To be pissed off about landlord throwing us out then letting property out again

[orangeweight]

Landlord gave us notice right in the middle of coronavirus. Originally they said we could stay but they asked us to allow viewings in person them to sell the property and as it was still lockdown we refused.

He then offered us a discount to which we explained no that still won't be ok,
They then gave us 3 months notice. It was really bad timing, we'd been in for less than a year and rent prices were soaring due to us living on the outskirts of London and pretty much every property was being snapped up by people from London trying to move out of the city and into a greener area.
The landlord phoned us all the time saying when are you moving out, he said he would not make us pay the notice we just needed to move out. We tried very hard to move out early due to the pressure of the phone calls but again because of the rent prices and properties being snapped up so quickly we couldn't find anywhere any faster.

Eventually we did find somewhere and moved out early.
We then saw that property come back on the rental market straight away for more money. Literally 2 days after our last day.
I'm so annoyed. We never missed a payment. Always looked after the place etc. It cost a lot of money and stress to move our dc had to move. I know it's renting but still this seems so mean, they didn't even ask if we'd be willing to pay the extra and stay! AIBU to end so pissed off.

I don't think the LL did anything illegal. Notice 21 wasn't served but we did leave. Just a shame they're able to do this. It must have been for money then. It was £800 more a month than what we were paying. We've ended up paying more than that anyway though so had they have offered that to us we'd have said yes to save all the hassle of moving.

I know it's not my owned home but seems quite mean to be able to push a family out and have new people in days later without even offering us the higher rent option first.

This is why private renting is shit. No security, no real home, and considerate or even decent landlords are few and far between. My sympathies.

They absolutely should have issued a S21. To not do so is illegal on a Short-hold Tenancy (which you were if in England and had been renting for under a year as you said).

I doubt there is anything you can do in retrospect but please speak to CAB / Shelter in future.

The landlord phoned us all the time saying when are you moving out...the pressure of the phone calls

There's a word for this: harassment. And it's a crime. If you have evidence and you feel so inclined, you could still report the landlord for it.

If the rental value was so out of sink with demand then unfortunately the landlord would not have been able to increase the rent to that level for an existing tenant, there is quite a lpw cap on rent increases for existing tenants.

Unfortunately sometimes 'rights' can work equally against you as they do for you.

The idea that if you own a property you can do what you like, when you like with it works until you rent it out. People don't pay vast amounts of rent just to be like a b & b guest who can be asked to leave at a moments notice. If landlords can't cope with the legal rights tenancy gives, they shouldn't take the money.

Personally I am surprised he was able to get the higher price unless you were paying very much below market rent. London is absolutely full of renters who have been prepared to rent and mostly pay high prices for inadequate housing, all because they needed to be close to work, and/or enjoyed the City. Now many of them are wfh or redundant and the city lifestyle is on pause till who knows when, why are they going to pay more to wfh renting a small flat than they could to own a house elsewhere?

Ironically we are in that position ourselves and we are staying for now for very specific reasons, but medium term plan now is to leave sooner than we thought, since commute is a very small factor now. Freedom from the SE housing market beckons for many people!

I thought that sort of thing went out with Rachman. I'd consult a lawyer in future and hold the Land Lord to the terms of the agreement. If he doesn't like it then he can go and fuck his own arse.

I have a few properties and have just had a tenant service notice on me. I had 3 applicants in one day all prepared to pay me £150 more a month than the current tenant, which makes me think I could have asked for more- is definitely a landlords market! The amount more that the ll wants is a heck of a lot. I agree with you. They should have been less greedy and put the rent up a bit. But I prefer to have long term tenants, who treat my properties as their home and would rather have them paying a little below market rent.

It sounds as if you were harassed into leaving. Nasty. Greedy bastards.

I understand it's theirs to do what they want but seems a bit low to Chuck a family out in less than a year and then get a new one in.

It’s a business not a social service

Why did you leave if you hadn't been served formal notice? It sounds like he told you to leave and then harassed you until you did. Shocking behaviour.

"Just a shame they're able to do this."

