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.

That’s a sure-fire way to make sure they pick someone else to sell to - if someone tried to be ‘smart’ I wouldn’t sell to them on principle.

@DesperateTenant please first say to your landlord that to your surprise someone knocked the door for a viewing and that you are interested to purchase the property and you are in contact with a mortgage advisor so ask him to please to pause the viewings for a couple of weeks till you get a mortgage offer on principle.

Contact a mortgage advisor today. They will find you solutions , I know a guy who didn't have enough money for the deposit and the mortgage advisor arranged for him a small loan to cover the difference he was missing for the deposit.

I am sure you have options but you need act fast and investigate. Sales take long time so just show your interest and that you are committed. If you can gather what you are missing for the deposit in only 6 months it shouldn't be a lot of money.

Do you actually want to buy that house or would you prefer to save and buy something else?

@DesperateTenant

YANBU to ask, and as a landlord previously, I'd have bitten your hand off in a situation where my property was well maintained. In his situation I'd have definitely been happy to sell it to you.

I owned rentals overseas, so I'm not sure if the laws here, but surely he's not entitled to post photos on the internal with YOUR belongings in show? Not to allow someone to take them without your knowledge???

id find out the situation re that first.

secondly, be very sure you only offer what it's actually worth. You don't want to end up in negative equity.

DO NOT offer more rent. There's no need. It'll be less towards your deposit (& if this doesn't work out you'll be very pissed off). Keep saving as much as you can.

id actually back foot him by putting in an offer. He's a snake not telling you himself. Id see what I thought the house was actually worth (after getting surveys etc) then offer 15% below that.

best wishes. Dont let him screw you over!!

I'm a LL and I'm not selling any of my property. However if I wanted to sell I'd always make my tenant aware and offer them a decent price as if I sold to them privately I'd save EA fees so I'd offer that to the tenant as a discount provided they were a decent tenant. I'd wait 6 months for them to finish saving up the deposit too.

You don’t have to accept viewings and in your situation I wouldn’t. Owners can sell with tenants in situ but only in cases where the tenants have agreed to allow viewings & agreed to move out before Exchange of contracts. It’s still more risky for the buyer though than a property without tenants in.

Your LL has not handled this well at all. You could be furious with him. However, I would try to keep the relationship amicable while you’re trying to propose a deal. I would talk to him about the possibility of buying the property in 6 months, he may be very interested in that idea. No way would I be offering him extra rent though! You need to save hard right now. Either for this property or if that doesn’t work out, to buy another.

If he doesn’t play nice then I would go full bitch and refuse to co operate with him in any way. No viewings, no moving out for several months. Tell him you will move out when you can find suitable alternative accommodation.

Has your LL been into the property with out your knowledge or consent to take photos or have photos taken after a repaint or of empty rooms been used?

If it's a typical LL interest only mortgages the OP won't have paid half of the LL mortgage, or indeed even one penny of it. It is so annoying when uninformed people repeat this rubbish.

Again not a landlord. But if i were absolutely id agree 100%. As a tenant you'd be aware of any issues so would be fairly straightforward.

Do you have Proof of funds, can show you'll be ready to proceed etc.

I would definitely speak to the landlord you don't ask you don't get.

I assume he is selling with you still in it as you haven't been given notice to quit? You legally do not have to let anyone in to view, even if that is in your tenancy agreement it's very difficult to enforce.

When my mum dies I will become a reluctant landlord, and will sell. I'd bite the arm off the tenant if she wants to buy it (and would feel a whole lot less guilty about selling).

But there are so many red flags here. If your windows won't shut and there are gas issues, the survey required by your lender is at risk. And as someone else pointed out, the LL could pocket the extra rent and still not sell to you.

It's highly unlikely that the estate agent has put the house on their books without visiting it. Which means that they and your LL have entered the house without permission. So I would visit them and ask if they know that there's a tenant in situ.

And yes, contact shelter about your rights.

Ask him if you can buy it.
Don't offer him more rent though.
Until you have an answer make sure anyone viewing know you're a tenant.
If he doesn't agree to you buying it then refuse viewings - they can't come in when you are out either. You'll need to be saving to buy elsewhere if he refuses.

Only read OPS updates, but I was a LL for 14 years.

When it was time to sell, my lovely reliable tenant got first refusal & reduced rent while viewings/sale took place (there were only 2 viewings).

