Landlord won't sell. Another second home in our dying village

[AppelationStation]

DH, DS and I have rented our current home for 6 years. We moved here, back to where he grew up, and weren't in a position to buy. We've saved hard and now we are.

We love this house. It's small, and in many ways impractical, but we adore the bones of it. It's seen us through some really rough times and been our sanctuary. We've cared for it, at our own expenses, and done loads of work to make the garden something special. Our landlord has said themselves "It's much nicer now than it was when I lived here!".

We love where it is, which is quite a unique rural setting with amazing landscapes and near the sea. We've made friends in the village, my son goes to the local primary and I'm a governor thereWeHouses aren't for sale here often. We know the local walks inside out, which wild flowers grow in which hedgerows, which birds come back to nest in which trees. It just feels like our forever home. Which of course it isn't, because we rent it.

Our landlord left the house herself to marry a farmer who lives an hour away. She won't move back. Since we've lived here the law on EPC ratings has changed so she can't legally let it out again. There is a 300% council tax penalty on second homes, because they're such a problem here (massive housing crisis, no houses for young families to buy, so local schools and shops closing all over the place). We thought, for those reasons, they'd be interested in selling to a sitting tenant.

We asked them recently. They came round this weekend, in person, to tell us No. They won't sell it. They know they can't rent it, and that they'll have to pay the second home tax. They're not sure what they want to do with it, but they don't want to sell and that's that.

I know, of course, that they're under no obligation to sell their house. They don't owe us anything. But I'm finding it really hard to accept that we have to leave, or face paying rent for the rest of our lives and have nothing to show for it. And I'm finding it doubly galling that, having paid them over 50k in rent and added value to their house by taking such good care of it (more fool us), they're going to leave it empty, let the garden go to ruin, just to keep it as an asset on their balance sheet.

I genuinely think I'd feel better if I knew another family or person was going to live here and love it. Instead the village will have another empty / second home. I can't imaging ever finding somewhere like it (it's very secluded, stone built, old, and just feels "right"), which means anything we do buy is going to be a reluctant compromise.

I know I probably sound a bit wet and daft. I can't make them sell. It's made me feel surprisingly, profoundly sad, and I just don't know how to move past that feeling.

How about asking about reduced rent? It’s more than they’d get if you moved out, and allows you to save for a bigger deposit instead of owning immediately.

Work out a number that would make it worth your while to stay.

You don’t know their personal circumstances and you are acting as this has been personal against you. You say she married a farmer- they aren’t doing very well at the moment so it may be they need a back up plan and the house is it. An elderly relative might need it in the future ect.
I live in a village a bit like this and houses never make it on the market officially. People will leaflet asking about sale opportunities or use the Facebook group to express interest in any houses going on sale soon. Sounds like you are very ingrained in the local community so lots of people to keep an ear out for you!

Have you actually made them an offer at the market value op? Or have you said "please can you sell us the house"?

If they see an offer of cold hard cash, they might change their mind. But it sounds like a lovely house, i can see why they might not want to sell. Are they actually asking you to leave, or can you stay there if you want to?

I had clients who lived in a beautiful rural rental owned by Duchy of Cornwall. They had bought a normal house somewhere else which was rented out. Could you do that?

But that's always a risk with renting. Circumstances change, things change. Of course unexpected events crop up when you're a home owner, where you're then stuck with trying to sell in a hurry. Children have to move schools, people have to change jobs. Not the end of the world, not psychologically damaging to a child unless it is made into a disaster/catastrophe by a parent.
Yes, this is a blow, but this outcome should have been on your mind from day 1. Investing in a rental, emotionally or financially, is a fool's errand. Landlords/ladies may be lovely, but by definition they are running a business, not a charity. So sadly, you've invested in their business with no return. Shit lesson leant.
I hope you find an equally lovely home that you and your family can make yours!

As they haven't evicted you, why don't you just wait another year or two, save up a bigger deposit and either buy the current house or another home in the area.

You re in a great position.

I suspect they are not telling you the truth. Don't just assume they are. Some people just don't want others to know their business so they confabulate to fill in.
There are lots of alternate realities to the 'just leaving it empty' that might be the truth here.

The capital gains tax they would be expected to pay if they sell is likely to be one possible reason. They might want to sell it in a financial year where the burden in that year is less high.

We've all 'edited' a story just so we don't have to have a conversation we don't want to have.

Edited to add....the fact they alluded to the fact they might sell to you, adds to this.

OP, have you considered that the house is security for the woman who left it?
Perhaps she feels equally sentimental about it.

Its not selfish of the landlord at all, like everyone else in the world, she is just doing what she can to provide herself with security.

It’s irrelevant that you worked on the house. You did that to make iit nice while you were living there, and you have the option of staying if you want to.

This is what I'm thinking.

I understand you are disappointed, but I think it is making you unreasonable. The owner of the house is entitled to do whatever they want, it’s their house, When you rent you have to accept that there is always the risk you will have to move on and spending money on a house that isn’t yours is always foolish from an economic perspective. I am also confused as to whether or not they are actually asking you to leave.

OP - I understand your disappointment but you’re being unreasonable. This is one of the (many) reasons it’s a bad idea to invest so heavily in a property you don’t own - it’s easy to get attached because you’ve personalized it and have sunk money into it. No landlord will stop you from improving the property because you’re creating value for them at your own expense. The LL could have a million reasons - good or bad - for not wanting to sell, and doesn’t owe you an explanation or justification. Appreciate and be grateful for the years you had in the house and shift your mind and resources to finding a home you can own. All the best x

This is the problem with renting and I’m guilty of doing it in the past but stop doing too much to a house you don’t own.

