Landlord putting house on the market

[aunaturel78]

Our landlord informed us a few weeks back that he was putting our rented home on the market for sale. We have been here for a few years and the house is in a nice area with a beautiful mature garden which is not overlooked. They have not given us notice to leave and obviously want us to stay until they find a buyer. The agent managing the sale has said there is a good chance that an investor will by and we could possibly stay on as tenants. Has anyone ever had this happen???

I am very worried that we are risking having nowhere to go if/when the sale goes through, but on the other hand of course we would love to stay here if possible. I have looked at another house in the area but it has a very small gravel garden (maybe not kid or dog friendly) but at least kids would remain in same area for friends etc.... Would you move asap or take the risk of staying during sale process ???

It's a tricky one - I guess it comes down to how likely it is that the house will sell to an investor. The EA will probably tell you anything to keep you in there for as long as helps the landlord: that's who they are working for. Are there lots of let properties in the area? What kinds of places seem to be selling? The answers to these questions might be more useful than EA flannel. How good is your relationship with the landlord?

You could choose to be around for any viewings - find out who the prospective purchasers are. Alternatively you can refuse viewings. If you do that you will potentially force the landlord's hand and they may well serve you notice and risk a void period before completing on the sale. No chance of staying then.

In your position I'd keep looking and monitor how viewings are going. If you find somewhere you like enough to move to you could then serve your notice on the landlord rather than be in limbo.

Thanks for your advice wowfudge! Its just such a bad situation all round I think and I am totally aware that the EA is just trying to keep us sweet for as long as possible. The house is not on market just yet so we have not had any viewings to date. Many of the properties in the area are being bought by investors but I feel that our house will appeal to families as it quite spacious, detached with a large south facing garden.

To be honest the house is in poor enough condition and could really do with a facelift but the owner has refused to do even basic maintenance. We really stayed for the garden (crazy I know), I'm an ecologist and having a garden like this with trees and lots of wildlife is very important to me, although it may seem crazy to others.

We would love to buy the house but for financial reasons its just not possible. I guess I'll just have to keep looking, it's next to impossible to find a large enough property in this area at the minute but fingers crossed xx

Im a ll and own my own property, but for various reasons had to move to a new area, so Im renting. This has just happened to us for the 3rd time in 12 months!!

Its so inconvenient, costs a fortune and unsettles the children, so I have decided to put my family first, and that means delaying the sale for as long as possible (unless something better comes along). Im not going to allow any viewings until the last month of the contract (legally allowed).

Im pretty antsy about it as it is the 3rd time, we've only been here a few months so still in fixed term and I asked specifically for a long term rental, checked and double checked. You may not feel quite so hard done by.

Each time the LL has lied, "just getting insurance valuation", "just sending a friend round", "just testing the market" etc etc and the agents have gone along with it and pretended we'd be OK and they'd help.

You need to do whats right for you, within legal bounds, uncomfortable as that may be. Good Luck.

contract or not, you don't as a tenant have to allow ANY viewings at all, or any access except for emergencies. It is wise to allow access for fixes but viewings are not that.

OP, another one in a dump, I see, so I hope it is a cheap dump. Good news for you is that if you aren't in the bottom right-hand corner no-one will buy it unless it is very cheap; would you buy a tatty unmaintained property with a tenant in? So perhaps it won't go and you could end up being able to buy it at a cheap price.

Unfortunately it not exactly cheap as we are paying current market value for our vintage kitchen, bathrooms and carpets! Anyone buying this place will need to moderise no doubt.

We only had a fixed contract for the first yr and have just continued from that. While I may agree to viewings Im definitely not prepared to leave the
house during them.

Luckily, I presume it takes longer to sell a house with tenants insitu.

Only if the tenants have to be evicted.

hmm - expensive dump, or just old-fashioned? Looks don't matter but function does.

the sale cannot exchange until you have left. Giving you a section 21 doesn't guarantee that you will leave, so unless it is going to another landlord, the seller would be best to start the process. So I hope you get another landlord, and one that might actually fix the place.

you are now on 2 months notice from the landlord which can be started at any time.

I should have added that as with Sunnyshores this is the second time we have been in this situation in jyst over 2 yrs, our last place was also put on the market but we were given notice to leave before the process started.

I feel so bad that I cant buy a family home for our children, all this moving is so unsettling for them. We also do not have any family here so staying with them is not an option.

while it is not my intenion to make it difficult for the owner to sell, we will not be moving until a suitable alrernative is found. It would be amazing if another landlord purchased the house but Im not holding my breath.

