To NOT leave rented house when I said I would?

[WaitingForLifeToGetEasier]

Been in current rented house for 9 years. Landlord is a company with 30+ properties.

Tenancy is generally renewed every year as LL puts rent up.

Last year, less than 6 months into our latest year long tenancy agreement, an estate agent contacted me out of the blue saying he'd been instructed to sell the property so I needed to agree to a time for them to value and take photos as well for viewings.

I was shocked as LL has not said anything and it transpired that the letting agent has added a 6 month break clause into the tenancy agreement. There had never been one In previous agreements and I wasn't made aware.

I made it clear i was not going to allow anyone in the property until the end of the agreement and if the landlord wanted to sell, I'd leave at that time.

Tenancy is up in early March. I had expected to get a Section 21 in early January but nothing.

We have been looking but properties are either not available anymore or agent doesn't get back to us so have not found a property yet. Rents seem to have gone up £3-400 a month which is going to be impossible.

Not sure if LL is just expecting us to leave or what but I am not intending to leave in early March and will stay as long as possible - await section 21 etc.

AIBU?

Do you ever want to privately rent again? If so then yes, leave when you’re asked to.

I think it’s a dick thing to do.
As long as you have been given the contracted amount of notice, why do you think you have the right to stay in someone else’s property?

I hate it when MN recommends staying until Sec 21, eviction etc.

Do you know how many people are applying for rentals? Only those with an excellent credit rating, immaculate references and ideally money paid up-front are getting to the front of most queues...

Well section 21 is part of the process, if you can’t leave on time then you can’t just make yourself homeless. It’s there to protect you

How would forcing your landlord to evict you help your situation?

Why would you sabotage your chances of getting a let property in the future??

Are you hoping it’ll bump you up the social housing queue or something?

It's rough to read the many threads on here where people are losing the security of a good tenancy. Lots of landlords are selling up. If your landlord is selling then you can stick around but you will eventually be evicted so you are just buying time. And you won't find a new tenancy easily or at all with no previous landlord reference.

The best thing you can do is try to strike a deal with your landlord to extend a bit maybe if that's what you want. You might be able to stay until it is sold (if you play nice for viewings x which would be a pain) and sales fall through too. Maybe the landlords plan will change? Maybe he has another property he can let to you?

It will fuck your credit rating up.
If he's a big land lord he will come after you.
Rents aren't going down. Keep looking

It sounds like you’ve had more than 6 months notice (even if not officially) so I don’t see how you can justify not leaving when expected. Sure, technically you can wait to be evicted but you’re then risking being able to get a good reference for your next place.

At last these type of posts seem to be getting sensible replies as opposed to “you go girl, stay until you are evicted because landlords are greedy bastards anyway”

Landlords are selling up because they are fed up off tenants taking the piss out of them.

Six month break clauses are common to protect both parties.
I agree write to your land lord but carry on paying rent on time.

Maybe ask for an extension on your contract.

Yes, of course that would be unreasonable.

The fact that they haven't issued the s21 notice suggests they might have changed their minds about selling. I wouldn't simply leave but I would contact the agent to ask if they are still planning on selling. If so I would start looking for somewhere to move to. However YANBU to wait for s21. You'd be foolish to move out without confirmation they actually want you to leave.

Get advice from Shelter. You may need to wait to be evicted if you can't find anything, genuinely.
Otherwise you risk making yourself intentionally homeless which means you have less chance of anyone being able to help you.

If you stay beyond the time the LL wants you out, make sure you pay all the rent, on time too!

So much bad advice!
Yes you have a right to be evicted under s21 if you can't find anywhere else to go.
I'd start looking though, and tell the agent you expect it to take longer due to current housing market/crisis and you'll keep them updated.

To everyone saying it's a "dick move" to go through the s21 process I'd say it's even more of a dick move to leave a property with nowhere to go. And a dick move for a landlord to turf someone out on the street when they have previously been paying rent/looking after the property for however many years.

We got evicted last year, the property rental crisis is real, our lives were turned upside down and we nearly had to leave the city/our jobs/schools until a landlord took pity on us.

There were people at group viewings literally begging for properties saying the bailiffs were coming in 2 weeks. One estate agent who had been an agent for 25 years said she was getting out of the game as it has become so stressful and unfair.

Tenants have hardly any rights but s21 is about the only one .

Burying your head in the sand could leave you with a bad reference and no chance of renting a property in the future. Rents aren't going to go down so you need to work out a budget and start looking for properties in that budget. Regardless of what happens, you're going to need to leave so why burn your bridges?

Viewings are a pain but you could negotiate a reduced rent in exchange for accommodating viewings with a minimum of 24hrs notice or 48hrs if you really need it. Use the extra money to save for moving costs while you continue searching.

S21 also doesn't affect your credit rating .

How will it fuck your credit rating up?

The LL has given you sufficient notice and you have had plenty of time to get out.

Why you think you should be prioritised over him? It's the overholders and difficult tenants that make te rental market so difficult for everyone else. You really aren't being fair.

It doesn't sound like you've actually been given notice.

A conversation about wanting to sell up isn't notice, nor is the expiry of your fixed term tenancy. The former is just a heads up and has no bearing in law, the latter just means you move onto a rolling tenancy with a month's notice (or more depending on where in the UK you are).

I'd stay put until you're given notice...but definitely keep looking because if you're in England they can shift you out pretty fast once they get the wheels in motion. Speak to your local housing team at the council about available support. There's a few things they can help with that aren't social housing so are worth the chat even if social housing in your area is battered. It'll also mean they have your details if you do become homeless.

Best of luck.

This is the best advice you've received here OP.

You don't need to leave as you've had no official notice to leave. You can wait to be issued with the s21 with no consequences to your credit report as PP suggested (bizarrely). You should ask the agency if they still intend to sell and if so you want to be issued with the correct legal notice. You could still continue to look for somewhere else to live until then, and you can decide to give your own notice if you find somewhere else to live.

It’s a catch 22 isn’t it? No rentals are available because landlords keep selling up as they are disincentivised to be landlords so tenants things more tricky for them so ut makes being a landlord even less attractive, leaving more to sell up, leaving less rentals etc etc etc

in the end the only private landlords that will surprise are bigger/ commercial landlords who are far more likely not to give a shit about individual tenants.