To ask how to make rental flat less likely to sell?

[RainingPasta]

My son and his girlfriend have been renting a nice flat for the past couple of years but the LL now wants to sell it. They haven’t officially been given notice yet so it looks like the agent will be conducting viewings while they still live there.

They will still keep it clean and tidy but they are wondering if there is anything else they could do to make it less appealing. I suggested removing all their homely touches like cushions, rugs and pictures so it looks cold and bare but I’m not sure if that is a good idea?

Any suggestions would be appreciated. They want to delay the sale and might even be able to buy it themselves if it goes down enough in price.

Removing personal stuff makes it more attractive. People are put off my lots of clutter so the space looks small and cramped, dirt, especially in kitchen and bathroom, bad smells, cold, neighbour noise etc. However the market may well include people who also want to buy it to let, and they'll be looking at it from a business perspective so will see past all of that.
You'd be better advising your son to make sure he understands his rights, when he'd need to leave etc, by contacting Shelter or CAB.

And to the PPs giving (mostly jokey) advice about mouse traps and sewage smells etc etc, estate agents are many things but they’re not actually that stupid. They will report all this back to the LL who will then immediately serve notice. Therefore ensuring the hasty exit of the renters, rather than playing the long game and seeing whether the property actually sells.

Encourage them to look for new accommodation while they have time to do so.
Playing silly beggars is not going to stop the Landlord selling the flat.

I agree with pp the whole concept of what you are posting is really scummy. I hope your DS has more integrity and just gets on with finding a new rental without trashing his references.

Looks like not everyone is up to date with some recent laws about renting. No landlord is allowed to give notice because they feel like it, or they don’t like the tenant, or they’ve heard the tenants have placed mousetraps at the property, or any other non-legitimate reason.

Not a nice thing to consider by you and your son. Not very nice at all

Precisely, and that’s life. There will always be rich and poor, winners and losers. Some people have multiple cars, take multiple abroad holidays and send their kids to private school. Others use the bus, have weekends in Blackpool and their kids go to the local comp. Some people retire early and travel the world while others die of cancer at 60 and never get to draw their pension.

But LL can give notice if he wishes to sell, which he does. Law does not say you have to keep the tenant while you market the property so he can give notice any day. If the tenant is making the sale hard he’ll get rid.

But they can if they intend to sell, which this landlord does. I’m surprised the landlord hasn’t already served a section 8 notice actually but perhaps he’s hoping to sell with tenants in situ.

Why can’t people express their views about the topic without resorting to personal insults? You wouldn’t be so unpleasant IRL.

I’m shocked at your attitude to someone else’s property and then renters wonder why people don’t want to be landlords.

It's all your fault @RainingPasta , just bung them £100K to use as a deposit, buy some buy-to-lets and get over yourself.

At last, a sensible suggestion. Thanks @HugoThatway I’ll see how much is down the back of the sofa 💰💰

I promise you I’d 10000% tell you that you are ridiculous for this to your face

Our tenant moved out (of their own free will) and we decided to sell. The first viewers bought it, for very close to asking price - we were shocked.
I then visited the house and if I'd seen it before hand would not have returned the whole deposit.
An entire carpet missing with cement floor only. Chunks taken out of the wall where a TV bracket would have been. It would have cost us hundreds to fix.
So, unfortunately, if the flat is priced well and viewers are allowed in for a look around, there's very little your son can do to put them off 😕

To be honest, I was more put off from being a landlord by the risk of the property being trashed or the tenants refusing to pay rent or move out until they were evicted. My son and his GF would have been ideal tenants.

This is awful. Don’t do it. They should focus their energy on finding somewhere new to live.

I am incredibly anti-LL and even I think this is a shit thing to be thinking of doing.

Renters should prepare for this eventuality.

If I was the landlord and the tenants refused viewings or put rat traps down etc to make it look like there was a rodent problem etc I would just serve notice and get it sold once they moved out. In reality they need to either work out if they would have a chance of buying the house or find a new place to rent.

And then they would never be able to get another rental property

if the Landlord wants to sell the flat (and many do atm) he will sell it. Your DS would be better putting his energy into finding a new place to live

They can’t look for a new property when they have at least four months before they have to leave this one,

Disgusting behaviour. Is this a wind up ? Where are their morals ? And yours as you seem to be encouraging it.

I have an empty flat trying to sell and you’ve put me right off renting it out, it’s sitting empty for fear of people behaving like you want your son to

There is nothing stopping them looking for a new property.