They're not able to do it, not unless you just roll over and accept it, which you did - but if you'd refused to leave without them going through the proper legal eviction process, that's what they would have had to do.

Also safariboot is right, the frequent phone calls were harassment which is illegal.

@RedSquirrelGreySquirrel

This is why private renting is shit. No security, no real home, and considerate or even decent landlords are few and far between. My sympathies.

Exactly. Imagine being told to leave your home that you'd moved into less than a year ago! It's really shit and there should be more fixed term longer tenancies imo.

"Imagine being told to leave your home that you'd moved into less than a year ago!"

If it's a one year fixed term tenancy, landlords can't make tenants leave before the end of the one year fixed term.

£800 more per month and you’ve only been there less than a year! I can see why they would want to serve notice and re-let, It doesn’t make it morally right though.

Sometimes renting direct from a landlord, who clearly doesn’t know what they’re doing is more hassle than it’s worth and where the issues usually arise because they’re unaware of the laws and regulations. I have all mine fully managed for this reason.

@AnotherEmma

"Imagine being told to leave your home that you'd moved into less than a year ago!"

If it's a one year fixed term tenancy, landlords can't make tenants leave before the end of the one year fixed term.

Are you being pedantic? It's the knowing that you are going to have to leave after such a short time that is the stress.

We moved across the country to a rented house for my husband's job. We planned to be there for 2 years only. 6 months and 1 day into our tenancy the landlords put the house up for sale. We knew we didn't technically have to move before the year was up but it was a huge inconvenience. And there was only the 2 of us at the time, no children/schools to consider.

The landlord's just being a dick. He's seen there are people moving out of central London and realised he could get more money for the place. Nothing to do with you being bad tenants he just wanted more money for it.

@Marchitectmummy

If the rental value was so out of sink with demand then unfortunately the landlord would not have been able to increase the rent to that level for an existing tenant, there is quite a lpw cap on rent increases for existing tenants.

Unfortunately sometimes 'rights' can work equally against you as they do for you.

This!

£800 a month is a huge rise, or a huge amount that the LL had been missing out on, depending on which way you look at it. I understand that it feels like a mean thing has been done to you, but it’s not personal, it’s just business.

Is it a flat or a house?

If it's a flat it maybe that the landlord genuinely wanted to sell it but then discovered the ESW1 certificate problem.

It's a certificate requested by lenders to ensure the flat is compliant with fire regulations. These are hard to get as a special surveyor/engineer has to do them and there is a shortage of suitably qualified people.

Hence the landlord might have decided to rent out the property again.

but it’s not personal, it’s just business that phrase puts me in mind of organised criminals, and the drug-world.

I think that the landlord wanted to sell the property. Then when you didn't allow viewings he wanted to get you out so that he could sell.

Then at some point he changed his mind and decided to rent it out instead. He didn't want to let it to you again for two possible reasons.

He felt you had been awkward (even though you were within your legal rights) about not allowing viewings and wanted a more flexible tenant in case he should decide to sell again in the future. Or in your tenancy agreement there was a rent review clause that only allowed for a certain uplift in rent of say 10%. So he wanted to re let it to someone for more.

He shouldn't have been making all those phone calls to you asking you to leave.

Some people don't understand illegal eviction. Illegal eviction is when you MAKE the tenant leave, e.g. changing the locks while they're out, or turning up and physically removing them. Verbally pressuring them to leave, and them acquiescing to that pressure, is a bit of a dick move but not illegal.

800 more per month thats extortionate

but it’s not personal, it’s just business that phrase puts me in mind of organised criminals, and the drug-world

🙄

Unless they took it so far that it constituted harassment. But then I suppose you would have to keep records etc to prove it.

There is cap on how much a landlord can increase rent it is 4% yearly ATT which is quite low I say that as a tenant.
If your landlord puts you out and increases the rent massively you can report him to the PRTB unless the LL can prove he upgraded the property and only an energy efficient upgrade they can't hike the rent.
Mine was only able to increase it by 30% after replacing the windows it was way under the market value as it's family thankfully.
I'm sure many work around it as many tenants are unsure of they're rights.