Would this be really cheeky?

[Sparklfairy]

My tenancy is due for renewal in October and they always chase me 3 months early to renew it, and never give the option for a 30 day rolling (which I don't really want anyway).

They sent it, and as usual I just left it as I have a few weeks to respond. Then they sent another saying "there is an amendment to our existing email" or something.

When I checked, it's the standard renewal email both times, but the rent had gone up on the latter one because the agent didn't check it properly this is par for the course with this agent, they are definitely sloppy.

Anyway I didn't mind the rent increase (£25) initially; I've been here two years, they have 100+ properties and a ltd co and this is probably standard practice.

But then I thought, I didn't take a rent break for covid, I always pay my rent on time, this place is really difficult to rent as it's so small and a tight demographic, as a landlord, why would you push the rent up on a good tenant in the middle of a pandemic? For £25?

Could I just send the first agreement back agreeing to another six months and say I never saw the second email with the increase?

It's worth a try.

It’s likely to be in your contract that there will be rent increases, I wouldn’t just ignore the fact that it has been suggested, it has the potential to cause problems.

I’m a landlord and I chose not to put the rent up at this time, but there was no real reason not to, plenty of people are still being paid the same as they did before the pandemic.

I’ve seen a couple of tenants on here say that they didn’t take a rent holiday as if they’re doing their landlord some kind of favour or deserve credit for it in some way. I don’t understand why you think it’s relevant that you didn’t take one, people were always supposed to pay their own rent!

I don’t agree with your sentiment that you didn’t take a rent break for Covid - that isn’t some kind of entitlement.

But I do agree with your logic re the place not being v easy to rent and therefore less desirable. The landlord would probably find it was void for a bit longer.

That said the rental market is booming atm, everyone seems to want a move. So that’s not a given.

You can definitely ask.

Also re rent holidays - people don’t seem to realise that wasn’t a freebie. You’d still have had to pay that money, so your monthly rent would have increased for the remainder of your term (or over your new term). The landlord didn’t get 3 months free mortgage. It was 3 months deferred.

Yanbu and yabu. We rent. Landlord normally puts the rent up about £50 a year. We renewed 2 months ago. He didn't put it up this time nor did we suggest needing help due to covid so i was quite happy he didn't put it up and grateful. I'm sure he did it to be kind when he didn't have to.

@ZigZagPlant

Also re rent holidays - people don’t seem to realise that wasn’t a freebie. You’d still have had to pay that money, so your monthly rent would have increased for the remainder of your term (or over your new term). The landlord didn’t get 3 months free mortgage. It was 3 months deferred.

I get it. I paid it. However my job is not guaranteed in the current climate so if I agree to a 12 month contract, and then become unemployed that's not a great situation for the landlord either. It was more a question of "why rock the boat with a good tenant in the middle of a pandemic".

Just a question.

I used to work on tenancy renewals and when a tenant signed their renewal it would need to be countersigned by the agency (or LL if they manage their own properties) before it was binding so even if you signed the first copy it wouldn’t make a difference. Not sure what the procedure is with yours. We also used a system called DocuSign which would show us when and where an email had been opened so we’d know if you’d had the second email.

Could you email them and say that you’re not happy with the increase? Some of our LLs would ask that we increased the rent by a certain % each year regardless but many would back down if the tenant said they’re weren’t happy with it.

You could try, but I doubt it would work - unless the agent is really incompetent. I agree it does suck that they are putting the rent up for no reason in the middle of a pandemic though.

I would send back the original tenancy agreement and see what they say. A good tenant who looks after their home and pays the rent on time is worth keeping.

They would probably be without a tenant for at least a month, and have to redecorate, so it's not really worth them turfing you out over £300pa.

But then I thought, I didn't take a rent break for covid
So?
I always pay my rent on time,
That should be standard not something special.

as a landlord, why would you push the rent up on a good tenant in the middle of a pandemic? For £25?
Well yes, if my outgoings went up. It's a business.

I don't know where that "yes" came from😂

If you don't want to renew for 12 months, don't. Just say you don't want to and there's nothing they can do but evict you whenever they can.

It sounds like you were prepared to do that until you thought you might benefit from a loophole and pay less.

If the LL has been decent, why trying to mess them about for something that you even admit is not unreasonable?

I would try sending the first one back yes. It's up to them to spot any of their errors not you. If they have an issue they can always get in contact to address it.

