I would be telling the agent that you will be able to be mire flexible with viewings, when you feel confident that you have somewhere else to go to. Stress that as a reliable tenant, you are relying on them helping you find somewhere else appropriate.
All of this works both ways. The agent (assuming same one that lets it is selling it too) would like to get a sale and also have you in another if their properties. They know that a sale cannot happen until there is vacant possession. Until notice has been served to you and you are actually gone, no-one can know if or when there will be vacant possession.
I would be very clear that I couldn’t be planning to move out or facilitating a sale until I knew I had new accommodation signed and sealed. Therefore my co-operation would be dependent on them helping me too.
And I absolutely would not be looking to move out until I had somewhere else that I was happy with to go. As a tenant you have rights. You have rights to receive the full notice and no-one can expect you to leave before that expires. And if you don’t go, there are legal processes to evict, which have to be gone through and many LLs find it can take a year to evict a tenant who isn’t choosing to go. And the tenant is perfectly entitled to allow the law to proceed correctly.
So LLs and agents might hint and suggest that you MUST let people look at the property, or MUST be planning to go or not be entirely clear about the legal notice period or legal eviction procedure, because they want you to feel pressured and unsure about your rights. They want to have their cake - a rent paying tenant until as close to the sale as possible, and to eat it - a property on the market and very little void period.
Be aware that it is usual for properties to be vacant before being marketed. This is because only then is vacant possession guaranteed. I would never view or offer on a property that wasn’t vacant or extremely close to the end of the notice period. Even with the latter I would be wary, because tenants are entitled to not vacate at that date if they choose, but to wait to be legally evicted. Many do this, because otherwise they have made themselves voluntarily homeless and cannot access support. If there were more than 2-3 weeks remaining if the notice period I wouldn’t offer. If it was that period and then the tenant didn’t move out, I would withdraw from the purchase.
Therefore OP, realise you are not in such a weak position as you think. The agent should be working hard to find you a nice new place. Don’t feel you must bend over backwards to help the agent and LL. You are still a paying tenant with rights to quiet enjoyment of the property you are paying for.
And yes, of course LLs need to be able to sell their property. Yes, but when you’re a LL you have to appreciate restrictions and hurdles that exist to selling and have to deal with those ahead of selling. This is where some amateur LLs go wrong, or people fail to appreciate the full picture. Receiving rental income from tenants means you owe them rights and these rights make selling more tricky and require more planning ahead. Vacant possession is required to exchange, unless selling to another LL who doesn’t need a mortgage and selling with tenant in situ. Getting vacant possession means giving the 2 months notice soon enough and appreciating the tenant might not go and has a legal right to remain and be evicted through legal channels. People should only become LLs if they understand this process and that when they need to sel,, they will have to plan ahead and factor these timescales in and expect to have a period of no rent. If they can’t afford that or don’t want to do it, LLing isn’t for them.
I say all this as a LL.
When I want to sell a property, I plan the sale a year ahead. I aim to give at least 4 months notice and work in my mind to a worst case scenario that I might not be able to market the property for almost a year. Uusally tenants move out at their notice end point and then I do the upgrades required and aim to have the property in the market within 2-4 weeks. This means there is usually a void of no rent for a total of 2-6 months. In that period I pay council tax, utilities etc. It is simply a fact and cost of being a LL. Those costs have be considered when deciding if renting property will be variable or not. It is no good saying ‘I need the tenant to remain until the property is sold and to let people view the property as I can’t afford to be without rent’. So many LLs try this and find their sale rightly falls through….because the buyer gets sick if waiting for a vacant property, when the tenant perfectly legally waits to be evicted through the legal channels.