Landlords, would you consider this if your tenants asked?

[DesperateTenant]

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.

I think there may actually be tax breaks for landlords selling to tenants? Maybe worth looking into?

All the rental agreements I’ve ever had have had clauses in about allowing viewings but I’m pretty sure that’s after you have given notice to leave, so that’s very different.

As a buyer, I’d be worried about buying a house with tenants currently in as they can refuse to leave and it could months to evict them. Some people are actually given the advice to stay until they are evicted as it strengthens their case for housing assistance etc. As a buyer, you could potentially get to completion and then find the tenants haven’t gone.
Does it say that the tenure is ‘vacant upon completion’ in the listing?

Eviction takes quite a few months. I would offer your deal to LL. He would be better off considering you as a potential buyer. There is no harm in putting this to him, show him figures and spread sheet to convince him of your intentions and commitment to this. Hopefully he will see the sense in selling to you. Wouldn’t hurt to get a solicitor to draw up a plan for this. Positive pro action if you are really keen.

The LL can write what he likes in the tenancy agreement, the actual law says tenants don't have to allow viewings - not with 24 hours notice, not with 48 hours, not after giving or receiving notice to leave.

@DesperateTenant This jumped out at me from one of your posts.

I do have an up to date gas safety certificate but we are always told the fire is never to be used because it is unsafe. At the last check the gas engineer told us he didn't feel comfortable signing off on it but was under instructions to do so.

A friend of mine had 2 lodgers. He always made sure the gas was safe, and had an up to date certificate. He would have done so anyway, however he knew someone further down the road whose tenant died from carbon monoxide poisoning. And yet the gas engineer you had signed off an unsafe fire because he had been instructed to do so?

I wouldn't want to put a penny into the pocket of someone who treated me like that.

What the law allows is immaterial, it's not a moral or ethical code.

Just because you can doesn't mean you should, and he's turned your life and security upside down in secret, not having the nerve to tell you.

By comparison, I was renting a house back at the tail end of 2022 and after Truss' chaos my landlady had to sell. She told me, and gave me two months to move. She also said that if I moved out before that deadline then she'd refund rent for the period between moving out and that deadline. That's an indicator of decent human behaviour IMO

Until the sale is legally binding, the seller can screw you over, then the negotiations based on survey. They've not done obvious repairs so who knows what else is neglected. I'd cut my loses, move and keep saving

I would consider it ( I wouldnt raise your rent though) it would depend on circumstances though

I am a landlord and would definitely be happy for a good tenant to buy if they could show their ability to do so in 6 months. It would be unlikely they would back out and there is no chain to wait on or to fall apart. Ask. And best of luck to you.

Why don’t you make him an offer and agree the completion date will be in 6 months time and confirm the date.

That’s not unreasonable at all.

Conveyancing can take forever anyway.

You’ll be saving him a lot of money because he won’t have to pay the 2.5% estate agents fee.

Don’t up your rent. There’s absolutely no need as you buying it will save him a shed load of time and hassle.

Good luck 😊

@HirplesWithHaggis Which law…? I’m a property lawyer 🤔

No time to read the thread but if you don't ask you'll never know.
And it sounds reasonable to me.

It’s a shame your landlord couldn’t discuss with you earlier than have someone arrive at the door especially after renting for so long.
We have 3 rental properties and would never treat anyone like that, we thought of selling one, had a meeting with our tenant to discuss her buying. She couldn’t afford to, so we won’t sell because like you she’s a loyal tenant.
Ask for a meeting to discuss, good luck.

We have a few properties. Firstly the landlord has breached a few things, presumably you have a tenancy agreement. Entering your property without prior notice, or even you there is absolutely shocking. Also you need to ask if he's selling the property with you the tenant in situ. He will have to serve you a section 21 to remove you if not, and there is also alot of things that's need to be valid for them aswell. You have to have gas checks and so on upto date, your deposit must of been protected. If he's selling up with tenant in situ then all these things need to be valid to, and a new tenancy would be issued.

It's definitely worth asking about buying the house as quite frankly it's an absolute headache very timely and can be expensive if it ends up with court action to evict people nowadays. A section 21 isn't a move out date either, it's simply a request for a property back, if the tenant ( and has full rights not to move out on the expiry date) waits, landlord has to go to court for a possession order.

No need to offer any extra money, as you will be saving the landlord money! Selling a house with a tenant in situ decreases the market and price to

I'd probably want some kind of evidence to show your financal position before I removed from the market. The fact he's not mentioned anything to you is very strange and I can only presume he's selling with tenant in situ.

I'd definitely get some legal advice about your position and the landlords legal duties as it's a minefield but you need to protect yourself to if things turn messy. You sound like you have been a more then ideal tenant !!

Best of luck

I know, it’s unbelievable isn’t it

1. LL has no rights to access the house without notifying you. I would contact citizens advice
2. needs to issue you with section 21
3. I would make viewings very difficult until LL has dealt with 1
4. giving you notice with the potential risk of sale falling through and leaving the house empty is expensive. The LL would be an idiot for not offering you to buy it
5. you can agree the price now and even agree to exchange contracts with a completion date in the future, ie 6m from now. The benefit for the LL would be no estate agent Selling fees and no rent-free periods
6. do NOT offer to pay him more rent!!

If they’ve entered your house, that’s breaking in! Why is that okay? I’d put an alarm or alert system in.
that’s not okay.
and yes, you absolutely do put back the old carpet and take all your belongings unless you’re selling them and they want to buy it off you. Why would you give flooring and shed and appliances away for free?

I tried reverse, but nothing!

Try reverse search using tineye or similar

Apologies, wrong thread

It's a Covenant, under common law.

We had to sell our rental property. We gave first refusal to our tenant and were gutted when he couldn’t afford to buy it. It’s also the simplest way forward if you can make it work.

@HirplesWithHaggis Are you thinking of a landlord’s implied covenant for “quiet enjoyment”, which means they will not interrupt the tenant’s possession of the property…? If so then this is subject to any express reservations in the tenancy agreement. Which (alongside a right to enter to carry out repairs etc) may include a right to conduct viewings. I certainly agree that if the tenancy agreement is silent on viewings then the landlord will not have the right to do it. But if the tenancy agreement permits entry for this purpose then that will prevail, providing that it does not amount to a breach of the covenant for quiet enjoyment - but this is unlikely unless the landlord is showing prospective buyers around all day every day.

I wouldn’t offer more rent,

buying a house usually takes around 6 months so could you not just put in an offer and state you’ll be able to buy in 6
months.
(sorry haven’t read all your comments, but without paying higher rent you’ll probably be able to buy sooner

Landlord has already breached the covenant by allowing estate agents in to take photos, without asking (or even telling) the tenant.

Estate agent would have had to enter property to conduct a valuation before marketing it which they must have done without informing or giving notice to OP (she could have refused entry anyway, it’s not an emergency and she hasn’t been given notice to vacate).

I don’t think you can value a house from outside as condition inside would need to be taken into account and no one is going to market a property without an up to date valuation surely , especially as the OP has been there for 13 years and one hasn’t been done since then!

I'd be in alot of trouble if I just starting letting myself into tenants properties to show estate agents around ect. The only time I could let myself in would be in an emergency, otherwise I give written and text plus email notice of any intended visits and it's to suit the tenant. Showing an agent round is not acceptable without any notice, and most certainly entering the property.