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Original poster

Advice on telling tenants I'm selling

41 replies

daisiesinthespring · 06/04/2016 13:44

The situation is complicated by the fact they are friends of friends - would you text, tell them face to face?

Am thinking of putting house on the market in June or July :)

OP posts:
LIZS · 06/04/2016 13:46

Not text. Face to face or letter. You'll need to issue a statutory notice too, can you afford a void period if they leave before you sell.

Cottonflossy · 06/04/2016 13:47

Face to face and a letter to follow up with. Give them as much notice as possible and provide references as soon as you can.

Original poster
daisiesinthespring · 06/04/2016 13:48

Definitely face to face? It's a good 2 hour drive so I'd have to text them to give them notice of my arrival - if that makes sense.

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Original poster
daisiesinthespring · 06/04/2016 13:49

Yes, a void period is fine and preferable in some ways as I do need to decorate and don't want to do that 'around' them as it were.

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Cottonflossy · 06/04/2016 13:50

Yes I think it's better face to face. Depends how good of friends you are I suppose and how your relationship has been so as tenants/landlords. I definitely wouldn't do it via text.

wowfudge · 06/04/2016 13:55

If they agree to meet with you, it'll be an opportunity to see the place and check if anything needs doing too.

Titsalinabumsquash · 06/04/2016 13:57

If you really can't get there for a face to face then at least call rather than text! Follow with a letter.

Original poster
daisiesinthespring · 06/04/2016 13:59

I'm just thinking if I was a tenant and the landlady ominously said she wanted to come round it might feel a bit threatening!

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53rdAndBird · 06/04/2016 14:00

Can you give them a ring, if visiting would be impractical? Text feels a bit inappropriate.

Original poster
daisiesinthespring · 06/04/2016 14:05

Yes, I will do I think - thanks.

When do you think would be best?

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winchester1 · 06/04/2016 14:08

Sooner the better id think. Give them as much time as possible to sort a move. Id do it this evening (after kids would be in bed if they have them).

Original poster
daisiesinthespring · 06/04/2016 14:10

Thank you :)

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Notyetthere · 06/04/2016 17:00

Our landlord sent us a letter offering us to buy the flat if we wished. We weren't planning on settling in the area so we declined but this did cause a little panic in us as we were planning on buying a house in our preferred location 6 months later didnt want to move to another rented place.

Anyway, call them, tell them what you intend to do then follow it up with the s21 if you want to sell the property vacant. We were lucky that they actually didnt want to have a void period so they marketed it with us in it the flat. We didn't have a problem with the viewings. Most of them were when we were out at work anyway. Their plan was to give us the s21 once they had an offer accepted.

specialsubject · 06/04/2016 17:34

call them, a section 21 out of the blue is a bit frightening for tenants that haven't done anything wrong.

You can issue the notice for longer than 2 months. As they don't have to allow viewings, and you can't sell until they've left unless to another landlord, there are many reasons to have the place empty before you start marketing.

lalalonglegs · 06/04/2016 18:22

Depending on where you live, marketing the property in June /July probably means you're going to be in the start of thes summer doldrums plus you can't give your tenants more than the two months statutory notice and allow a couple of weeks for redecorating etc. I'd tell them now and give them the summer to sort themselves out so you can market the property in the autumn.

lalalonglegs · 06/04/2016 18:23

Yes, and call them rather than text and offer firstr refusal as suggested above.

Original poster
daisiesinthespring · 06/04/2016 18:36

Many thanks, will do so.

I am very flexible so am happy to go with whatever makes life easiest for them. In some ways it would be less awkward if I didn't know them - I feel it's something that should be dealt with formally but dealing with it formally also seems cold and remote somehow - aargh! Nightmare.

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VinceNoirLovesHowardMoon · 06/04/2016 18:41

Phone them asap. My landlord told me recently that he won't be renewing my tenancy in October and I'm very grateful he gave me so much warning.

Original poster
daisiesinthespring · 06/04/2016 19:02

Thanks, Vince, hope you're able to find somewhere else soon :)

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VinceNoirLovesHowardMoon · 06/04/2016 19:10

Thanks! I'm hoping to buy a flat but it will have to be about 1/3 the size of the house I'm in now!

sailawaywithme · 06/04/2016 23:24

Just call...no need to drive over there.

Original poster
daisiesinthespring · 07/04/2016 09:20

Thanks.

My tentative plan at the moment is to give them official notice at the end of this month- that the house is going to go up for sale at the end of May.

Even if someone makes an offer straightaway (which I doubt) nothing will happen for at least six weeks so that gives them a minimum of two and a half months and probably longer.

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ThroughThickAndThin01 · 07/04/2016 09:24

From what I've read on mn many tenants are difficult about allowing potential viewers around so just be prepared that you may have to wait to market it until they leave.

Original poster
daisiesinthespring · 07/04/2016 09:27

I don't think they will be to be honest. They have been charged well under market value for two years and they didn't pay a deposit or anything so they have had an easy time in some ways. If I could afford it they could stay there forever but unfortunately I need to sell so I can move on myself.

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ThroughThickAndThin01 · 07/04/2016 09:32

Well good luck. I don't think you need to do it face to face btw if they are friends of friends and you don't know them. A kind letter would be fine.