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Original poster

Landlords, would you consider this if your tenants asked?

436 replies

DesperateTenant · 26/01/2024 03:47

I have rented my current home for 13 years. I am a good tenant, I keep the house in excellent shape and care for it as if it was my own. I have never asked for anything, rent is always paid on time.

Landlord has decided to sell and I only discovered this when someone knocked on my door wanting a sneaky viewing. They showed me the listing on Rightmove, complete with pictures I was completely unaware were taken.

I am shocked and desperate not to move. I came from nothing and I've made a life for me and my children here. We have a real community around us. I'm at the point where I'll be able to buy locally within 6 months and staying in the area is so important to me.

I completely understand that legally I am not entitled to be told when the LL is selling and have no rights to ask for anything from the LL and I don't know their personal situation.

But, for the landlords out there, in these circumstances if your long term tenant asked if you would consider waiting 6 months and offered to pay more rent (currently pay £850, would offer £1150) would you?

Would it be completely unreasonable for me to ask this?

In 6 months I'd have enough to buy the house I'm in and would do so in a heartbeat.

OP posts:
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Kyliejane · 26/01/2024 23:29

Oh wow. I would have thought the landlord would have a little bit of decency to let you know. Whatever the circumstances (selling urgently) you have been there for that long that giving a heads up would have been nice. You should tell them that people have been knocking and that you were not aware they wanted to sell. Ask if they can hold off and you will buy it. Great if they can wait but if they didn’t even tell you i doubt they will be wanting to wait. You need to look elsewhere as a back up and hopefully another better house in your area will pop up. Good luck.

Custardcream84 · 26/01/2024 23:40

You can always ask! We completed a few months back on the house we were renting. We had only been in it a few months and wanted some work doing - new carpets and painting. The landlord came over and told us he was thinking about selling as a heads up. We immediately asked if he would sell to us - he agreed and we agreed a price that was probably less than he would have listed for as it was a private sale and needed a little work.

It took a few months but if he sold to someone else we would have been in a lot longer until our contract was up. I’m sure some buyers would be put off too…to buy with tenants in situ.

HirplesWithHaggis · 27/01/2024 00:21

Britinme · 26/01/2024 20:01

@SpringViolet - I am a landlord but I live in the USA and my rental properties are here so I accept the laws may be different. In my state, tenants are certainly not allowed to change locks without permission from the landlord and giving the landlord a copy of the key. But from what the Shelter website says, the landlord has to be able to access the property in an emergency anyway (which is certainly the case here) so if the tenant for some reason needs to change the locks, the landlord must have to have a copy, surely?

the landlord has to be able to access the property in an emergency anyway (which is certainly the case here)

What is the emergency here? The place isn't on fire, there's no gas leak or burst pipes. Absolutely no reason for LL (or his agents) to access without permission from the tenant.

(And do you think the fire brigade would wait for the LL to turn up with keys?)

Britinme · 27/01/2024 03:09

HirplesWithHaggis · 27/01/2024 00:21

the landlord has to be able to access the property in an emergency anyway (which is certainly the case here)

What is the emergency here? The place isn't on fire, there's no gas leak or burst pipes. Absolutely no reason for LL (or his agents) to access without permission from the tenant.

(And do you think the fire brigade would wait for the LL to turn up with keys?)

Edited
Show quote history

If the tenant is away from home and there’s a break in, or the pipes freeze, how do you propose the landlord accesses the place without keys? I can’t speak for UK law but here in my state it is a legal requirement for the landlord to have a copy of the keys and it would be a breach of the tenancy agreement if the locks were changed without permission. This landlord has done a scummy and possibly illegal thing in entering the property without notice (they actually don’t need permission if notice is given) and to fail to give the tenant time to remove any personal items from photographs, but he is entitled to market his property. Again, the law may be different in the UK.

JMSA · 27/01/2024 03:22

You sound like the perfect tenant and buyer, OP.

Your landlord has considerably less integrity.

You should ask, but not offer the increased rent initially.

Good luck!

