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.

Greying baggy Y-fronts, bras and sports socks on every radiator.

Clutter by the door - recycling bin, unopened and junk mail, coats and shoes.

Incorrect. It is their home, but the landlord's property.

To the OP: communication is key. Your DS and his GF should communicate with the LL. If the LL wants to sell, s/he would save at least 1% of the sale price by selling to them and bypassing using an EA. So they are in a strong position. Speak to an independent mortgage broker and see how much they could borrow, then use that to bargain. If I was a LL, the "bird in hand" of a committed purchaser who would be prepared to push the conveyancing along would be worth more to me than the odd couple of grand that I might get several months down the line on the open market, but I accept that others may disagree.

They have been, and will continue to be, model tenants and will still keep the place clean and tidy as I said in my OP.

It’s just part and parcel of private renting. We need more social housing.

@Verv , Its not their home though, it's the Landlords home,
Wrong.

Fabtastic idea! Then get legally evicted for breaking any no smoking or no pets clause in the existing tenancy.......

I have, and it’s scummy. You are trying to make the property less appealing to potential buyers so that your son and his girlfriend can stay there longer. How about teaching them a life lesson that when things get difficult, you deal with the situation responsibly and fairly, rather than trying to put someone else in a difficult position for your own benefit?

Thanks for your kind advice, unfortunately I think it is unlikely they could afford it without a large reduction in price.

So then the LL will evict.

At least selling with tenants means that th buyer might be an investor who wants it with tenants in situ.

No. It's not. You just seem determined to shield your grown up child from a reality plenty of people have to face.

Sounds like the LL is doing the right thing selling up with your son as his tenant 🤭😂

Exactly. So I don't get the point of any other pissing about on top of that.

Is it the sort of flat where the owner is likely to have to take a haircut? I ask because there's massive variation in how flats have held value.

The 95% of YABU would disagree. Scummy.

If the LL cant find a buyer he may have to put the rent up.

Theyll be needing a reference off this landlord in the near future. Also its likely not the landlords fault theyre having to sell. Blame labour.
Nothing will put a buyer off the right property at the right place. Put your efforts into securing a new home for them. But you may struggle to find one as many rentals are being sold. Again, blame labour.

So you are trying to work out how to undervalue the property so that your precious son can but it,

What a dick move.

I've given solid advice- which is get your son and his girlfriend discussing and seeking information on the rental and buying market in their desired location, find a mortgage broker who can see whether they might be able to buy (not necessarily this one, if they moved on) and start making decisions based on this information.

One of the horrible things about being a renter is that you can suddenly find your home being sold, this may motivate them to try to buy or to choose where they go next.

If they allow viewings, it keeps the landlord onside and as a potential referee, and it's unlikely to sell anyway quickly. If they refuse, it pisses him off, more likely to evict. Over 50% of properties aren't selling, and just come off the market, they may be lucky (or perhaps it will be lucky if they buy it or something else).

A sale is likely to take 4-6 months once the LL has found a buyer. So if your son and his girlfriend are cooperative, they'll possibly get to stay into the period when the sale is underway (the LL will want an income from the property for as long as possible). He and his girlfriend might even find that the new buyer is another LL and they can stay put.

If they don't allow viewings, or the place is always a complete dump when viewings take place, the LL will serve notice on them, and they'll be out sooner rather than later.

As I said, @RainingPasta - why not negotiate for an estate agent free sale - that plus a quick guaranteed sale might drop the price enough for your son to afford the flat.

Hardly. I wasn’t even suggesting that they make the place dirty or untidy, just that (shock, horror) it might make it less appealing to buyers if they removed cushions and rugs.

How can I live with such lack of morals and scruples?

A large reduction may be possible, flat prices are plunging, but mortgage rates are going up, get advice! Stop speculating and get some facts and figures, also including rental and selling options and get them to work through them all instead of being stressed, action helps and there may be a way forward for them.

Yep, by removing their cushions. 😂

This will just lead to the landlord getting them out, even if they have to go to court. Selling is one of the scenarios in which a landlord can end a tenancy for no reason.

And OP, this is actually really awful behaviour, unless they are a corporate landlord. I was renting my own flat out as a single mum for a while, I didn't have another property, I was renting elsewhere which I had to for family reasons. My tenants had four times my income and no dependents, and they were absolute arseholes to me and caused me real financial problems (damage, unpaid bills transferred into my name etc). If they had done what you are proposing, it would have ended in a repossession and me and my child losing everything.

Unpopular opinion on MN (and in general) I know, and yes there are bad landlords out there, but a lot of them are just people in no better situation than you are, just trying to survive like everyone else.