Or don’t sign and instead enter into a rolling tenancy? Surely that’ll be wiser in the current uncertain times?

Rent has broadly gone up since Covid because of supply and demand pressures and job uncertainty, but I don't think that's a real excuse for landlords to push up the rent of existing tenants.

Have our costs (I'm a landlord) suddenly gone up because of Covid? Mine haven't. I don't think the btl mortgages are suddenly higher interest rate, are they?

Just because you can do something doesn't mean you should do it. A lot of tenants are in precarious enough situations without landlords adding to their stresses just because market forces let them get away with it.

@suggestionsplease1

Rent has broadly gone up since Covid because of supply and demand pressures and job uncertainty, but I don't think that's a real excuse for landlords to push up the rent of existing tenants.

Have our costs (I'm a landlord) suddenly gone up because of Covid? Mine haven't. I don't think the btl mortgages are suddenly higher interest rate, are they?

Just because you can do something doesn't mean you should do it. A lot of tenants are in precarious enough situations without landlords adding to their stresses just because market forces let them get away with it.

That is exactly what my landlord friends said. I don't mind (and would) pay it, I just would like to understand the logic. You have a good tenant and zero problems. Then in a pandemic you put the price up when you don't even know her job situation?

At the same time, because I was sent two identical tenancy agreements, in the circumstances is it cheeky to send the first one back?

Basically my conundrum in one!

Just push back. You’ve got nothing to lose. It might just be standard that the agency do each year.

@SchrodingersImmigrant

But then I thought, I didn't take a rent break for covid So? I always pay my rent on time, That should be standard not something special.

as a landlord, why would you push the rent up on a good tenant in the middle of a pandemic? For £25?
Well yes, if my outgoings went up. It's a business.

My point is, I was a model tenant. This company has hundreds. Logically, in a pandemic, why would you put the price up £25 when that risks hassle and the place being empty for months? It is more a 9-5 crash pad place here, it's so small and was on the market for a long time before I took it.

Have our costs (I'm a landlord) suddenly gone up because of Covid? Mine haven't. I don't think the btl mortgages are suddenly higher interest rate, are they?
Aren't you aware as a LL that the rate of tax paid on capital has been going up each year for the last 2 years?

Are you not paying tax on your rental income? If not lucky you but some people are, and that's getting close to 40% for a number of them.

It was always foreseen that this would lead to rent increases, it's not new.

My point is, I was a model tenant. This company has hundreds. Logically, in a pandemic, why would you put the price up £25 when that risks hassle and the place being empty for months? It is more a 9-5 crash pad place here, it's so small and was on the market for a long time before I took it.

Landlord's costs don't care whether it's pandemic or not.

@SchrodingersImmigrant

My point is, I was a model tenant. This company has hundreds. Logically, in a pandemic, why would you put the price up £25 when that risks hassle and the place being empty for months? It is more a 9-5 crash pad place here, it's so small and was on the market for a long time before I took it.

Landlord's costs don't care whether it's pandemic or not.

But if I leave they will lose 1-2 months rent guaranteed. It's a really hard demographic.

@dontdisturbmenow

Have our costs (I'm a landlord) suddenly gone up because of Covid? Mine haven't. I don't think the btl mortgages are suddenly higher interest rate, are they? Aren't you aware as a LL that the rate of tax paid on capital has been going up each year for the last 2 years?

Are you not paying tax on your rental income? If not lucky you but some people are, and that's getting close to 40% for a number of them.

It was always foreseen that this would lead to rent increases, it's not new.

I do pay tax on the rental income, according to the Scottish tax bands which are slightly different.

Tax paid on capital is different, I don't know why you're conflating the two? Capital gains tax is due on selling a property, not whilst it is rented.

But maybe you're referring to tax relief changes, mortgage interest etc

I guess the more rent you charge, the higher tax bands you are likely to be pushed into.

There was no entitlement to rent breaks so as others have said this is a non-issue.

The reality is if you do not sign up then the tenancy would just go to a rolling tenancy anyway and to prevent this happening they would need to take steps to evict you. This is where a landlord is unlikely to evict you.

Have you spoken to the landlord direct about going on to a rolling tenancy? As a LL I would let my tenants who had paid regularly without issue. Agents are keen to get new tenancies (to charge new fees).

Rents will increase to cover the additional costs of having to pay for all referencing now rather than tenants. This is where it has been to your disadvantage that your landlord has a number of properties as they will look at their entire cost base rather than on a property by property basis.