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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

AIBU to give tenants notice so I can sell house

97 replies

Maggie178 · 12/01/2022 20:22

I didn't want to become a landlord. I bought a little one bedroomed house just before crash so was in negative equity. When family grew couldn't afford to sell and make up the short fall so rented out our house and rented somewhere bigger.
Currently have tenants in. There's always something that needs fixing, the mortgage interest rate has gone up, the tax bill has gone up, more regulations likely in the next couple of years. We want to get another mortgage but that mortgage will impact on what we can borrow. But I also feel bad giving someone the stress of finding somewhere else to live.
YABU - wait until they move out then put it up for sale
YANBU - do what's best for my family and tenants understand that's a risk of renting

OP posts:

Fatgalslim · 12/01/2022 21:59

Sadly when you rent you always risk the owners selling at some point. OP is doing nothing wrong whatsoever, as long as she gives adequate notice and doesn't expect them to have viewings whilst they are still there, she has every right to sell. I say this as a long term renter

Xfox · 12/01/2022 22:08

Getting a Section 21 has always been a constant nagging fear when renting.

But you've got to look out for yourself too. The rental market is brutal at the moment, so I'd give a long a notice period as you can to give them chance to find somewhere, on the understanding that if they find something sooner they can leave sooner, to reduce stress all round.

And offer them first refusal on purchasing, as that would be the easiest solution all round if they were interested in buying.

appleturnovers · 12/01/2022 22:11

YANBU (and I say that as someone who recently had to leave the home we'd been in 7 years because the landlady needed to sell up.)

That said, could you sell the house with the tenant in situ? Rightmove always has adverts for properties that still have tenants in them, they are advertised as "investment opportunities". I don't know what the requirements are for that, but it may be worth talking to an estate agent about.

Original poster

Maggie178 · 12/01/2022 22:13

So thing I've taken from this are
As much notice as possible not just the legal two months.
Don't expect them to do viewings.
Could try to sell with tenants in situ.
They may hate me for it - my name will be mud.
I don't have the money to maintain it without getting into debt so seems madness to keep it.

OP posts:

MrsClatterbuck · 12/01/2022 22:14

@isitthestew

YABU - I mean, you can do it if you like, but your name will be mud.

There's no equivalent to Section 21 in most European countries. Kicking people out of their home on a whim is immoral and should be illegal.

Needing a bigger property for the family and needing to sell to finance that is not a whim.

caringcarer · 12/01/2022 22:14

You have to give 2 months notice but try to give them 3 or 4 months, time to.find something else and write them a glowing reference if they have been good tenants.

Elodeastar · 12/01/2022 22:39

@jimmyhill

Shitty thing to do, to kick people out of their home. Wait until they move out.

Your comment is really harsh. OP is entitled to sell a property which belongs to her, if it will work out better for her in the long run. She has no obligation to keep the property so that someone else can live in it for as long as they choose. Of course she has to follow the correct legal procedures, and should treat them as she would wish to be treated (respectfully, honestly). Most of us will have sympathy with decent tenants in this situation, why wouldn't we? Unfortunately one of the downsides of renting, however. OP, I hope it goes smoothly, you can only do what is best for your situation.

LoveMyPiano · 12/01/2022 22:44

Whilst it is the landlord's property, it is the tenants' home.

It is horrible, but I know that it happens. This country is shit.

RedSoloCup · 12/01/2022 22:45

My personal experience.

First rental six month contract, contract ended Nov.

Told us in the Oct they were selling, we both worked full time so viewings were a pain so we gave notice and found somewhere else and moved out at the six month point.

Was a pain but you expect this when you are renting. They were hoping we'd stay on a rolling contract until it sold but I didn't like the insecurity of that.

JugglingJanuary · 12/01/2022 22:49

@jimmyhill

Shitty thing to do, to kick people out of their home. Wait until they move out.

Don't be ridiculous. As long as the landlord (you know, the oerson that IWNS the house) gives the correct notice then that's life. You rent it, you don't have a lifetime right to it!!

@Maggie178

I'd talk to them, ask if they'd like to buy it - see if there's anyway you can help them if they'd like to but don't have enough deposit, or see if they'd like you to sell it 'with tenants' , if neither, ask them if they mind some viewings & see when it's convenient.

