Temporary Rental

[YesNoMaybeWhat]

This may not be the right board but not sure where best to post - seeking advice on options for property in the UK.

I'm looking at working abroad. I have a mortgaged house in the UK (with about half the value of the house left to pay on a 20 year term in case that's relevant). I don't want to sell immediately as the job might not be long term, but would be at least 2 years if not a complete disaster. I could just about afford to pay the mortgage and running costs as I would have accommodation provided abroad.

What can I do with my UK house? I don't think fixed term rentals are possible any more in case I need to return, but I don't want to leave it empty. If anyone can suggest ways to manage this I'd really appreciate some ideas!

Currently you can still set up a fixed term tenancy, although that will change with the new Renters Rights Bill, although that isn't in force yet. In any case, even if you did have a fixed term tenancy, it wouldn't end automatically and you'd still need to follow the correct legal process for ending it. Needing to move back into the property to live there is one of the mandatory grounds for eviction so you should be able to do that although the process would be lengthy and potentially costly if the tenant didn't leave and you had to go to court.

There's general info at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/how-to-let/how-to-let

As you'll be living abroad you'll need to pay a lettings agent to manage the property. I suggest you start by getting a few agents to tell you what rental income you could get and what fees they would charge.

If you do decide to let it out, it would be worth considering joining the NRLA https://www.nrla.org.uk/