DS plans to leave his central London flat totally empty for a year

[Tedsabear]

Hi all, so my DS’s dad passed away a couple of years ago, between his pension, life insurance and home DS and as able to sell his home and buy a flat in central London. He spent over 1 million on this (his dad wasn’t super wealthy or anything he just owned a property in a nice area of London and it was paid off mortgage wise). His girlfriend is Portuguese and also owns property in Lisbon.
They are mid 20s.

They have decided to spend the next year as digital nomads as they are able to work remotely. I told DS he should rent out his flat and his girlfriend should do the same. One from a security perspective and two as extra income. He has said no he doesn’t like the idea of someone staying in his space, he’s said I can go and check on it once a month or “whatever” if I like. He said his girlfriend will be doing the same anyway.

AIBU to think he’s being ridiculous?

Renting is risky. Tenants can do all sorts of damage. They can refuse to leave.

In addition to hiring someone to check on the home occasionally, technology exists to monitor empty homes and will send alerts if anything happens. It is popular with people who own holiday homes or split times between 2 houses seasonally.

Given the soon to become laws meaning Section 21 evictions Will be banned, I think he's actually making the right call if he wants to be sure of actually getting his home back after the year.

If he rents he will have to provide gas and electric safety certificates, ensure the property meets all relevant guidelines, pay tax on the income, website it meets EPC guidelines for renting and arrange any repairs for the tenants on good time.

Oh and that's assuming the tenants don't trash the house and pay their rent, and leave when you ask them. Sure. It's a great idea.

If they’re in Europe and well off surely they’ll be popping back for various events and staying there anyway. Concerts and friends etc.

I think he needs to sort out insurance or have someone visit more often than once a month.

Other than that, assuming his work allows him to work outside the UK, then he would have my support. The renters rights changes being passed into law for very good reasons do make him renting out for a fixed period more difficult.

So he doesn't talk to you about it, you were not involved in any decisions, why do you think now you get a say?

Leave him too it.

Sounds like he's living his best life

Why so judgemental? Your son has bought a flat and now will be leaving it empty until he returns. His property, his choice , his risk. Not sure why you are so concerned?

They don’t plan to be in Europe, they have Georgia, Morocco/Tunisia, Colombia and Chile on their list.

it is possible then that he’s just saying this to you either to antagonise you or just to get you to back off

I don’t think they were being serious 😁

Insurance for an unoccupied property requires that it's visited once a week/once a fortnight. Insurers are terrified of water leaks that no-one is in the property to notice. So he'll need to arrange that.

But having been, briefly, an accidental landlord, I would never EVER rent out a property. The changes that the government is bringing in will make it even harder for someone like your son to go back to his home after a year away.

The property that I have to handle has to be sold to pay the deceased owner's debt. It's taken a very long time to get the tenants out, and it could have taken another six months had they stayed put and waited for the bailiffs. It's cost me £1,000 already, to clear the house and scrap heap garden, clean the place and change all the locks. Oh, and they left with rent arrears.

Why anyone would want to let out their own home, I will never know.

No, I don't think he's being ridiculous, and I speak as a Landlord myself. I wouldn't want someone in my space either, if I intended to live in the property again. Some tenants often don't look after properties very well. It's also very hard to evict tenants, so there would be no guarantee of him getting them out for his return. Eviction can cost thousands. As he has no mortgage on it, I think it's fair enough that he doesn't want people in his space, using his furniture etc. Also, he'll then not need to pay for storage for his other personal items.

He'll just need to ensure he has insurance that covers him for it being empty. He'll need to remember to turn the water off etc. And it would be useful to give his neighbours your number in case of emergencies.

I would have at the very least someone checking up on it regularly, there is huge targeted crime in London and a known crime is renting out empty flats.

Honestly I wouldn’t leave for a year and leave a flat empty in central London. Rent it out to someone you know, use trusted house sitters or have family live there/ check on it or don’t go.

I'd recommend booking an agent to check on the property every week. Viewber are really good for that sort of thing. Also get the agent to put on the heating, turn on taps etc. It'll cost max £100 a month if he books a weekly visit.

It's an empty house in a city of (checks notes) over 10,000 homeless people.

I guess crisis is the wrong word, really. More an issue, I guess.

If he doesn’t want the property to live in for a year he should sell up and then buy something else wherever he settles next. It’s disgusting to leave a home empty. I hope someone makes use of it in his absence.

A friend recently put their rented out house in East London on the market, the tenants having moved out. All the estate agents advised them to make sure the property was secure, with an alarm fitted, someone sleeping there a couple of nights a week, neighbours ( who are lovely) keeping an eye open, lights on random timers etc. There have been quite a few burglaries ( pipes and wiring if the house is empty) plus random scammers “letting out” houses to unwary tenants and pocketing the deposit and first two months rent. I would not let a property stand empty, for the above reasons, plus the damage that could be caused by un reported water leaks etc.

How would that help? He doesn’t want someone else living in his flat.

My BIL is a digital nomad with an expensive London flat. He rented it out and it’s been nothing but issues. The last tenant completely trashed the place and disappeared leaving all his belongings in the place, including a half cooked meal on the hob! It has been a nightmare for my DH who has been trying to deal with it all in BIL’s absence.

We are not re-letting it again once this nightmare is cleared up. You can pay for it to be covered by a security firm and visited regularly.

You do need insurance if a properly isn’t lived in for a minimum of 90 days. You have to turn all heating and water off to an uninhabited house (I’ve done it so I know) due to water leaks, gas leaks, weather damage, other damage, break ins etc

He will probably find that his insurance is invalidated by leaving it empty for longer than a month. He needs to check that if nothing else. What would happen if a neighbour reported a leak - would you be expected to go and check? And any important post - a redirect would be sensible... I doubt I would have thought about these things in my 20s but he should, even if he's not bothered about potential rental income.

The would be illegal as the OP doesn’t own the flat.

How lovely. That's your weekends sorted for the next few months. Enjoy your time in the capital!

I am sure it won't stand totally empty. IMHO (as someone who lives in 'central London') there are always people wanting to come and stay. He should get a keysafe for trusted friends. Or it might be he comes back between nomading stints.

Yes, but were you selling a house or a flat ?

In a flat the building insurance is placed by the freeholder

This is completely different to a buildings policy for a house which I am well aware will have a restriction on periods unoccupied

There is no requirement to have contents insurance on either a house or flat

He can get a lodger but you can’t end a rental easily anymore. There is a legal difference between the two.

I think checks should be at least weekly, if possible. Can a neighbour also do this?