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?

Doesn’t need the hassle of absolutely nothing happening? Being a dick by not chasing up a section 21?

its ludicrous - it IS like asking your boss if you are going to be sacked or not

Of course YBU! This won’t end well for you. If you’d been served an S21 without notice and were taking reasonable steps to secure a new place it might be different.

@MrsHutch3029 in what way won’t it end well for the OP?

Why won’t deciding not to abandon her tenancy after receiving no notice from her LL won’t end well for her exactly?

At best… not being given a positive reference if OP wanted to rent again. At worst, a massive legal battle.

Why would there be a massive legal battle?

You do realise that all the LL has to do is issue the S21?

The OP has been given no formal notice to leave.

There is nothing negative so far for the Ll to put in a reference. “My tenant didn’t leave because I didn’t tell them to” would just make him look very silly…

I'd start looking as soon as possible. If you have to be evicted it may hurt your chances of another rental. Would you want to rent to someone who had to be evicted? Right now your LL might give you an excellent reference, which may help.

If your LL has that many properties, can they move you to another property they own instead?

March isn’t far away, and what happens if OP hasn’t found anywhere to live by then? Don’t think I was very clear, I didn’t necessarily mean a legal battle with LL, but possibly with the housing system. One of my personal friends is going through the latter at the moment and has been in emergency accommodation for 2 years.
LL doesn’t have to word it the exact way it happened, could put “was asked to let potential new tenants in and refused.” or “was informed of intent to sell and didn’t make effort to vacate until L21 was served.” An estate agent or LL isn’t likely going to ask OP’s side of it.
I’m looking out for OP here, as I can’t see it going well for them.

it's like the uk tabloids on here, im sure most of the popular posts are fed in by insipid, slow morning journo's, lol.

LL increased rent only marginally if others are £400 higher per month.
That's another problem LL's face. Failing to keep rents in line with the market so tenants by them back by refusing to leave.

If you can't find a place now how will you find in spring!

I wish people wouldn't talk shit on the internet.

Now you are entering the last two months of the lease, the landlord has the right to start viewings.

Hire a house moving company to move the entire house while tenant is gone on holiday.

I mean, you cant just move out if you have nowhere to move into. So no, you are not unreasonable on that front and its something LL need to be mindful of when running a business that eventually there will be nowhere affordable for people to move to if they all keep whacking rents up.

No they dont? The tenant has the right to quiet enjoyment of a property. Youa re allowed to refuse viewings. Its your HOME for another two months.

Because if you then find yourself having to present homeless to the local authority they will say you left of your own accord, you do not legally need to move out until eviction order is granted and thus have made yourself homeless, thus meaning the LA only have to house you for 28 days.

It is shit for the landlord but if you have nowhere else to go and may end up presenting homeless you absolutely should wait until eviction notice is issued.

No they do not. Unless there is an emergency, tenants do not have to allow ANYONE to enter the house. That includes viewings. It doesn't matter what a tenancy agreement says, it does not trump the law.

There are so so SO many threads on MN about this kind of thing. And STILL people are giving incorrect 'advice' to renters. Over and over and over.

I think it should be obligatory for all landlords to pass a test on the law around lettings.

She will know soon enough what's happening when March comes. Either she will get her tenancy renewed or she will be served an L21 and will have to leave, maybe not immediately if she digs her heels in, but eventually.

The price of rentals will not go down during this time nor will availability multiply so she will be rightly screwed if the LL decides go go ahead with the sale. Depending on how she acts when she is eventually served will more than likely determine what kind of reference she gets. The fact she has been there for 9 years with no probs whatsoever should stand to her though.

Until then however she will have to keep living in limbo because the ball is in the landlords court and he ultimately has the decision on whether she stays or goes.

Honestly people like you are the reason we need a mute / block button on MN.

There are views other than your own you know. And OP came on to ask for them.

How?

OP has paid rent on time for 9 years and looked after the property. Why would she get a bad reference?

And why would there be a big legal battle? No one has asked her to leave

She hasn’t been given notice let alone in eviction stages!

I am chuckling about the so-called pending bad reference.

Presumably if OP is issued a s21 she will start to look for properties and find one before she has to leave. At which point she will ask for a reference.

The landlord putting “The tenant didn’t leave when asked” about a tenant still in situ less than 2 months after a s21 was issued would be inaccurate

I’ve explained in a follow up comments meaning. I don’t think I worded this very well. I wasn’t necessarily referring to a court case, but the possibility of having to present homeless if a new place isn’t found.

@MrsHutch3029 don’t bother arguing with her