Landlord selling, but won’t sell to me

[Flora73]

After 11 months in the house, my landlord has issued a section 21, my contract rather conveniently contained a break clause so he can do this earlier than the 12 month mark.

I have a mortgage in principle, I’ve been looking for somewhere to buy but he has rejected this and said I still have to leave as they want to maximise the sale price. He has even said that I move out and he will let me know which agent it is on with so I can purchase it that way. It just seems utterly bonkers.

And before anyone lays into me I am fully aware that it is his house and he can do what he likes, and I have no rights, but I can’t work out why he won’t sell to me. We’ve had a good relationship to date with no issues.

Can anyone thing of reasons why this would be?

Sorry just realise how rude this sounded. When I was younger I rented with hardly any furniture and the agent told me it looked terrible, which is why I asked.

That’s ok! I could see where you were going with it. No offence taken.

Zoopla says 320k

OP - life is too short to get sentimental over houses. Surely there is another one around the corner ? Maybe it is all for a reason ?

Having said all of that, you could tell the owner how much you love the home &
would care for it. A politely worded and softly sentimental hand written letter with the offer of a nicely plumped up cheque, could be the way to go.

I personally feel that this is happening for a reason. If you’re being pushed hard in a direction, go with it, don’t go without a fight but beyond the letter & an offer, what else can you do.

I agree with you, and thank you for the lovely message. I’ve just been in and out of rentals for the last few years and needed some stability. But hey ho, onwards and upwards.

i am not one of those tenants that you are suggesting I am

I didn't say you were, OP - in fact I made clear upthread that I'm not suggesting you're a tenant who'd follow some of the crazy suggestions people are making, and it's the suggestions themselves I remarked on

However I see the story's changed again, from "I’m probably not in the right position now to buy it, but in 3-4 months time I would be" upthread, to "I could buy the house now but would rather wait until I was in a stronger position to negotiate"

Wouldn't it be much easier in the end to simply look for a different house?

Not greedy at all. His property to do with as he wishes, if he needs/wants more money for it then there is nothing wrong with that.

The way he is going about it will give a clean break from the tenant. Most people prefer to purchase an empty property.

I agree. It seems like there's been a bit of idealism upfront - easy win, sell it to me, avoid agents' fees, get rent in the meantime... But reality would kick in, OP would rightly want to negotiate the best deal for her and he'd want the same, and it's rarely straightforward, hence how agents earn (at least some of) their fee and why that step/barrier is the usual practice in what's often a fraught process. if she's such a great catch as a first time buyer, she can take her pick of the properties on the market and she can offer on his if it's the best option.

If you were to sell your house would you sell it for half or market value just to be a good person because someone would like to buy a cheap house?

I know the feeling - once there are 💰 infront of him & an offer that could disappear, things might change. It tends to put pressure on people when there is an actual offer on the table - emotions and temptations kick in. He’d be avoiding agents fees, cleaning, staging potentially and minor repairs. He’ll also have to consider what the market might do while he’s waiting for those offers to roll in. I think if there’s an offer under his hungry little eyes then he might accept !

Yes it would be easier and what I think I will do now.

my parents have offered the reminder of the deposit I would need, hence being able to do it now. But I would rather be able to do it myself which would take another few months.

I repeat - Capital Gains Tax. They will register as living there

You can think my response is whatever , but it is still my response.

I was 'on your side' initially OP until you said you were considering messing around with the section process. Further your LL has informed you he got a valuation of £350k, over 12 months ago, so with all due respect estimating a value is easy just apply house inflation in the interim (est 5%), and the updated valuation is likely to be ~£370k or more.

You say that you don't have evidence of this valuation, but you have no evidence that it wasn't valued at that either. So you are disputing the LL's stated valuation with no evidence whatsoever to back this up. Hmmm. You could of course ask the LL to see evidence of this valuation, or simply get it valued now, but for some reason this seems beyond you currently. (Oh yes let me guess, cos it wouldn't suit you right now!? Cos your not in a strong position to negotiate....hmmm)

Lastly, the LL can probably redecorate & stage this property to maybe realise another £30-xx K or whatever the market decides to offer him. He's offered you to participate in this process, most likely cos of the silly & costly behaviour some renters opt to engage in when in your position . And suggested to you here by some proper tools on here also. You've openly admitted on this very thread that you're considering some of this behaviour (I.e, messing with the section process). That's where you lost me OP, oh and the fact that you're disputing his valuation with no evidence other than your own heavily biased opinion. Sorry, but if I was the LL I'd want you out now ASAP & for good reasons. Good luck!

