Giving notice on rental contract

[BoBoo]

So if you sign a years lease, are you bound to that? I've always thought that even if you sign up for a year you only have to legally give a months notice, that's why you are in such a good position to buy when renting. Is this correct? My husband seems to think we are obligated for the length of our contract.

If you have signed for 12 months, then you are obligated for the fixed term (and need to serve 1 month notice to quit).

What does it say in your contract about cancelling?

Check if there is a break clause in the middle.

I was thinking of a future contract. We have to be out of our current rental mid-December and are looking for somewhere to buy. We're not having any luck so far so am now thinking we're going to have to rent until something comes up. I know we could have a 6-month break clause, but I would hope to find something before then.

I would go for either a six month break clause, or a short term let.

Why would you think that? You sign a legal document for a year and expect to come and go as you please? No, the landlord would be entitled to pursue you for the full 12 months rent unless of course he gets another tenant to move in and doesn't lose out on any money. Your landlord would be witin his rights to ask you to pay advertising costs too.

Most Landlords will let you sign a 6 month contract (rather than 12). You're not likely to get one for much less than that and realistically, unless you have already started the process of buying a house, then 6 months isn't too much of an unrealistic timescale.

Can you negotiate with your landlord for a 'rolling' contract (or basically not signing a new contract)? You could promise 2 months' notice rather than the usual 1.

We just talked to our landlord when we thought we were going to buy. He let us just carry on the old contract (or rather he was too lazy to get us to sign another one!).

With a six month break clause, with a contract of say 2 years, does that mean that every four-six months you can review, or there's a break in the contract after the initial 6 months only?

Depends whether its a rolling break clause. A one off break clause at 6 months is more usual but it is all down to negotiation with the Landlord. You could ask for a rolling break clause after 6 months (i.e. you can break, with the relevant notice, at any time after the initial 6 months) or you could have a fixed term of 6 months, not renew and just stay in on a periodic tenancy whereby either you or the LLD can break the tenancy at any time with the relevant notice (LLD has to give 2 months by law)

Thanks Tillyscoutsmum