 29th July. Nearly 2 months to find somewhere else. People do this all the time. You're renting a property, not buying one. A house sale can complete in far less time than that.

Unfortunately the issues that you have are not of concern to the landlord. Ask by all means. However, you would be a fool to stay without permission.

FluffyWuffyFuckYou · 13/09/2016 14:32

Actually thats not even 6 weeks.

icanteven · 13/09/2016 14:33

Just out of curiosity, have you established if the new owners are buying to let, and therefore would be interested in having a tenant right there with no agency fees etc. Have you asked your LL if they can ask?

MariposaUno · 13/09/2016 14:33

For the cost of two weeks more rent could you not hire movers and packers? Will make it easier for you.

Yanbu to ask but your LL isn't being unreasonable either. You probably feel more sentiment for the property your living in and probably entitled to stay the extra two weeks but the fact is the house is just property to your landlord which he rented out,There's no loyalty to you from him.

AuroraBora · 13/09/2016 14:33

Take your emotions out of this. It's business. You paid rent for the property, the LL provided it. He owes you nothing more. If there were issues with it or you're miffed about redecorating costs, then you should have sorted it as you went along. Surely when you decorated you knew you were doing him a favour?

As someone who just bought a house, please don't fuck around with this. It isn't fair. If the buyers are first time buyers, their budget will be very tight, and you being lazy and behaving like a twat could push the transaction into falling through, wasting a lot of their money, or a delay might incur storage costs for them or result in them needing a short term rental for £££.

If this had happened to us I would have been devastated and you would have caused us to delay getting on the property ladder whilst we got our savings back up to where we needed them.

Are you really that sort of person? Happy to waste other people's time and money just because you have been lazy and think you're more important?

Justaboy · 13/09/2016 14:33

SaggyBaggyPuss If you sign up to a contact that has that clause to permit the landlord or his agents to allow access at all reasonable times fro sale or re lat viewing and you do not comply with that then that's a breach of the conditions of the contract.

Like this one.

"During the last month of the tenancy or at any time previously if the Landlord shall wish to sell or relet the premises to permit persons with written orders from the Landlord or the Landlord's agents to view the premises during reasonable hours in the daytime"

Where are you from as you don't seem to be that familiar with UK law.

2rebecca · 13/09/2016 14:33

Many private landlords in Scotland use short assured tenancy agreements that renew every 6 months or so. That's the sort we had when renting through a letting agency. The landlord doesn't have to give you a reason to get the house back at the end of the time period that way. It's used by many buy to let landlords.

MissElizaBennettsBookmark · 13/09/2016 14:34

Privilege of having his mortgage paid..??! You have paid rent to live somewhere, he has ultimate responsibility for the property & if you've decided to pay for upkeep that's your own fault!
*
This!!
*
YABVVU!!!

Puzzledandpissedoff · 13/09/2016 14:35

I may have had 4 months but I was unsure whether the house would sell

I think you'll find that issues in selling the house are the LL's business and not yours ... just as any credit issues you may have around buying somewhere else aren't his problem

FluffyWuffyFuckYou · 13/09/2016 14:36

*"During the last month of the tenancy or at any time previously if the Landlord shall wish to sell or relet the premises to permit persons with written orders from the Landlord or the Landlord's agents to view the premises during reasonable hours in the daytime"

Where are you from as you don't seem to be that familiar with UK law.*

Actually the condition of quiet enjoyment overrides any clause such as that, and it is unenforceable. Seems its you that is unfamiliar? No-one has to facilitate viewings of their home if they don't agree to do so.

Original poster
longtermsinglemummy · 13/09/2016 14:38

icanteven No, unfortunately not. It could have taken ages to sell...there are plans to build 200 houses right at the end of the garden, HS2 is nearby with a huge maintenance depot being built in advance. They extended the notice by 2 further months and then told me in passing at the end of July it was sold. At which point we started looking with a vengeance. But only this week did we manage to find and also be accepted on somewhere.

OP posts:
Bambamrubblesmum · 13/09/2016 14:39

We've looked at houses in the meantime but have the credit obstacle.

Not the LLs problem.

I have maintained this house at my own expense over the last 5 years, my landlord has had to expense very little

You are required to maintain the house to a minimum standard. Anything above that should have been pursued with the LL not you.

has had the privilege of his mortgage being paid

Completely wrong. You were paying money for a service. It was a business transaction not you doing your LL a favour. I think this has passed you by somewhat hence why you think your LL owes you something.

I'm not asking for another 2 months, just 2 weeks!

You've asked they've said no. Time to go.

chilipepper20 · 13/09/2016 14:40

A decent landlord would have negotiated a leaving date with a long standing tenant long before exchange of contracts on the sale. Or even better, not marketed the property for sale until the tenants had left the property within the parameters of the law.

why? you do know what a lease is for, right? also, the timing of buying and selling in England is such a mess that it's hard to nail down.

The LL could have asked to her to leave 2 months ago, as originally planned. That would have given him plenty of time to show the place etc. But as the OP stated herself, she was happy to stay longer. So, the OP got to stay longer and the LL got rent money. Win-win. If the OP didn't like that deal, she should have said so.

user1471452648 · 13/09/2016 14:41

Saggy is Completely right!

It's scary the amount of landlords who know so little about their trade.
With every other industry you are expected to have some basic training for a job. Landlords are responsible for people's housing yet know so little about how it works and the law.

I don't think the OP is being Unreasonable but for an easy life I would leave. It's not worth the hassle. I say this has a landlord

UnicornMadeOfPinkGlitter · 13/09/2016 14:41

nobody can tell you if the landlord or buyer will agree. All you can do is suggest it to the landlord and buyer and see what they say. If the buyer is buying to let or is refurbing before moving in they may well agree to extend until the 10th October.

What is being unreasonable is deciding that you will stay and that you have done enough to be a good tenant without discussing it with them.

DinosaursRoar · 13/09/2016 14:42

OP- if you are still reading - to me it reads like you have been in denial abit about the fact this is happening and you have to move. It was something that was happening after the summer, but you have just parked it in "deal with it after the summer" part of your mind and now are having to face it with little 'prep' time.

It's all good and well people talking about moving with only a few weeks notice on here, but they have chosen to move, or were mentally prepared that a move could happen, you've been bobbing along for 5 years happy in the same home, no plans to move and don't want to - so going from that to being ready to leave takes some effort mentally, as well as the practicalities.

You need to stop thinking you will "try" to be ready for this weekend to thinking you need to move this week. You have just over one week before you need to be out. Can you get into your new property this weekend?

Start today, you are moving house in just over a week, get packing.

This is happening, in a very short timeframe, it's completely understanable why you haven't faced it until the time is nearly up, but now you haven't spent the summer throwing things out and packing up, so you don't have the luxury of taking your time, you've got to do it now .

Good luck!

Justaboy · 13/09/2016 14:42

FluffyWuffyFuckYou

Have a look at clause 6.2 here its better written. Should be its a specimen one written by HM government!

www.gov.uk/government/publications/model-agreement-for-a-shorthold-assured-tenancy

Floggingmolly · 13/09/2016 14:44

I don't understand the "we didn't think it would sell" business Confused. You'd been given notice. What actually happened to the house wrt to being sold / being taken off the market / re let to someone else was none of your concern.
Your tenancy was at an end, that was the limit to your need to know.