Landlord being an arse

[ElChapo]

We've been renting for the past 18 months. Have now offered on a house to buy and want to get out of our rental agreement but landlord has said no, we have to stay right till the end. I know this is well within his rights but we were led to believe by the agents that he's 'quite reasonable'. Obviously not. We will be leaving on 9th Jan. is this normal? We were expecting to have some sort of penalty but honestly thought he'd let us go early especially as he'll have to get someone to agree over Xmas period to move in just after new year. I'm now wanting to punish him secretly. Any ideas?

You're certainly right to say that this isn't legal advice.

I think half of the people on this thread have taken leave of their senses.

I fully understand we signed a contract and legally obliged to honour that contract but after talking to the agents and other friends who are LL it's quite common for tenants who request this come to an arrangement to pay half the finders fee for getting another tenant in and paying an extra one or two months rent to get out of the contract. I don't think we're BU but obviously I'm in the minority

Yes, although bear in mind tenants don't actually need the agreement of the landlord to stay beyond the end of a fixed contract period.

You are being unreasonable. A house purchase will take the time you have left anyway to be honest so you are fighting about nothing.

Did you sign a two year contract? If so, why when you knew you were planning to buy?
LL is fully within their rights and may have multiple reasons why they don’t want to release you. You seem to have believed an estate agent that your landlord was “reasonable” before the LL had even been been approached. The EA has a vested interest.
Cant bear it when people sign a contract and then whinge that it no longer suits them, as if they’re being hard done by.

This is terrible advice

you’ve just gotten your first mortgage

good luck trying to borrow more money or even renew your mortgage once you have a CCJ against you

I’m a landlord. The only reason not to take you to small claims is if the amount of money is tiny (less than £50 for me) or if i think the person can’t pay

now you have a property I’d definitely take you to court because i know the risk to you would be considerable

What an entitled tenant you are. Imagine if it was the other way round and you had a 2 year contract and the LL tried to break it. Yes, LL are fighting back re this sort of attitude and will take you to court if you try and mess around like this.

Airbnb it.