To text landlord?

[Futurethinking2026]

Lighthearted but when would you follow up?

We emailed our LL in Wednesday evening to ask if he would consider selling us the house. We’ve had nothing back at all to acknowledge.

Would send a quick text casually checking he received it? and …
Think it could be positive that he’s thinking about it and checking details?
Think don’t be daft, it’s a no and he doesn’t want to tell you?

I would text but i would do it on monday. Its not something to bother him with over the weekend.

Firstly you sent it on Wednesday evening so that’s out of business hours.

So they only had Thursday and Friday to consider a huge proposition. It’s Sunday. I would leave it until at least next Wednesday morning unless you are desperate for a decision due to needing to move out otherwise.

He's not interested
He's busy
He doesn't want to sell
Don't text something like this on the weekend

YABU

I'd give it at least a week, if not two. It's not necessarily a decision he'd make at the drop of a hat.

Not needing to move out but would like to start planning / looking elsewhere etc.

I know I’m being impatient but such a huge thing for us.

Ring him

It's a huge thing for you but you've essentially asked him to give up a source of income permanently. That's not really something you can give an answer to in a couple of days. He will presumably have to look at how that will affect him and whether he could replace that income or live without it.

You've asked, don't pester a few days later. If he's not replied at all within a week to acknowledge you I would message again just to check he did read the message (unless there's a way of seeing it's been read).

What's he usually like for response times?

Yes, it's huge for you. You've been thinking about it. It's a big financial decision

Your landlord has not been thinking about it. He has a rental income. That is what he is thinking about

At least let the man have more than 5 minutes to work out the financial implications for him

it is a huge decision so please allow him time to think about it otherwise you will annoy him.

It is a huge decision for him. He’s probably not even considered selling and he would loose his rental income, give him at least a week to consider it.
Pester him and he’ll probably tell you no & get angry.

I'd back off for a couple of weeks.

Definitely don't pester him over the weekend! It's a big complex decision - you've had plenty of time to consider it at your own pace, I think he's more likely to consider it seriously if you give him some space to think it through properly.

But that doesn't mean it's a huge thing for anybody else.

By all means follow up but don't ask if he received it. Of course he received it*. Asking a non-question like that is a way to force an irritated answer of "yes I did", but you are still no further forward.

Ask an actual question, like "is it something you'd be willing to consider?". But also I echo the pp who said to call him, in business hours. Be a real person talking to another real person.

(*cue a whole barrage of posters angrily telling me they have not received hundreds of messages)

To be fair email would have been better, it’s a big ask a text feels flippant. I’d follow up next week with an email maybe and a price you’d be willing to offer. Lots are selling up so good luck.

Generally very good at replying. Although we generally talk by text rather than email. Only use email for things like rent increases etc.

Officially fully managed via a letting agent but after a couple of years in the property he asked if we were comfortable having direct contact after a big misunderstanding re the boiler via the agency.

We’ve lived in the property 10 years, he has multiple other properties but all in the area where he now lives. Not local to us.

If you were my tenant and you'd emailed me asking this question, I would have been overjoyed.
Like you, my tenant has been in situ for a decade (and a bit). I would have sold by now if he had moved out.
It is a big ask though and yours sounds to be a career landlord, whereas I couldn't sell when I needed to move because of negative equity :-(
I would give it a week and then follow up.
Good luck!

Hopefully he feels the same and is just digging out his paperwork to see what costs etc would be involved for him.

He does own a few houses now, but this was his original property which he owned and lived in. He then moved away with work, I suspect also couldn’t sell originally but now has bought a few more.

I wouldn’t text him again now, but what about drafting an email outlining your intentions and your desired timeline. Have you approached lenders about a mortgage yet, for example?
Would you like to complete within six months?

I’d send the email tomorrow at the earliest, it’s not an emergency situation.

Yes we have an agreement in principle, we got this first before approaching him to make sure we could pay it and also in the off chance he decided to give us notice knowing we were planning on moving anyway.

We’ve been to look at new builds today which would probably be our plan B if he says no to this.

I hope it all works out for you @Futurethinking2026. 🤞

@BruFord thank you!

Call him tomorrow morning after 9am. Good luck !

We did email him, not text him for that very reason.

We’ve did say we don’t expect an immediate response and outlined we had a deposit saved and a DIP ready to go, also thanked him for our long standing tenancy which ever way the conversation goes.

I think I just though I would get a thanks for you email. I need some time to consider or thanks for your email. This isn’t something I would be interested in (either by text or email).

Even if he is open to the idea of selling it will probably take him a while to get advice about costs, etc.
He will almost certainly be liable for CGT, and if he wishes to purchase a replacement property will need to pay 5% Stamp Duty, so it’s not the easy, straightforward transaction that it might initially appear to be.