I would caution jumping in feet first to buy a rental property in these circumstances. I know a tennant who bought the house from the landlord but they naively never got a full survey they thought they were getting a deal and landlord was being fair by offering first refusal. In reality prior to renting the landlord masked structural issues and damp by covering up inadequate insulation. Masking rising damp etc etc. Within a year of purchase they were facing massive unexpected bills inc roof repairs. It’s great you are thinking long term but I’m sure they are other options out there.

I don’t actually agree with this. I would have MUCH rather sold our flat to the tenants - far less hassle and expense than putting it on the market, and I’d have given them a significant discount had they been in a position to buy.

He's greedy. I think drag it out as long as the law allows you, then just leave and find somewhere to buy. It's shit but Landlords control everyone lives in the UK. If he actually doesn't sell, can you report him? He could have at least waited until the lease was up. Money grubber.

You might rather (and that might be totally reasonable)… but it probably wouldn’t be the best way to maximise the sale price, which the OP’s LL has said he is trying to do. Obviously he might be wrong, it might back fire but typically taking something to open market would yield the best sale price unless OP is prepared to pay over the odds.

What a moronic comment. Would you sell your stuff cheaply just because someone else fancied having it below market value? If the OP can afford a ~£320k house she’s hardly just scraping by, so interesting that you view her as so in need of charity. Also, a mortgage application probably isn’t going to go well if the OP has had to be forcibly removed from a rental. Honestly what planet are people on.

Further your LL has informed you he got a valuation of £350k, over 12 months ago, so with all due respect estimating a value is easy just apply house inflation in the interim (est 5%), and the updated valuation is likely to be ~£370k or more.

House prices where I live have gone down. According to Zoopla ours is “worth” £30k less than it was 18 months ago.

Report him for what? Abiding by the terms of the contract that OP signed? And moneygrubber for that? Do you plan to sell your house for less than it's worth to the first person who hears you intend to sell? If not, does that make you greedy? The OP has more to lose by dragging it out and not getting a decent reference.

I am not sure where you are located, but if it is anything like the areas I have been house hunting in, your landlord is taking a risk by not considering your offer. Most properties I have been keeping track of or viewed are on the market for months, about a year in some cases, and are being reduced in price throughout that time.

I actually think landlords should not ideally put the house on the market while the tenant is still there, as it causes hassle for the tenant who is not obliged to allow viewings but comes under pressure to do so. He must think that if he has the property empty and on the open market, he could get a price higher than you are offering, and quickly enough that any difference in price will not be swallowed by lost rental revenue. I think that is a big gamble. He could end up having months without rental income, only to accept a price far lower than you were ready to pay.

The only other thing I can think of is that this isn’t what it seems and he has some other agenda, in which case you’re best off out of it.

I am so sorry you have to move so soon, but if I were you I would just let him have at and move on. You are proceedable, at a time when the market is full of collapsing chains and non proceedable buyers. You can do better. Probably get somewhere for below asking, not over.

Actually, yes of course. Could well be this.

what’s a risible post
Report him? To whom?
what reportable offence has be committed? Money grubbing and possession of monies obtained via rental?
With your knowledge and composure most likely obtained from homes under the hammer and Rip off Britain you’re quite the operator

ok so say the OP offers £300k but the LL wants £350k. He needs to think what that's going to cost him to get. £5k for estate agent? £10k for renovations? And vacant flat for say 6 months - so £12000 missed rent, need to pay maybe £2k for Council tax, utilities, water. How much is he paying on the mortgage in the meantime? Say another £9k. Oh and solicitor fees.....anyone's guess.

So OP offers £300k and he might manage to get a "profit" of maybe £10k by not selling it to her.

And he spends how many hours to get this £10k?? Managing renovations, ringing solicitors, EAs, keeping the place tidy (how much will he spend on cleaners??)

Sounds kinda stupid to me.

and that's why landlords don't want a tenant when they start advertising the property.

It's the risk you take, as a landlord. My tenants stuck two finges up at me rather than move out, and it took seven months to shift them. Would probably be over a year now.

I do think OP needs to know she has legal rights and doesn't just have to ask how as when the landlord says jump to suit him.