Tips to get out of/change our lease please

[rentingschmenting]

After some advice please.

My DH and I are six months into a two year tenancy agreement. Sadly we have separated and no longer wish to live together.

Now I know that technically our landlord can force us to honour our tenancy agreement as it is - with both our names on the contract.

But we would at least like to try to get out of it as is. Dh would like to remain living in the property and get someone to share with him (it's two bedrooms, and we don't have children thank goodness). The second best option would be for us both to move out.

Does anyone have any advice? How should we approach this with our landlord? Any tips for negotiation? Should we sweeten the deal? All words of wisdom appreciated!

And no neither of us can afford to live their alone, or move out and continue to pay towards it with another place to pay for.

We appreciate this is a pain for our landlord so want everything to be fair, and we want to be reasonable of course

communication, pure and simple. It happens (it happened to two of my tenants) - so the first thing is to contact the landlord, stating what you want to happen and how you propose to help it happen. You've already identified your preferred choices so that is good.

I'm surprised you have no break on your side in an agreement that long. Anyway, suggested way forward is to offer to pay all referencing and marketing costs for the new flatmate/ new tenants. (With just one other person the house does not turn into an HMO which is a whole different game).

the other thing is to be very helpful with viewings and keeping the place in top tidiness so a new person is encouraged in as soon as possible.

yes, your landlord could technically hold you to the contract; but doing so is going to cost him a lot more cash and hassle than agreeing a break. So the above is beneficial for both sides. Get the agreement in writing.

nb whatever happens, the deposit needs to come back as the current tenancy will end. Whoever stays then pays a new deposit.

Thank you special.

Do you know roughly how much the referencing and marketing costs would be?

referencing doesn't actually cost very much but that doesn't stop some agents charging a lot! You can find out from the website of the agent your landlord uses, or by asking them.

actual marketing costs again depend on the agency arrangement your landlord has, so again you need to ask. OK, so the new tenancy fees and so would need to be paid as and when you left, but it will cost the landlord more as he/she assumed all was done for two years and now has to do it all again after six months. The new tenant may not be staying as long so again, more costs.

as I said - communication, the situation is what it is.

I thought that a lot of contracts had the option to the end the tenancy so long as you had found someone else to live there (and they passed referencing etc). But there are still costs for this.

This happened to our tenants and I agree with communication being key. I was fine with the agent marketing the property again to find new tenants, as long as we didn't bear any of the costs of the new tenancy. It was re-let very quickly and everyone was happy.

Another tenant, who got a job elsewhere, didn't communicate and sublet the property without telling the agency or us. That ended badly as the official tenant fell out with the 'tenant' who changed the locks and refused to leave at the end of the tenancy. Original tenant was found out, had to cough up for the rent and legal costs.

I would say to simply explain the situation to the landlord as you have done here.