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.

Absolutely I would.

I'm shocked they didn't offer you first refusal to be honest. How did they gain access for the photos as that's a breach of your tendency if they entered without notice?

OP - before you speak to the LL or the estate agents please take screenshots of the sale listing and all the photographs you weren't aware had been taken. If you speak to the LL or EA first they may remove it before you have proof.

Make a note now of when you found out the house was for sale and how, plus the date when the rightmove listing was put online.

Make a note of all the repairs you flagged to the LL and when (or as well as you can remember if you haven't kept an ongoing list during your tenancy). Same with any gas safety inspections and certificates etc. Sounds like he has not been meeting his obligations as a LL for some time.

Then go to Shelter and get advice on your rights and how to proceed.

Your LL should have told you he was selling your home of 13 years. I have had some shit LL in the past and one of them gave us 3 months advance notice of planning to sell the property and offered us first refusal on purchasing it. The relationship later deteriorated as she would come to the house without permission when we were out and also removed some of our possessions.

Your landlord cannot enter your home without prior permission except in an emergency (e.g. a gas leak or fire when you are on holiday). You should have been asked to admit an EA to take photos. Same for any viewings.

@DesperateTenant others have given good advice.

I just wanted to add even though you have lived there for 13 years and think you know the house well please get a survey.

For a LL a sitting tenant is often the perfect purchaser because you pay rent until completion. They don’t have to evict you. You know the property etc.

I absolutely would say yes to this, and in fact it would be my dream scenario. I guess your landlord has no idea that you are in a position to buy the house.

Even if they are desperate to sell finding a buyer is hard and sales fall through a lot. So a sure fire buyer is worth a lot.

I rented mine for 25 years and they did offer it to me to buy but unfortunately I wasn’t in a position to (if I was I wouldn’t have been renting!). You can ask of course, it would just depend on their circumstances and reasons for selling. Rude of them to not let you know so I wouldn’t get my hopes up.

I have two rental properties but more of an accidental landlord. Not only would I be happy to do this I wouldn’t have asked for extra rent nor would I have put a flat up for sake without warning the tenant. This is just plain rude.

The gas fire is illegal surely?!?

I would happily wait 6 months - it can take that time to get a sale through, but it rather depends why the landlord is selling

Someone might have already suggested this, but I'd be tempted to get a friend/relative to to make enquiries with the agent about the listing, just to see what position the landlord is putting out to the general public. The more you know before you raise it with the LL the better.

I think you’re in a really strong position to approach the landlord with an offer, for completion in 6m if needed.

It’s the only offer they’re going to get in the next 6m if you refuse to facilitate viewings (change those locks) and challenge any notice to end the tenancy.

DO NOT OFFER TO INCREASE THE RENT.

He hasnt told you because he doesnt want you to move out too early and have an empty property not bringing him in money. I reckon hes listed it to see what sort of response he gets before deciding to then issue you with notice.

Screen shot the pictures online and also call pretending to be interested in buying to see if if you can get some more info.

What a total dick move!

This

I would be worried the LL has lied to the estate agent and they don't know its rented.

I was wondering about that, too @chocolatefiends .

If the LL didn't tell the agency that it was tenanted, they must surely have been suspicious when they came round and took the photographs. And posting pics of someone's home and possessions on a website where the property is (generally) easily identifiable, without the consent of the occupier, is a huge invasion of privacy imo. If it isn't illegal, it damn well should be, and there should be a code of practice for estate agents on the point.

Shit behaviour and you’ve been given some good advice.
But another to say email him and say you want to buy and can do so in 6months and start the process now. He’d be crazy to say no. Don’t offer more rent unless he comes back with a no. And check what notice he has to give you for viewings/notice to leave and if any of your photos are visible on Rightmove etc

What a cheeky fucker. We're intending to sell our BTL this year and we've given our tenants a year's notice, along with an assurance that if they find something suitable before then we'll release them from their contract at a date which suits them to move. We won't be marketing until the property is vacant.

Having said all of that, if they were in a position to buy, even six months later, we'd be happy to work with them so that that was the outcome. I'd much prefer to sell to them and prevent all that upheaval.

