Expect empathy from landlord b/c upcoming surgery

[Booktote]

After nine years, our (large, commercial) landlord raised our rent by 28% citing market rates, we tried to negotiate and while they met us halfway we still can’t afford it so have to leave. (Not our first raise, it’s increased in line with inflation every year until now) Timing couldn’t be worse as I have upcoming cardiac surgery, and will struggle to pack up our house during that time (not to mention house hunt etc). Was going to have the surgery last week but it got cancelled and I’m waiting for the new date, which will be in the next weeks or month. Need to move within eight weeks.

we have asked landlord for flexibility: we’d either find something and move asap, before surgery, within the next couple of weeks. We’d like to pro rata our rent for the remainder.

If we can’t find anything, we’d like to stay for at least three months after the surgery.

They have said no.

Do we have any rights? Are there any precedents from similar situations which we could refer to in order to get them to agree? Just that question really, I’m not looking for alternative solutions as we’ve considered all options (no family or friends to stay with to bridge any gaps, etc etc).

Did you miss the part where the OP has had a place to live in return for her money for the last 9 years?

I’m a LL. I would have let the OP remain post-surgery fwiw but we’re not fucking panto villains either way. Some LL-s are shit, and some tenants are degenerates who live like pigs and leave someone else to clean up. The trick is for both sides to avoid the worst of the other.

And imagine this poor landlord has one house that is her pension following a shit divorce where she was financially shafted.

I wasn't calling out the op. They did exactly the right thing. I was calling out people who encouraged others to be morally bankrupt and to stay in the property despite the landlord giving sufficient time and due notice. Remember the op is unable to pay the rent the landlord requires.

Yes the landlord has has 9 years rent...but the op has had a roof over their head, repairs taken care of etc. They haven't just been doing the landlord a favour.

If your home is part of a block owned by the same LL and all the rents have gone up try to get your neighbours together to make a group challenge. You can appeal to t he rent tribunal and it will typically take many months to deal with. The LL will have to defend each case separately which is a lot of work. They may back off and settle for much less.

Whatever the case they cannot evict you until they obtain a court order and with current delays it can take many months to get to court. That should give you time to have your surgery.

LLs as a group disgust me. They have corrupt control over a scarce resource. They do not think of it as providing a service but as an investment to enrich themselves. Much of the expenses they say they have to pass on to tenants are legitimate business expenses and they can claim them against tax. They probably do that as well and simply double dip. If Tesco put their prices up you can shop in Lidl, batch cook or cook from scratch. If Eon put their prices up you can try to use less heating or wear warmer clothes. Moving house when the LL puts prices up is costly and not so easy. I lurk up on a LL forum and some of the comments I see there disgust me.

Or someone has pointed out that the press would have a field day if events took a certain path. It's not a good advert.

Good luck for your surgery.

Posted above before I read your update OP. You never know what happened. One of the other tenants might have issued a threat to go to the 1st tier tribunal. That's a LOT of work for the LL and one they are reluctant to engage in.

The LL tenant relationship is supposed to be a business contract between two equal parties. The new legislation has whipped a lot of them into line and they don't like it.

So all those people who are forced to do that because they would be deemed intentionally homeless and ineligible for assistance from their local authority housing department are being 'shits'?

That’s totally false equivalence- different situation, different legal framework.

If your entire financial wellbeing is tied up in one property then you shouldn’t be a landlord. The investment is too high risk - liquidate your asset and find a safer return. The problem is that people have been encouraged to view being a landlord as a safe, quick, good financial investment and don’t understand their legal position. Poor advice or cupidity.

Glad it is sorted OP. Good luck with the surgery.

Plenty of larger residential landlords have portfolio financing and with increased interest rates they have to do what the lender tells them in the covenants. Raise rents to make cover ratios or sell properties to reduce leverage.

Your landlord has possibly spoken to a mate in the same line of business

they’ve said to your landlord - well that’s a dick move

youll lose decent tenants you’ve had for 9 years
they could stay anyway over the time and what will you be able to do? Then by the time it goes to court they’ll be gone anyway

they can let you keep the deposit as any extra weeks rent

why not be sensible

keep good tenants, negotiate down

market rent is falsely high to allow offers under ( due to new system of working)

no empty weeks on property without rent

no empty weeks paying council tax

its madness to not let them stay and pay less than you are ur asking