AIBU to feel completely misled by our landlords after being promised long-term tenancy and now being served notice after 4 months? What can we do?
I’m honestly at breaking point and need some perspective (and possibly legal knowledge).
We moved into a 4-bed rental in Surrey at £3,000 pcm after being absolutely clear — repeatedly — that we were only looking for a long-term home. We have three children (now 5, 9 and 14). My eldest is approaching GCSE years, my middle child has learning difficulties and will be transitioning to secondary school next year, and stability was non-negotiable for us.
Before we agreed to take the property, we had an in-person meeting with the landlords, where they met our children, walked them around the house, asked which bedrooms they wanted, discussed decorating, putting things on walls properly etc. We explicitly asked for a minimum of 5 years.
The landlords told us they wanted long-term tenants, and that the first year would be to ensure both sides were happy, after which a longer contract would be signed.
This was reiterated to the estate agent we viewed with — they knew we were only looking long-term because we’ve already had two previous tenancies end through no fault of our own (one due to Covid/job loss, one because the landlord decided to sell following new tenant legislation).
On the day of signing, we were told the landlord wanted a 4-month break clause. I thought this was unusual (I’d only ever seen 10–12 months), but we’d already had the verbal assurances, the children were emotionally invested, and we trusted what we’d been told. So we signed.
Fast forward:
After just two months, we were told they would be serving notice at month four, meaning we must leave by April.
The only reason given for this is that the landlords’ adult daughter is going through a messy divorce, and they now want to give her the house to live in. She has one child aged 5.
This situation was never mentioned prior to us moving in, and the landlords had specifically said they were seeking long-term tenants.
So effectively, we were encouraged to move our family into a large, expensive property under the promise of long-term security — only to be asked to leave almost immediately due to a change in the landlords’ personal circumstances, not because of anything relating to us as tenants.
Financially, this has been devastating.
Because the property has very large windows, we had to buy multiple sets of extra-long curtains (hundreds of pounds — including one bay window costing over £400 alone). I tried to budget with Dunelm/IKEA, but it still added up fast. When the notice came in, I had to return what I could, pack things back up, and now we’re living in a half-empty house paying £3k a month knowing we’re being forced out.
We’d also put all our savings into a business project we believed we were secure enough to do — we won’t see a return for at least 18 months. We now have no savings to fund another move.
Emotionally, this has destroyed our sense of safety.
The children are upset about losing their bedrooms again. This is the third time in a row we’ve had to move due to landlords’ decisions. The stress has been so severe that my partner and I have temporarily separated under the strain.
On a practical and physical level, this move is especially hard for me. I have fibromyalgia and arthritis, and I find moving extremely difficult physically. It’s taken months for my body to start settling after the last move, and the thought of packing, lifting and relocating again is overwhelming.
On top of this, the property itself has had significant issues since we moved in, including boiler problems and ongoing repairs that required repeated chasing. It often felt like the house wasn’t truly ready for tenants, yet we were paying full rent throughout.
Housing have told me that if we can’t secure somewhere else, I may be placed in temporary accommodation — potentially a one-bed unit in Wembley for myself and three children. We wouldn’t be able to take our furniture or belongings. Given my health conditions and the children’s needs, the thought of this is genuinely terrifying.
It now feels like the landlords wanted someone to cover winter costs, council tax (Band F), and keep the house occupied while repairs were done — then move us on.
My questions:
- AIBU to feel this is deeply unfair and misleading?
- Does a verbal agreement / assurance of long-term tenancy count for anything here?
- Is this something worth pursuing legally or via the agent?
- Has anyone successfully challenged something like this, or negotiated a withdrawal of notice?
I feel completely broken by this and don’t know what options we realistically have.