I'm a landlord. I'd take that if it was a definite offer. We are selling one of ours at the moment and I'm really hoping our tenant will want to buy it. (He has always known that we had a timeline for selling it.)

Regardless of everything I'd contact the EA and ask how they managed to gain access to your home without permission!

Your landlord has behaved appallingly particularly as it sounds like they/the agents are accessing your property without telling you for photos and possible viewings. If you want to buy some time but not cause an issue I'd call the agent/landlord, act oblivious but raise some concerns:

1. You think someone's been in your house "and I assume it's not you as you of course know this is illegal"
2. You've has people knocking on your door about buying your house "which I know is crazy as you'd of course tell me if that was the case"

Tell them you don't feel safe in your own home so need to change the locks. Offer to get them a key cut and then make yourself incredibly busy and delay doing so. You want to buy some time and keep them out of your house as no viewings = no house sale. Or just ring and read them the riot act and tell them you will call the police if they gain entry without permission or in your absence and get yourself a ring doorbell sharpish.

Unless the law has changed, he can't even issue a valid S21 without a current gas safety cert and EPC.

All the law is on your side here, OP. And if he wants/needs to sell, selling to you in 6 months time would be far less hassle, and probably quicker, than giving you notice, getting you out of the property, and selling it to someone else.

Would you be able to buy now if it was cheap enough, or are you waiting for some money to come through before you have a deposit?

If you could buy now if it was the right price, it may be worth getting a ballpark estimate of the property's value with a tenant in situ, then make the LL an offer based on that. Tenanted properties are usually significantly cheaper so you might be able to afford it. It could well be the LL's best option financially, especially when you point out the £'000s it will cost him to get you out.

Do not offer him more money!

He'd be a fool to turn you down if you can offer him asking or near it. I wouldn't want a pissed off tenant that was forced to leave even though they could prove they could buy it in six months living in my house. If you dug your heels in should he say no you could wreak havoc on his sale anyway by telling prospective buyers all the houses flaws, being really difficult about access, refusing to leave and making him go through expensive court proceedings to get rid of you which would likely take him longer than six months.

You are an excellent prospect for him as a purchaser and don't you forget it!

I would be over the moon if I were your landlord.

Referring back to an earlier thread on selling and weed, I recommend a strong weed smell and other off-putting stuff during visits to slow down sales procedures ;-).

Ask him! It'll be win-win if you buy direct from him, saving him $1000's in agent fees!

Also, you don't have to pay asking price. You might even have a discount because of this.

I'm a landlord and would agree.

I just want to give you a hug, I was in this situation a year ago last August. My landlord lied about agents coming round to value the house, told me three times, twice in writing and then once verbally, that they weren't looking to sell. Within a week of the 'agents' coming to value they told me they were putting it on the market. I was told to make it presentable for it to look good for the photos, no mention was made of the fact I didn't have to agree to these photos being taken in the first place. The listing also didn't mention a tenant being in situ, it was awful, I have a disabled son and we had to sit on the outside wall whilst the viewings happened, prospective buyers here horrified, you could see it on their faces as they asked the agent on the way in the door who we were. I thought that no one would look at buying it with tenants, but people were making offers knowing they'd have to get us out.

I used to be a landlord. I had to sell quickly because my mortgage deal was coming to an end and my flat was losing value. However, I’d lived in it myself for three years so it didn’t affect anyone.

I don’t believe in anyone having more than one property and think the situation with the rental market is awful. The flat was my one property and I was a tenant myself so I know what it’s like. (Single, disabled mother and this was the only way to keep some financial security.)

However, property prices are falling far more than most people realise because people are still trying to sell at the price the property used to be worth and then having to reduce it or being gazundered by tens of thousands (which I was). So LL could lose a lot of money by holding onto the house for six months. Your LL doesn’t sound like a very nice person if he didn’t tell you he was putting your house on the market.

Sorry that’s not very optimistic. I truly hope you get to stay x

You can ask, but you don’t know what their circumstances are and why they want / need to sell. Also there is a pretty clear season for the housing market - put your place on the market in the spring (March/April/may) and complete by around September. In six months, it’ll be too late for the core season for this year and probably harder for the landlord to sell.