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.

I also remember looking to buy and there was a house where the family were just sat around staring at us. Kids everywhere, holes in walls, broken fence and it makes you think how many are being evicted to sell.

Yep, that is pretty gross

I would've thought there still being tenants in situ would deter any non investor buyer more than any cosmetic type things. If I were buying a home to live in I wouldn't go near one with tenants who might become my problem.

It would at least give them longer before they have to uproot their lives from their cosy little home. Is that so difficult to comprehend?

It would put me off too as you never know whether they would refuse to move until they were evicted (as the councils actually recommend people to do if they want social housing when they leave)

My landlord sold the property we were renting while we were in it. The first we heard about it was when the new owner came and knocked on the door. He was happy for us to stay on. We just switched paying the rent to him.

Your son is not living in social housing though. Renting privately from a landlord is a completely different situation. We’ve all been there.

Boil cabbage and dont open the windows, or fry fish and dont wash up.

Do a wee jobby on the coffee table.

Its not their home though, it's the Landlords home, which they now wish to sell, and you wish to sabotage.

Either help them purchase, or advise them to start looking for alternative accommodation before the property is sold as they have a head start already.

Yes. The landlord owns the flat, and can sell it any time he likes. You're a pretty lousy person to try and think up ways to stop him doing this. Jesus, have you ever been a landlord?

It’s unlikely it will sell with tenants in situ, so they should be prepared for the landlord to serve them notice. I would be focussing on next steps, ie. having a look at what else is out there, saving for moving costs etc, rather than trying to delay the inevitable. The LL has every right to sell and also every right to kick them out - that’s the downside of renting I’m afraid!

That's an awful thing to do

Why not just negotiate with the LL, @RainingPasta? Maybe if they don’t have to get an estate agent to market the property, it will drop the price enough for your son to afford it. Plus the LL would be getting a quick and easy sale, which may be worth a bob or two off the price.

Good grief, can you really not comprehend what I am saying. My reply was not about my son, it was agreeing about being put off from buying a property myself if it had a tenant in it. 🤷‍♀️

Wow. No wonder the bottom has fallen out of buy to let. Which i dont necessarily think is a bad thing btw, and I only have 1 property, the one I live in, but I hope young people and their famillies are prepared for living at home until theire 30s or 40s once the current cmgkut of flats is sold off and there is little private rental market left.

What a scummy, scummy thing to do. Not sure what’s more despicable, your son coming up with that plan, you encouraging it, or you posting on MN like it’s no big deal.

A large rack of washing drying and anything else that highlights the cons of the place

They are entitled to a right to privacy and do not have to agree to viewings.

I don’t think anyone’s going to be put off by the lack of a few cushions.

Please read my posts before piling in and posting such nonsense.

But leaving with a good reference will make the next move so much easier. My first landlord actually found us or next place by recommending us to our next landlord. In a really competitive rental market having a landlord who can say that you are good, clean and cooperative tenants will be really helpful. I’d even see if he can write a letter in advance you can send to estate agents in the area rather than waiting to the reference stage if there’s a few people interested in a property

How much drop would there need to be for it to become affordable?

If it's a reasonable amount; they could propose that they'd buy it and the seller would save on agents fees, photography, etc...

If it's more than that, it's probably quite unlikely.

You're right that it would give them longer before they have to move, but they're going to be living under the stress of viewings and not knowing what's happening, which might not actually be that good for them.

It does suck, I remember this happening a few times to us and it's horrible. I hope they find somewhere else they love just as much.

Yes, I’ve ascertained that is the consensus 😀

I wouldn’t agree to viewings while living there if possible.
I do feel for them, we’ve lived in the same private rental for 14 years and it very much is our home, I will be devastated if/when this happens to us.