Landlord wants to sell house. I think there’s a problem

[Dowser]

Asking for a friend who wants to sell their rental home.
The tenant has been there for 4 years and has a year left on the tenancy agreement.

Is my friend able to sell her home while the agreement is still running

Whyis she asking you? She needs to read the lease agreement, and give thr tenants notice as per thr agreement.

How can she be a landlord and not know the terms?

Sorry she can also sell and thr new owner take over thr agreement. If they buy to let. But again she needs to read her agreement.

She can certainly sell it whenever she wants, but she probably can't evict the tenants until the end of the AST (assuming that is what they are on).

If she sells, it would be with a sitting tenant; the buyer would become the landlord.

Done correctly, with proper legal paperwork, the tenant could be offered money to forfeit the tenancy early, otherwise they're entitled to stay until the expiry of the current term.

Selling with a sitting tenant will reduce the potential pool of buyers considerably.

She can sell it but you are a sitting tenant. Theres nothing the new owner can do to get you out until end of the tenancy.

Your friend asked you to ask mumsnet?

I think there might be better ways to obtain accurate legal info.

don't forget the tenant doesnt have to allow viewings either

Your friend asked you to ask mumsnet? I think there might be better ways to obtain accurate legal info.

But not as cheap. And the OP has already established their friend isn't a very good landlord to start with ...

I thought assured short hold tenancies could only be for a maximum of 3 years. For longer tenancies, a different instrument is used (but I may be misremembering)

The house can be sold, but the tenancy can only be ended by the tenant or a court.

Not necessarily true at all. It depends upon the contract.

I’ve advised her to seek the advice of a solicitor but I know mnettters are well versed in tenancy law

Of course a new buyer might want the house as their home

Thanks for your help

I think you can serve a section 21 even if the tenancy agreement hasn’t run out? It’s 2months notice to tenants. Unless there is a special clause in their contract.

Check the agreement. One of ours had 6 monthly the other yearly break clauses.