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.

Definitely ask, it would make it a lot easier for him to sell to you surely!

He hasn’t been a decent landlord if he hasn’t repaired the things that are broken! He has been decent because you have not mithered him!

Bit off taking photos of your home and belongings and not even informing you about the sale.

Oh my goodness, I missed this bit complete with pictures I was completely unaware were taken

You can ask for those pictures to be taken down, whoever took them was in breach of the law entering without your knowledge.

You need to phone Shelter and send a letter to your LL.

Yet another awful LL.

I’m not sure I’d be offering to pay extra rent if I were you though. Or at least not without some contract in place that this is entirely dependent on completion of a sale- I wouldn’t trust this guy. But it’s still worth trying to make it work for the sake of getting the house, just be wary.

He's crazy to try and sell with you in situ. Remember he's got to start the eviction process and that doesn't happen quickly unless you're willing to leave on the basis of the S21 notice alone.

I appreciate you may not want to aggravate the situation if you're also hoping to buy the house but you don't have to leave just because he asks you to. Landlords don't have the power to evict without court approval.

Why don't you make an offer and see what happens. Six months is no time at all in the grand scheme of things.

Don't offer extra rent but do speak with your LL about buying the property. In some areas it's taking 6 months for purchases to go through currently.

Another thing you could say to him is that it could be handled as a private sale thereby saving on EA fees

Are you able to buy your LLs house/you home? Or able too in 6 months? With evidence of deposit or near deposit he may be convinced to wait and sell to you when you're ready.

Do you have a contract?

Is your deposit in the deposit scheme?

Landlord will need to evict using 21 assuming you are not more than 8 weeks in rent arrears.
If he has none of the above in place, he needs to get that sorted before he can issue a legally binding section 21.

It can take up to a year to evict you. Stay put. Contact the council for advice.

My landlord did this to me after 11 years. The escrow deposit scheme wasn't a thing then so it took them about 2 months to issue a legal sec 21.
I was put on the council list but you get nowhere until the court 'evicts' you and bailiffs dates are set. The council told me that seeing as I was officially homeless once all the judgements were done then I could leave without making myself intentionally homeless. In truth this meant walking out 1 day before bailiffs, putting keys through door and basically fucking off with my 2 kids and little else.

7 years now in a council home.

If you can get a mortgage of course then buy. I forgot that bit! Coffee? X

Sorry, re read and that's what you're asking. Give him the evidence and ask. You've nothing to lose and he could actually save ££ not using the agent to sell if he sells to you.

I'd change out the locks under those circumstances. Or knowing batshit landlords, next thing you know they'll be letting in people for viewings without telling you about it.

i wouldn't be offering to pay extra . When did it go live on rightmove ?
You have had no eviction notice so just sit tight 6 months is a short amount of time . Definitely do offer full asking price get quotes for the work that needs doing and then adjust your offer.
Good luck 🤞

Do NOT Offer.

You definitely need to ask him.

However, I'd be wary of the LL as what a sneaky shit to put the house on the market without telling you! It was on Rightmove FFS!!!!!

How did he get the pictures?

Speak to him directly and tell him you will be in a position to buy the house in 6 months. Be prepared to provide proof of your financial position.

Don’t offer to pay more rent for the 6 months! By selling to you directly, he will save a huge amount on estate agent fees so that is likely to be incentive enough.

I would also talk to banks/ a mortgage advisor right away so that you can get a mortgage offer in principle.

I agree it’s wrong of him to have been so sneaky and put photos up of your home, but I wouldn’t make a fuss right now, as you want to keep him on side.

I am a landlord. This is awful behaviour. I’ve never sold a house with an existing tenant, always waited until they moved out.

Is the selling agent the same as the rental agent or is the ll doing this all themselves?

I am a landlord.
In your situation I would bite your hand off if you were serious.
Don't offer more rent though.
He saves estate agent fees and, I should think, there is less liklihood of you pulling out at the last minute.

Also, how far off the deposit are you? If it’s not much, you could perhaps offer the max amount to your ll, see what they say. They may be tempted by not having to go through the nightmare, which comes with selling houses plus the potential eviction costs if you refused to move etc. Plus you could help them with the form filling exercises etc. This would be an easy sale for them.

This

This is awful! He's been totally sneaky and in breach of your rights if he's taken photos of your home and put them online without your knowledge. He's also stupid, as prospective buyers will be pissed off to find there are tenants in situ. He has to give you 2 months notice to leave in any case so it would be well in his interests to wait and negotiate for you to buy the place (as the alternative could be you refuse to leave and he ends up with much more delay and expense than he would be waiting) but if he's so clueless he may not know what your rights are!
Don't offer him more rent though.

Ask. But don't offer more rent. Because he can agree. Take the extra rent and still sell to someone else.

I suppose it depends on why he's selling really, he might not be in a position to wait. It's not a good sign that he's put it on the market without telling you!

But - I'm very much of the belief that don't ask, don't get in these kind of situations. But I certainly wouldn't offer more money.

Essentially you're asking them to take a gamble that in 6 months you will be able to afford and secure lending for it at market value (which could have changed by then, up or down). At the moment you are not in a position to buy it.

Also once you see the surveys etc you actually might not want to buy it, might not be able to get a mortgage on the property etc if there are major things wrong. Don't take on a money pit based on sentiment. Unfortunately it's not a given that you'll be able (or willing!) to buy it even if he will wait. It does sound a bit like you're being led by emotion at the moment tbh!

Surely it would be in his best interest to sell to you for a smooth transition. Have you tried talking to LL you say he seems reasonable?

Ask, don't offer extra rent, get the photos that are online down and don't allow viewings. You don't ever have to allow viewings. This may piss all off but taking photos of the inside and putting them online shows you all you want to know about the ll. Also the lack of maintenance on the Windows etc.

I agree with others, you need to assert your legal rights WRT viewings and entry.

Send him an email saying you'd like to buy.

He's thick if he doesn't understand how long it will take to get you out.