Do it as kindly as possible, and it's fine. You need to be able to move on with your life.

JugglingJanuary · 12/01/2022 22:58

@isitthestew

YABU - I mean, you can do it if you like, but your name will be mud.

There's no equivalent to Section 21 in most European countries. Kicking people out of their home on a whim is immoral and should be illegal.

Mud -where? Why?

Owner sells house

It's not on a 'whim' it's not 'immoral'

Get there a grip

IncessantNameChanger · 12/01/2022 22:58

We are in same position. We rent out our house and rent the place we live in. If section 21 change or the the new energy efficiency laws mean we cant make the grade we will have to sell up. All the new laws are needed to protect against shoddy landlords but at the same time I dont think I can physically meet the new energy legislation so what's the choice? If things are always going wrong on top of constant law changes can you afford not to sell it?

PrincessNutella · 12/01/2022 22:59

If you give them fair notice, it is certainly your right. They are welcome to purchase the house if they would like to live there permanently. I see no reason why they would be entitled to a special discount, however, and if there is a bidding war for your house, I would take the highest offer.

JugglingJanuary · 12/01/2022 23:02

@LoveMyPiano

Whilst it is the landlord's property, it is the tenants' home.

It is horrible, but I know that it happens. This country is shit.

It's also 'horrible' for the OP having it cisy her money & her to be unable to buy the housing her family needs.

PrincessNutella · 12/01/2022 23:22

Also, selling a house with tenants in it would be a great disadvantage to you. I see no reason to do that--few buyers would be tempted to buy a house with tenants in place, and being a landlord is a business, after all.

AJ1425 · 12/01/2022 23:22

@Kshhuxnxk is that you Molly Mae??

LoveMyPiano · 12/01/2022 23:29

Greed and Capitalism.
Sorry NotSorry.

VolvicHenry · 12/01/2022 23:31

I have been the tennant. We were pissed off but it worked in our favour because we got a nicer house.

My advice would be to give your tennants plenty of notice. Do not expect them to allow viewings, estate agents etc.

Also be honest with your tennants. Our landlord told us she wanted to move back into our house because she had separated from her husband. We felt sorry for her left her some of our white goods (we got new ones in the new property) and also bent over backwards to accommodate her because we felt sorry for her.

She put it up for sale a week after we left.

Didioverstep · 12/01/2022 23:38

Happened to us twice op. It's part of renting. Do what you need to do. But maybe give them a chance to find something before selling?

oncemoreunto · 12/01/2022 23:49

We sold our house to our tenants which was a very smooth process.

isitthestew · 13/01/2022 00:41

"How on earth will their name be mud? It's their 'home' for as long as the owner chooses to rent it out. Don't like it, buy your own home."

Our generation will never have a home. We'll only ever have a 'home', in sarcastic quotation marks

EmpressSuiko · 13/01/2022 14:45

Just please be aware how difficult it is to find a rental right now, as soon as a property comes available there’s an instant waiting list so it may take them much longer than 2 months to find somewhere to live.
I’m a tenant in this exact situation unfortunately and I have been searching high and low for a suitable property. It’s so stressful so please be kind and work with them through it.

MorningStarling · 13/01/2022 15:15

Sell it with tenants in place. If they've got a good track record this will be attractive to a buy-to-let investor because there will be no downtime between them completing and cashing in.

Personally I think it's a pretty scummy move to kick tenants out if they're behaving themselves properly. The only legitimate reasons for serving notice are them not paying the rent, them not looking after the property or them annoying the neighbours.

BTW if that sounds unsympathetic it's because you started your OP with the phrase "I didn't want to become a landlord." But did it anyway. You say you're renting at the moment, how would you feel it you had been served with a no-fault eviction? What if it happened to you every few months?

Nanny0gg · 13/01/2022 15:22

@BobLemon

Why don’t you just sell it with tenants in situ??

You can't.

noideabutstilltrying · 13/01/2022 15:27

I've been the tenant and this has happened to me. It happened 3 times in 3 years. I was asked to leave 2 properties and the third was sold with us as sitting tenants.

Was a stressful time and wasn't easy finding a property.

If you chose to sell there is a process to follow. As long as you do that you're able to do what you want with your property.

Most tenants know this is part of renting. That's why social housing is so important as it gives lower income families some start

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