I'm more shocked about the 4years of condemned gas fire & shitty windows! Add on the fact he hasn't even told you he's selling, let alone given you your notice... What a bastard! He's clearly trying to keep you there as long as possible before serving notice to keep your rent coming in. Not on.

Agree with everyone else - it would be in his favour to let you buy. No period with an empty property, less faff doing final checks, getting it ready to sell, I'd guess he could also dodge the agent fee if you deal direct... It's a LL dream TBH. My house sold in 4 days, no chain, still took 3 months to complete - of course I'd rather have had the rent coming in until the day of the sale!

BUT I'd want you to offer 6m upfront, show me proof of deposit & get a mortgage offer agreed in principle.

I've not read the whole thread so forgive me if I'm repeating advice already given but I would consider changing the locks. If they came and took pictures without your consent who's to say they won't conduct viewings without your knowledge and consent.

I'm a previous landlord who sold to a sitting tenant and it was great! No fuss about waiting for tenant to move out, mess about with where they had painted walls navy blue and fuchsia , no having to clean it up for sale - do the paperwork and that was it! Use this as an advantage for yourself - remind LL of all of these aspects .

Ex LL here. Your LL has not handled this correctly as others have pointed out.

First things first, I would check that you can get a mortgage to actually buy the property. Then approach the LL and make an offer.

I would have bitten your hands off as it would save a lot of hassle going forward.

But as always, you need to approach this as a business transaction coupled with the fact of your history of reliability and proof of funds being able to purchase the property. Good luck.

Ask, put forward your case. It will be easier for the landlord to sell to you as he won't need to clear the house or use an agent.

We were accidental landlords and recently sold. We would have been delighted to sell to the tenant and really tried to get a deal over the line, but his offer was £10k less than the tenant in the apartment across the hall and we just couldn't afford to take that hit for our family.

Good luck.

I would delighted if your offered to buy it. Surely, its the best possible outcome for the landlord. Depends how quick they need the sale.
Definitely speak to landlord and no need to offer to increase rent.

Nothing to lose by asking. The worst that can happen is a no. And you're no worse off if that happens.

Time to woman up! This is business, not personal. Although I appreciate when it is your home it will feel personal but try to take the emotion out of it.

Learn all about the legal processes around tenancy agreements, in particular eviction.

Learn all about the processes around house buying e.g. mortgage agreements and legal processes.

You are in a really strong position to get this house.

First of all, query with the estate agents why photos have been taken without your permission, why you were not informed. Make it clear you are annoyed and will not be allowing viewings from potential purchasers given how you have been treated. Make it clear that you want to make a complaint against the estate agents.

Start leaving a big mess when you leave the house/rubbish in the garden if you are worried they will let themselves in.

They need a few days/a week for them/the landlord to reflect on the fact you will make this process difficult for them if they continued.

Then contact them again and state you would consider buying it off the landlord if they want to dispose of it. Make an offer that is at least 5 per cent off the asking price. State the completion date you would like (6 months in advance is not a long time in house buying, 3 months would be quick).

They will reject the offer. Don’t offer more, just hold off refusing viewings and wait (may be a couple of weeks….)

You can do this! We will all be here cheering you on!

Exactly this, providing you really will be in a position to buy in 6 months

No harm in asking; a lot depends on why they want to sell, but since they do I'd have thought your money is as good as anyone else's

You don't lose anything by asking. Don't offer any more rent, keep that in your account to save for the deposit. If I were your landlord, I would jump at the chance. By selling to you, he doesn't have to pay estate agents so would save £000's.

Good luck.

As the others say - go direct to the landlord and offer to buy it. Don’t offer the increased rent. As a private sale, the landlord will save on estate agent commission. Offer to pay, with completion in 6 months.

Good luck!

I would definitely approach him about it. There are loads of advantages from his point of view. He'd be saving agents' fees if he sold to you, so 1-2% of the purchase price plus VAT, you wouldn't be in a chain so able to complete quickly once your mortgage was approved and legals done and, most importantly, he wouldn't have to go through the S21 rigmarole with no idea how long that can take or how much it might cost.

If I was an LL, I'd far rather sell to a sitting tenant in 6 months' time than have all that hassle and expense in the hope of a slightly quicker sale.

That's appalling. Are LLs allowed to post photos of your personal possessions online w/o your consent? What if you were keeping your address from say an abusive partner and then there are identifying objects from you or your children online?