Ooooooooy · 27/01/2024 04:34

Britinme · 27/01/2024 03:09

If the tenant is away from home and there’s a break in, or the pipes freeze, how do you propose the landlord accesses the place without keys? I can’t speak for UK law but here in my state it is a legal requirement for the landlord to have a copy of the keys and it would be a breach of the tenancy agreement if the locks were changed without permission. This landlord has done a scummy and possibly illegal thing in entering the property without notice (they actually don’t need permission if notice is given) and to fail to give the tenant time to remove any personal items from photographs, but he is entitled to market his property. Again, the law may be different in the UK.

Show quote history

Sorry but this is one of those situations where the law probably does differ enough for your experience to not be relevant to the OP

ThinWomansBrain · 27/01/2024 08:42

Don't underestimate your bargaining power
If he sells to you, he avoids any period of the house being empty with no rent coming in, and estate agent fees.
if you can get out of offering more rent, that gets you to your deposit faster.

saradika · 27/01/2024 10:59

@Britinme I think you need to accept that you don't actually understand the law in England and stop offering advice only relevant to your US state. You're just muddying the waters and it's not necessary when the OP is already feeling worried.

SL1994 · 27/01/2024 17:25

Would you be in a position to buy the house you are in? If you can get your Landlord to agree to sell to you for 10% less than the market value then you can buy with 0 deposit. Speak to a mortgage advisor who will be able to advise. The benefit is that the Landlord will continue getting rent from you all the way up to completion and you may he able to buy a little earlier.

worldwidetravel2017 · 27/01/2024 17:43

My mum and her brothers became kinda accidental LL

They sold a property that was tennanted

The tenants were given notice as per contract - they were a bit tricky and took longer to leave.
They eventually let EA take pix..
Then it went to market and eventually sold

( they were not in a position to buy and theyd had the rent with v minimal increases and didnt even ' play nice )

My nana owned half the property and sale was needed 4 her care etc

Good luck op

Marieb19 · 27/01/2024 18:01

I don't know where you are but house sales are not buoyant in some areas. You have no obligation to allow viewings and I wouldn't offer the landlord extra money. Courts are loathed to remove tenants with children. Your landlord should recognise that it would be advantageous to sell to you, so he doesn't have to go through the eviction process (costly) and if he sold to you direct, he wouldn't have to pay estate agent fees. Start negotiating.

HirplesWithHaggis · 27/01/2024 18:04

Britinme · 27/01/2024 03:09

If the tenant is away from home and there’s a break in, or the pipes freeze, how do you propose the landlord accesses the place without keys? I can’t speak for UK law but here in my state it is a legal requirement for the landlord to have a copy of the keys and it would be a breach of the tenancy agreement if the locks were changed without permission. This landlord has done a scummy and possibly illegal thing in entering the property without notice (they actually don’t need permission if notice is given) and to fail to give the tenant time to remove any personal items from photographs, but he is entitled to market his property. Again, the law may be different in the UK.

Show quote history

How would the LL know if there was a break in, or the pipes froze? Here in the UK most LLs probably do have copy keys, but it's not a legal requirement and locks can be changed as long as you either restore the old locks when moving out, or hand over the new keys. And LLs have no right of access whatsoever, without explicit permission from the tenant, notice or no notice.

Treesandsheepeverywhere · 27/01/2024 18:09

Good luck OP. Hope he agrees.
Wish our ex LL had mentioned he was planning to sell his flat. I too was a good tenant and only found out after moving out that he'd sold.
Would have been able to buy about 3 months from moving out.

Do consider it might be a case of his kids/partner taking over.

jjx111 · 27/01/2024 18:22

I'm a landlord of 4 houses. I wouldn't offer more rent, but I would speak to landlord and explain situation. Frankly, a hassle free sale and no agent fee - I'd be over the moon and happy to wait 6 months.

I do think it is bad form for your landlord not to have given you notice of this!