You’ll grow to love somewhere else.

EPC stands for Energy Performance Certificate, ie. insulation, double glazing, solar panels etc. Nothing to do with the safety of electrics.

The tone of the responses on this thread is so weird. Landlords aren't doing anyone a favour - so let's can that idea. They're making money and throwing a raging hissy fit when they aren't.
The OP is adding value to her community and loves her home, which is palpably something that several of the landlords on this thread can't even begin to understand. They're all the sort of people who think wasting time being a governor at a primary is "more fool them". Well, I know who I would rather be friends with. I am sorry, OP. It's shit and it's absolutely reasonable to feel very sad about the situation. I hope you find a lovely new home.

I lived in a private rental for 22 years it was very much my "home" . We lived there while all my DC's were born, grew up etc. The original landlady, died it passed to her daughters, and after we received an inheritance we asked if we could buy it. The answer was No! We had no alternative but to look for somewhere else before we got to old to take out a mortgage and to preserve the value of our lump sum.
After a year of looking we found a house, not perfect but any stretch but it gave us possibilities and we, in time, made it lovely, and it is now our home.
A home is how you make it, a house is bricks and mortar.
OP there is a house out there for you somewhere you have time to look for it, time to adjust your requirements, and needs.
Our old rental now has the original landladies great Grandson living there, they obviously wanted to keep it in the family, perhaps the the owner of the OP's rental wants to do the same?

I have to say that I agree with @Iwiicit Yes, it’s a blunt comment but it’s the long and short of it. You need to accept what you can and can’t control, however galling. I understand - I’ve lived in two rental properties we wanted to buy and both landlords said no. Stupid reasons as well - one wouldn’t sell to us as they’d have owed the estate agent money for a finder’s fee as tenants (cowboys and hard to enforce but still). The other was an ongoing dispute about an inherited property, which is still rented out now. Family falling out has led to that house probably being rented out in perpetuity… Time to face up to reality and find something new. Onwards and upwards. Best of luck.

It's wildly naive to spend lots of money and time on a property that isn't yours.

Err she did say that.

(the landlord had previously told us they'd consider selling to us down the line). All we've done is I crease the value of someone else's house.

Op I can understand that after all this time and investment you feel emotionally tied to this house, but it is up to the LL to decide whether to sell or to hold on to it and while it may not make much sense to you, she will have some pretty compelling reasons to hold onto it for now. They may be financial, they may be sentimental, she may perhaps want to hold onto it so she has an escape plan for herself one day… who knows 🤷‍♀️ but whatever the reason, it’s her house.

As a parent of two young people who will be wanting to buy their own homes in the next few years, I’m as anti second home as anyone could be, particularly an empty one, but this is just a frustrating situation that you’ll have to make peace with. I hope you find somewhere of your own soon x

I agree. I feel forcthe op and feel sorry thst villages and communities are dying due to second home ownership.

The tone of the responses on this thread is so weird. Landlords aren't doing anyone a favour - so let's can that idea.

Who said they’re doing anyone a favour? Tenants aren’t doing anyone a favour either, it’s just a business transaction.

They're making money and throwing a raging hissy fit when they aren't.

Who’s throwing a raging hissy fit? The landlord in this story just said no to selling. There was no rage and no hissy fit.

The OP is adding value to her community and loves her home, which is palpably something that several of the landlords on this thread can't even begin to understand.

It’s not that difficult a concept to understand and nor is it that important. Other people love their homes and do local stuff, it’s nothing special.

They're all the sort of people who think wasting time being a governor at a primary is "more fool them".

That’s a reach.

Well, I know who I would rather be friends with.

Weird thing to say. No one is here looking for friends.

I am sorry, OP. It's shit and it's absolutely reasonable to feel very sad about the situation. I hope you find a lovely new home.

Sadness is understandable. A sense of entitlement and criticism of the LL for making perfectly normal choices is not.

How do you know all of this? I suspect they have plans and ideas that they are not sharing with you. Possibly they will sell it but would rather do so on the open market to maximise their return. Maybe they will carry out the necessary renovations for EPC in due course but don’t want to say so in case you expect them to do so now while you can benefit. Who knows.

It sounds like you’ve put a bit too much into this rental house, both financially and emotionally. Best thing would be to draw a line under it all and start searching for a different house to buy that you can make your own.

Exactly - which is why the OP can keep renting it, but the landlord can’t rent it out to new tenants. OP was hoping this would make selling up an attractive prospect. However, by putting her own time and money into a house she doesn’t own, OP has made herself the most attractive prospect.

Think about it. OP loves the house. She wants to buy the house. She loves the area. The landlord knows all this. OP could buy somewhere else, but there are few options locally (which the landlord will also know). She is unlikely to want to rent somewhere else, as she doesn’t really want to be renting this place anymore. But continuing to rent it is currently her best option to stay in the area. So in all likelihood, OP will keep on renting the house and maintaining it well and the landlord will keep getting income without the hassle of selling and the cost of capital gains tax.

There are a few houses in my area I wish people would sell and let me buy because I really like them (I’m a homeowner). Some of them are ‘too big’ for their owners.

It just doesn’t work like that. We don’t get to determine who deserves it more.

The back story of why you think you do is irrelevant and you’ve dressed it up as a second home issue. If the house is that ideal location wise etc. they’d be mad to sell.