Advice please

[LadyMuckonpancakes]

Can anyone advise me as to the rights of a young couple with a toddler who have just moved into a rental property believing it to be a long term rental. They paid £80 of their rent for 11 months upfront as a guarantee. After moving in November ., they have now been advised that the owners are selling so they need to vacate by May. They have spent a lot of a removal and haven’t even fully unpacked. What are their rights?

https://www.zoopla.co.uk/discover/renting/tenants-rights-landlord-selling-house/#

That's very annoying for them. What reason has the landlord given for selling almost as soon as they have moved in?
I'm not sure what you mean by this '£80 of their rent for 11 months upfront as a guarantee.'
What does their contract say? Have they actually been given notice formally, with the correct, legal documentation? Have they had their deposit properly protected? Even if they have been formally given notice, they do not need to vacate the property as soon as this expires, although they should try to find somewhere else suitable if possible.

Yes their deposit is protected. Because they are self employed the agent wanted some of their rent paid upfront. The owners are moving abroad and want to sell the property.

It depends on the contract they signed and what break periods were included if any. First read the tenancy agreement. Otherwise landlords cannot serve a s 21 notice to expire in the first 6 months. They need to take advice from shelter or citizens advice.

This is criminal.

There is a six month break clause. They are devastated.

If there is a clause where the landlord can break the contract after 6 months, then they have no rights. They shouldn't have signed the contract if that was such an issue. It's not nice to happen, but there is no legal requirement to be nice.

No, it isn't.

It's a unfortunate OP, but they are invoking the six month break clause.

So the landlord is using the 6 month break clause. Harsh, but that’s what they signed up to, despite what they “believed”

That’s the downside of renting.

Nothing much they can do except find another home.

They don’t have to let in viewers or estate agents.

I suggest if they really have been misled by either the agent or the landlord then they should teach them a lesson by waiting to be issued a section 21. It seems very unfair to them.

Obviously they would never have moved there if they thought they’d have to move within six months. They can’t afford to buy and it’s really upsetting for them. No option but to leave now.

It's a really shitty thing to do to a family who were led to believe that this was a long term rental and even paid 11 months of rent upfront. Sadly, the rental market in the UK is terrible and the government's lack of regulation allows these sort of landlords to mess up renter's lives.
Have they actually been served a Section 21 yet? If so, they don't actually have to move out when this expires. They can tell the landlord that they are trying to find somewhere and will move out as soon as possible. They also do not have to allow potential buyers in for viewings. I would suggest to them that they contact Shelter.