NonGardener · 27/01/2024 18:29

I am a landlord (very small scale). You are not being unreasonable and the landlord is being a d*ck for not warning you of the change of ownership. Two issues: 1) the landlord may need the funds from the sale immediately, e.g. if they are planning to buy a property that is currently on the market. If it goes off the market then their plans fall through; 2) The new owner of the property that you are renting might want to live in it themselves and might not be interested in having you as a tenant. Fine if you are planning to move out anyway, but a possible pain all the same.

wasdarknowblond · 27/01/2024 18:34

We are landlords and completely agree that the landlord would be daft not to consider an offer from you. He wouldn't have agents' fees and it would be an easy and reliable sale, given that you've lived there for 13 years. Sometimes sales fall through or go wrong so he would be far safer with you as a purchaser. Definitely ask them. I'm surprised they didn't ask you first before putting it on the market. I also think they could have told you just as a matter of courtesy - we would.

changeme4this · 27/01/2024 18:37

Don’t mention to the agent you are keen. Where I live the seller would have to pay agency fees whilst under contract with a selling agent.

if you can deal with the LL privately, that’s one less expense to come out of his final sum.

HelenaTranscart · 27/01/2024 18:38

LL here. LL's behaviour, even if within his rights, is appalling. Its common courtesy to inform tenants. Agree with others, offer to buy house in 6 months direct, and keep the offer of more rent as a bargaining token. If he is unreasonable, ask estate agent to remove photos with your possessions, and leave mess/dirty dishes/underwear all over the place for any viewings, and be as bloody minded as him. If you're present, I'd point out every fault in the property and say the neighbours are noisy ASBOs. Good luck, you sound like a lovely tenant.

YDBear · 27/01/2024 18:43

The Section 21 gives you two months—and it sounds like it hasn’t been issued yet. If you just ignore it then he has to get an eviction order from the County Court, and good luck getting that inside 6 months at the moment. This means it’s almost impossible to get you out of the house and if he is selling with vacant possession—or trying to—you have him over a barrel. I would say the only ways he can sell the house in the next six months is either to you or with you as a sitting tenant.

Pickles91 · 27/01/2024 18:50

I was a LL until 2022. I needed to sell and asked my tenants if they wanted to buy it before I even approached an estate agent. It’s the courteous thing to do. I would have loved for them to have stayed if they wanted, and would gladly have accepted a lower offer because 1) it’s their home and 2) it would have made the sale so much easier and could have saved money on agent fees etc. I am shocked that your LL has listed the property without your knowledge, and included your personal items in the listing. I would definitely propose your plan to buy in a few months to them. If they say no, then you could negotiate through paying more rent? Sounds like you’ve been a great tenant, and it’s really the least LL could do. What’s another 6 months on a 13 year lease! Good luck ☺️

northLodontoday · 27/01/2024 18:54

I'm an accidental landlord myself and have been letting out a flat, has a mortgage on it and the monthly payment has just gone up from £360 to £1200 and so has my own mortgage. The rent they pay will barely cover it and there are additional costs on top. They may genuinely not be able to keep it even for a month or two so don't judge them too harshly if they say no.

rebeccasays · 27/01/2024 19:02

My parents are landlords - I think it’s absolutely worth asking. I wouldn’t really offer more money unless they were hesitant to let you stay?

IVFlife · 27/01/2024 19:07

Does the landlord know you know now?

Milliemoo6 · 27/01/2024 19:08

It's worth asking. Also, he may only have signed with his estate agents for 3 months, if he waits 6 months then he can sell to you directly and avoid paying agents fees - that's worth a few grand.

FootieMama · 27/01/2024 19:12

I've done similar in the past. Bought a flat I was renting . Didn't pay higher rent. It took about a year to complete the sale. And didnt pay the asking price either.
I am a landlord and would be more than happy to do the same if my tenants proposed. Selling a house takes time and money and most of the time you have to have an empty property so will loose money if still mortgaged. Don't start by offering to increase rent. Just ask if he is ready to wait or maybe get a loan from relatives and put an offer in now. He will save on estate agents fees if he sells to you