Tenant in Situ

[purpleme12]

We've been renting this house for years
And now the landlord wants a valuation on it so it's looking to sell
Apparently with us in it or not, I guess depending on who he can get
How likely is it that it will be sold with us in it??
This has come as such a bombshell and it's just me and my child 😟

@purpleme12 please don’t panic. You have not been served notice yet. Yes have a chat with the Council housing office about potential next steps. Ask them specifically if their policy requires you to be evicted (as opposed to leaving voluntarily). But really there is nothing you need to do until the day a court order is served on you. This could be a year away. Call Citizens Advice or Shelter and they will tell you this.

And in the nicest possible sense please don’t let pets come between you and a good home (I say that as a pet owner). Most private landlords don’t permit pets either.

I've seen a number of properties being sold with tenants so it might be. I would however, prepare to move if you can afford it. And then the landlord loses rent but so be it.

Unless there is something you’ve not mentioned about your rent being a lot lower than market rate meaning unintentional homelesssness and the council are your only route, it may be time to look for other rental in the area. As other say, you have to be given 6 months notice at present.

Than 6 months notice is just to get papers served a court, hearings are massively backlogged so could be 4-6 months after that date, more for some parts of the country. You can agree to move at any point before the court hearing. I’m pretty sure going to court/eviction dont even appear on your credit record.

If you have a guarantor then you really need to read what the agreement states regarding their liabilities. They aren’t going to thank you if they end up responsible for paying the landlord’s court costs if you refuse to leave and that route has to be taken.

There's a chance the property will sell to a new investor, especially if:-

• You already pay a comparable market rate

• You haven't missed any rental payments

• It's energy rating (EPC) is C (minimum E)

• The electrics have been recently tested (From 1April 2021, forexisting tenancies, anelectricalsafetytestwill need to be carried out by 1April 2021)

(From 1 April 2021, for existing tenancies, an electrical safety test will need to be carried out by 1April 2021)

Which part of the country are you in? A house outside the south east will generally cost less and give a better rental return. Also are you on benefits, as this may make a difference, some landlords can't get insurance if the tenant is on benefits. Finally does your current landlord increase the rent every year? If so, it's likely your rent is inline with similar local properties, which would be attractive to a potential landlord.

Your rights as a tenant don't change because the landlord wants to sell.

@ComtesseDeSpair

If you have a guarantor then you really need to read what the agreement states regarding their liabilities. They aren’t going to thank you if they end up responsible for paying the landlord’s court costs if you refuse to leave and that route has to be taken.

Thank you for pointing this out as I hadn't thought of this

(Not that I'd got as far as thinking of refusing to leave but I hadn't thought about this)

@Didyousaysomethingdarling

Which part of the country are you in? A house outside the south east will generally cost less and give a better rental return. Also are you on benefits, as this may make a difference, some landlords can't get insurance if the tenant is on benefits. Finally does your current landlord increase the rent every year? If so, it's likely your rent is inline with similar local properties, which would be attractive to a potential landlord.

In Yorkshire. I work part time so get tax credits (So for insurance purposes would be classed as working anyway, I work in insurance) No my rent hasn't been increased since I moved in I've lived here since 2016

But then the property does needs updating.
The carpets are awful
The kitchen's really old

OP, it must be a bit of a shock but you're rushing ahead a bit. Even if the landlord wants to sell without you in situ, you haven't had notice served so it will take months. It's entirely possible he might get a valuation and decide to do nothing, or remortgage, or try and sell with you there (which shouldn't affect you). Either wait and see or just ask but try not to worry about it before you know what the score is.

@Didyousaysomethingdarling

There's a chance the property will sell to a new investor, especially if:-

• You already pay a comparable market rate

• You haven't missed any rental payments

• It's energy rating (EPC) is C (minimum E)

• The electrics have been recently tested (From 1April 2021, forexisting tenancies, anelectricalsafetytestwill need to be carried out by 1April 2021)

I'm not sure about market rate really Not sure how I'd find that out

Not missed payments no

Energy rating is D

No electrical tests

Yes am a bit panicking I guess.
It's hard not to
It's just on top of everything else going on it's even more a shock I guess

I'll try to calm down lol

I'm not sure about market rate really. Not sure how I'd find that out

You could look on sites like Zoopla under house valuations for your address - they usually also provide a rental estimate, although from my experience these are usually too high.

You could also search for other properties similar to yours for rent. I'm afraid if your rent hasn't changed since 2016 you are likely going to have to pay more for the same size property if you move.

Ah right ok. Not good

Although this one is 3 bedroom (3rd is very small) I could go down to 2...
I guess we'll have to see 😞

Try this RightMove rental link

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-to-rent/find.html?locationIdentifier=REGION%5E61326&maxBedrooms=3&minBedrooms=3&maxPrice=1000&minPrice=400&sortType=1&propertyTypes=bungalow%2Cdetached%2Csemi-detached%2Cterraced&includeLetAgreed=true&mustHave=garden&dontShow=houseShare%2Cstudent%2Cretirement&furnishTypes=&keywords=

It's set as
Yorkshire +0 miles and price £400 PMC to £1,000 PCM

Change to
your postcode +1/2 miles and price to £200 more than you're currently paying

This should give you an idea of what's around and for how much.

If the rent hasn't gone up since 2016, how much would you have expected it should have gone up by?

I'm just wondering because just wondering what's normal now

A straight calculation from 2016 rents might be £15-20 a month added each year. But that is really rough - depends if it was market rate at the time and how rents have changed for your specific area and type of property.

The best predictor of the going rental rate for your property is to look at similar properties in your area - same no of bedrooms, type of property (flat, house etc). The Rightmove rental search didyousay mentions is best. Just go on rightmove.co.uk add your area, choose rent then on the next page set the filters (number of bedrooms, type of property, features such as garden etc).

Some areas have seen huge rent rises since 2016, some no change and some rent drops. Depends on the market locally. Also, the standard of the house. You get landlords who think rent is all about the number of rooms and forget people won't pay rent for a poorly maintained home equivalent to one well decorated and looked after.

Ok. Gosh this is hard by yourself

@purpleme12

Ok. Gosh this is hard by yourself

We're here! We can help find information/ talk you through plans etc.

What do you need?

There 2 covid positives in your situation - you’ll need to be given 6 months notice plus private lanlords are having to be more flexible on pets due to pet ownership increase over the last year. I say this as a dog owner needing to find a rental soon and having spoken to a couple of agencies.

@1frenchfoodie I’m afraid you are perhaps over optimistic on the pet front. Yes landlords have been ASKED to be more flexible. However I know that in my leasehold properties the head lease bans pets (and this is typical) so however sympathetic I may be to prospective tenants I would not be permitted to allow them to live in with their pets.

I guess the reference to a house made me think freehold @VanCleefArpels . We’ve rented out 2x properties and been rare in our area to allow pets but now agents in the same area are telling us the majority ARE allowing - but perhaps in these times landlords with the freedom to allow pets are prioritising financial soundness over pet ownership.