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.

Wow! How lucky of the LL to have found such great tenants.....
How would you feel OP if this was your buy to let property and you had fallen on hard times and needed to sell? You'd hope that your tenants would be respectful and considerate surely??

Very naive to think that they will easily be able to find somewhere.
Round this area rentals are gone before they are advertised.

The local estate agents have waiting lists for rentals. Starting to look now could be the difference between finding somewhere they like or having to take something they are not keen on.

I dont understand the need to dig their heels in and make things difficult.

Maybe read some of the thread as this is just repeating numerous previous posters who haven’t read what I have actually said and have made up their own narrative.

That makes no sense. Why would they voluntarily give up their current tenancy when they haven’t even been served notice yet?

This is getting so so weird, the poster never said voluntarily give up. They didn’t even allude to it, no one has said this, what’s being said is they need to start looking at what’s available and understand rhe market and how quickly properties go,

aw… thinking removing some soft furnishings will put anyone off!

For exactly the reasons that poster just gave....! If they aren't under notice yet it makes sense to look now on their own terms. I take it you have room for them to live with you if they leave it until the last minute. And they're not saying give notice are they? That would be once they've possibly found somewhere new.

Because they need to be proactive!!

1. offer on the flat they you don’t want to move from
2. register with all letting agents AND start viewing
3. start viewing property to buy that they can afford. (and by your posts that I HAVE read, they can afford something just not what you expect the full value of the one they live in to be)
4. Offer to pay a rent that would make it viable for the LL even if that’s over the market rate.

When in a hole stop digging you sound awful and your follow ups make me wish awfuller was a word

You came on here with a thread title and OP looking for suggestions from other posters BEYOND simply removing the cushions.

It is as plain as day you want the flat to be unsellable so your son and his partner can lowball a by-then-desperate landlord with a risable offer.

Because they know they are going to have to move and if they start looking now they have control over choosing somewhere they like.

You seem to think they will be able to find a suitable place at exactly the end of the given notice with no overlap.

Exactly this.

I know, it reminds me of those threads where someone's house won't sell and they ask for advice. You usually get nonsense like "straighten out the duvet, put nice soap in the bathroom, add more cushions" . It won't make a property sell, and the absence won't prevent a sale.

The whole thread is bonkers because the tenants don’t need to allow viewings so why the hell would taking away a few cushions and rugs matter? The LL will no doubt happily market it once they’ve fucked off. Of course, the son and his gf may decide to take more sane advice than his parent can offer and be proactive about finding another property without a mad rush. Or without incurring further expenses and a shite reference if they dick about.

Well, that don’t actually know that they are going to have to move until notice is served so it would be foolish to move at this point and they aren’t going to be taken seriously by an agent if they start looking so far in advance when there are so many prospective tenants after each property.

Not so proactive that they give up their current tenancy before notice is even served

I think we should all just give up on here. OP you would have been better off just standing in front of a mirror today and giving yourself all the answers you wanted to hear.

A lot of property programmes on the TV suggest otherwise.

Agree.

Seconded.

That would be utterly despicable, and I don't think they deserve a medal or a pat on the back for NOT doing those things. You word it as if the LL should be grateful.

You really think they should move out before they are given notice? Why would that possibly make sense?

Good grief how many times...?!?! If they find somewhere themselves before notice they will be doing it on their own terms. Someone find me some crayons please!!!

I know you have said they will, but I just wouldn't allow viewings, they are under no obligation to do so (regardless of anything their contract might say) and there would be no benefit to them.

Yawn, this has already been said numerous times today including liberal use of the word despicable.