Hi op. I'm sorry to hear this. It happened to me last year. The landlord bought the house, rented out to us for a year then put it back on the market a few months later. I totally feel your pain. If the house is priced fairly and in a nice area a family might want it. A future landlord might buy it, keep you there but at a higher rent. We just don't know. Having been in your position myself I'd advise you to register with as many letting agents as you can and keep in contact with them weekly. You never know, a great house with lovely garden may come up for rent and then out won't be so painful to leave. We were given notice and managed to find another house on the same street. But for a while we thought we'd be homeless. We allowed viewings and resolved not to force an eviction because we might need the landlord our agents reference. We have bought our own place now because having to move every year is too stressful and costly with three kids. I wish you the best of luck

Sorry for typos

FWIW look for a buy to let (not a landlord's own home while they are away) and one that has been purchased recently (you can find out on rightmove when it last sold). Also ask if you can have a long tenancy; first break at 6 months then ask for a lot more, with notice on your side but not the landlord's. Can be done. Especially if the landlord doesn't have a mortgage with conditions.

you don't have to go when your section 21 expires. But word gets round and a tenant that had to be evicted is not going to be top of people's lists. So communication is the key, help your landlord and they may help you.

but you don't have to allow viewings and you can wait to be evicted. Your call.

I have just had this happen to me. Landlord put property up for sale in may. Didn't want to give me 2. Months notice then as he knew it could take time to sell and didn't want it Sat empty. Equally so the market where I live in se London / Kent is mad for lettings with everyone chasing the few rental properties there are so I didn't want to risk not finding somewhere until absolutely necessary.

Bear in mind the following.

1. You do not have to allow any viewings and if you do allow you can stay and be present and your home doesn't have to look like a show home.
2. If he issues a section 21 giving 2 months notice and you haven't found anywhere by the end of it then you have a legal right to remain and he will have to go to court for possession. This can take timedepending on how busy the courts are
3. Depending on situtation get registered with your local council.
4. Go to them once you have your section 21
5. If you stay and wait while he tries to sell there is no guarantee of a developer. Mine has been sold to a family who want to live in it. So please do not hinge all your hopes on remaining there
6. Also another word of caution the agents selling will be nice as pie now to get you to play ball and allow viewings. I had 25 people view mine in 2 weeks. As soon as an offer came in they changed their tune completely and the first I knew it had been accepted was when someone put a sold board up outside one lunchtime. The agents are also ringing me every other day asking when I am leaving as they are worried the seller may pull out. They gave me so much grief to the point where last week I broke down in tears and told the bloke to piss off and leave us alone.

I too can sympathise with your pain. We are facing a very real possibility of being ina council hostel at Christmas with 4 kids. My eldest son asked if we will have to sleep on the streets. I feel a failure as a parent. We have only been here 18 months after our last property was also sold . Also think about whether a developer would want you living there. My house needs loads doing.to it and every developer was put off by what they would have to spend and the fact they couldn't really do the work with someone living there.

You need to be doing more than registering with agents and ringing each week. I don't know where you live but I am in Kent and houses can be let within hours here. I literally search right move,zoopla and prime location several times a day. And ring as soon.as.I see one. Me and 9 others viewed a very run down old fashioned house the other day up at £1300 a month. 8 of us went for it. The landlord chose someone who had offered a years .rent of £15k upfront. Its absoluely cut throat. I implore you to get on your local council housing list immediately as toi mat need their help. x

I really hope that you manage to find a new home really soon 220hawthorn!!!. The housing situation is really brutal at the minute, especially for families seeking rental properties. We also looked at a house a few wks back but in the end the owner chose a another couple ( I think without kids). Even though we were notified of impending sale 5 wks ago the house is still not on market, is this the norm?.

I live in a small town and there are not that many EA here, the main one being the group that are selling our current home so not expecting them to be very helpful!! I am checking 3-4 times daily for new listings in the area.

Just a quick shout out to all fellow house hunters, hope its been going well!! To udate on our situation, well our house has been officially on the market for the past 5 weeks and so far no viewings. Quite overpriced I think considering what other houses here have made.

I have been house hunting like crazy and found a place we liked except its on the opposite side of town, making it impossibe to walk to school, pop to friends etc. Its also 300 more per month which is quite worrying in our current financial state. Im stil very torn about making a decision therefore. Current house could takes ages to sell but new place would offer something longterm just bad location.

You could always see if they will bring the rent down. Depends how much interest there has been. Have you been served notice yet?

No we have not been given notice yet, just been told that our tenancy will nit be affecred until the have an offer and then they may require us to vacate. Risky perhaps considering christmas is not far now. We would be entitled to 8 wks notice. So tired of renting, absolutely no certainty for families. When I viewed the potential house recently, I asked the owner if they intend to sell, they said definitely not in next 10 yrs they want long term tenants

They all say they want a long-term tenant, then keep in the 2-month notice clause in any tenancy.

no 'they' don't. My tenant is on a longer tenancy from my side, although he can give a month's notice at any time. How he wants it.

the first lease is usually 1 year, with a break at six months for both sides. After that - what can be agreed.

sorry, boring old facts again.

guessing the OP's landlord won't get a sale this year, and possibly never unless the price is dropped.

yes, on reflection; no viewings means over-priced. If they haven't worked that out yet nothing will happen for some time.