What are our rights as a long term tennant?

[littlemissneela]

We have been in our house for over 20 years, at a very good rate as the landlord has done nothing to the house since we moved in. He now wants to double the rent, and has mooted he could get anyone in at the price he wants, so basically letting us know we could be out.
We moved in on an assured shorthold tennancy agreement, which has run for that whole time.
It does need loads of work doing. We still have the same kitchen from when we moved in, and it was pretty shabby then. It also doesn't have a working boiler or immersion, so only hot water is in the shower. Thank goodness for a dishwasher! I cant see anyone else wanting to move in at what he is asking, without all that sorted.
I was wondering does anyone know if we have any rights as tennants for so long, paying our rent every month (though some years its been a few months late, but always paid)? What about preferential (reduced) price to be able to buy it?
We are due a meeting with him soon, and will be speaking with CAB next week depending on the outcome of said meeting, but I thought someone on here is bound to have some ideas about this. Many thanks

Wind your neck in Korma this house is not "someone else's home" it's the OP's home. This is what she pays her rent for.

The hard time that honest tenants get on here is astounding. Please remember that people who rent are human beings too, they just might not have as much money as those who own their own home.

Sorry OP, the legislation regarding renting in this country is a joke, heavily tipped in the landlords favour. Sorry your LL is so crap.

had to happen sooner or later...

yes, this place sounds like a dump but the OP has put up with it for 20 years by choice, and I'm sure she had her reasons.

hollow laughter at your comment of 'legislation tipped in landlord's favour' for reasons I won't go into but are obvious. Not suggesting the legislation gets changed but tenants have rights, and should use them.

It is their home
It may not belong to them but it is their home. They have lived there for 20 years.

OK I'm splitting semantic hairs, but I don't think any LL should be viewing any property they own as their "home", simply as houses or flats. I think the term home should be reserved for the place you actually live day to day.

And being able to turf out a tenant of 20 years with just 2 months notice and with no reason needing to be given, seems like a pretty skewed balance of power.

It does depend of the type of tenancy agreement.

I agree it's not ideal but I think the solution is to build more social housing, which would give more people on lower incomes better housing security, and to discourage property investment (properties should be homes not investments IMO) which would make property more affordable for people who want to buy.

I don't actually think the answer is to give private landlords fewer rights to get their own property back. I understand it's tough on the tenant but it is what you sign up for when you rent a property from a private landlord.

As far as I can see the landlord isn't 'turfing' the OP out he is letting them know he is intending to increase the rent. They have a choice to pay the rent increase or find somewhere else to live. From what the OP has said it is unlikely they would find anywhere else much cheaper if they went elsewhere.

Although I have sympathy for the OP I actually in this situation myself ib the otherside. We sublet a property as part of our business tenancy and the tenant has been in there for many years on a seriously below market rate because the current 'heads' of the business have been too soft and too afraid to do something about it years ago. The younger generation are about to take over and to make the business viable the rent will have to be increased to a normal market rate. Our tenant has reacted much the same way as the OP but to make the business viable it's out only option. Essentially at the moment we are subsidising their lifestyle at our own loss.

Thank you for your comments.
We do view it as our home, though it is not our house. The house belongs to the LL. It isn't the best house by any shot, but I wouldnt say its a dump. We have raised our family here. We have stayed as long as we have because, by chance, it was perfect for schools. This wasn't something we thought about at all when we moved in.
The LL was a friend from our local, and when we had to move from a previous house, he stepped in to help.
I was only asking about any pref rates for long term tennants, as its was something suggested to us years ago by family, but I didn't know if it was true or not. It's been made quite clear that it isn't.
Anyhoo, dh is speaking to LL now, so we shall see what comes of it.

You should get advice from cab as you planned, but to correct a minor point above, which said that if you involve environmental health at the council and they issue an improvement notice, the LL can't serve notice. This is only true for contracts signed from sept 2015. Shelter web pages are a great resource.

Your ll s/was a friend perhaps just sit down and talk to him, honestly tho he's given friends cheap rent/good terms for twenty years and perhaps his circumstances have changed and he needs market rate. Maybe he wants to renovate, sell or perhaps even move into the house himself. You sound like ideal tenants every ll wants long term tenants who pay on time (a couple of late over twenty years is irrelevant), you've also swopped work for low rent (Windows) so he sounds pretty amenable if somewhat lazy. If the condition of the property is poor he may well need it to be empty to renovate properly or he might just want to sell given the tax changes. I think you should offer to buy (at market rate obviously) it problem solved.

Would you consider renting elsewhere until you find another place you would like to buy?

Maybe he knows you wont like the 100% rent increase and is hoping you will settle for a 50% increase.

Dh had a long chat with LL last night. Basically, he doesn't want to sell at all. He wants to remortgage our house to pay for his ex's new home in their settlement. He said he could get a family of Romanians living here at the price he wants, even in the condition it is in.
We would love to buy here, as it has huge potential, but as thats not to be, I am now mentally trying to move on. I have done a to do list of things we have done, not brilliantly, to put right, and will now start looking at buying. Dh job is changing this year, and if all goes to plan, he will be on a much higher income and coupled with a gift from his parents selling their house, we should be able to buy a new home with one of these help to buy schemes.
However, if job doesn't pan out, we shall just have to suck up the rent increase as there is nowhere near here that would be big enough, that would also allow pets.

If you look in your local weekly paper, there should be at least one page of private adverts for rentals.
I have found & lived in 4 that allowed pets. 2 cats & a huge dog at the time in Cornwall, all around £550-£650.

Even if you have to downsize to rent with pets for 12 months, it will be cheaper & allow you to save.

Let him rent it out for 100% more to other people, see this as your new start.