Would you purchase a house with sitting tenants ?

[mumof2teentoddler]

Just that really - we have an open house with 8 viewings and we are the tenants… we do have a date for the section 21 where we need to be vacant by end of May but at the moment there’s no rentals we can find. so very worried. Just wondered if this would put potential buyers off, or not.

We are very sad but understand that this can happen and the landlord wants his house back of course. We tided the house as much as we can with 2 children !

Def worth suggesting to landlord. As he knows you won’t much about. No chain and other various things that could go wrong with new sellers

How short are you on the mortgage front?

If it's less than £30k I'd be tempted to do some serious hardball negotiating on a potential house for sale to see if I could recoup the money that way.

Absolutely not. They might look like decent people but might be really trashy.

It's possible that the potential purchaser will be an investor who is happy to continue renting to the existing tenants. Although with the new Renters Rights Act coming into force on 1st May 2026, I think it's fair to expect a lot of turbulence in the rental market.

I personally wouldn't be buying to rent out, I'd be buying to live in. Tenants wouldn't stop me making an offer on a currently rented-out property that I loved, unless I was in a rush to move in. However, I wouldn't exchange on a property with tenants in situ - any decent solicitor would advise against this. I would insist on the tenants being gone and me having another viewing the day before exchange to make certain the flat was empty and had been left in an acceptable condition.

I've been the tenant, twice. First time the agents didn't bother to tell us the house was on the market (which isn't wonderful), but the buyers had always know it was a tenanted property and wanted that, so it was pretty painless. The second time, I was one of the buyers. It was very eye-opening sitting there during viewings, both to see how much the agents lied and to see how different viewers approached it. Lots were polite but a few just opened the door without knocking or were rude; there was a very patronising woman who drew me to one side and said 'and will you be happy to move on then?' and I mumbled something anodyne about how you know when you rent that you may. Then it went to sealed bids and I got the house. It was nervy because if the offer hadn't been accepted I would have struggled to find a rental quickly; the agents let it go right to the wire. There were tons of people viewing, though, so obviously it doesn't put everyone off.

So it’s down to credit file not affordability, we need to clear up a couple of things. Clear a few cards. Which we are able to do in around 6 months which we always knew, we was going to talk to an advisor around April to get a road map for around the end of the year but this has expedited things for us. So we are trying to get one now, so as we need specialist it’s just a more complicated process. Affordability we passed with flying colors. So if we can go ahead now we will if it’s a no from the lender then we will get a roadmap of when. Just puts us back massively but if it’s a no then not much more we can do, exploring every option

He should really take any offers from you seriously. He will get rent up until completion. He also knows you!

He should also avoid EA fees unless his contract with them says something else. Unless you are miles away from his asking price. TBH - he is not going to have a huge pool of buyers with a tenant in situ and the new rules coming in a few months.

My boss has come out of BTL too. It was just too stressful and quite honestly a pain in the bottom!

Not unless I wanted to be a landlord. When I was a solicitor I would insist that the tenants were physically out before exchanging.
In your case, if I was acting for the seller I would tell them that there would not be much point in incurring costs with the sale until the tenants were out.
Has the section 21 notice been served yet?
Anyway it will take the landlord a long time to actually get you out, I don’t know what the current backlog with the courts is , but even with court date, you still get more time.

Yes we have been served the s21 but given is until the end of May which is more than the 2 months legally. This is what I’m thinking if we can hold on a little we may be able to buy this but if not Then anymore time renting here would be so much better for us, without dipping into savings to move somewhere temp.

So we can’t offer until we get an AIP we’ve told him this and he of course wants us to buy! But when he initially told us/gave us first refusal we didn’t think we were in a position ( and we may well still can’t ) but now we’ve spoken to someone and got some advice, we can’t offer yet. Affordability we are there so we can offer what he is asking unless a bidding war starts and then we won’t as we want to keep to what we can afford so as we haven’t offered yet as we can’t he’s moving forward which.l is fair enough

timing just so off but will know more next week

So basically he can’t exchange until June if we go by end May…be interesting to see what the 8 people coming have been told by the estate agent.

You get asked for a reference but don’t technically need one. The real estate agent just wants to know you’ve always paid rent on time and you can give permission to them to do a search of your bank account to prove that. Our landlord wanted us to do loads of stuff from painting whole stair case (we’d only been there a year and not even had visitors due to health issues) to sanding and revarnishing all the wood floors to buying new stones for the drive as he felt they were thin plus many other things and refused to give us a reference when we said no. Real estate agent sorted it another way.

Agree - there’s no indication that OP would get anywhere on a list for council housing, as she can afford a 2 bed commercial rental and has 2 children under 10 so I don’t think would be overcrowded.

I don’t think council is an option for us, we both earn good enough money but the issue is just there are no rentals in our budget for a 3 bed. One I saw was £2,250 and another £2,225 and I just don’t know how people do that?! So a 2 bed is probably going to have to do. But our children are 3 and 14 so they can’t share so we will have to sleep on sofa or share with the toddler. The teen will need her own room for sure especially if we downsizing to a 2 bed. Plus no way will we risk getting a CCJ as much as as I’d like to not have to move out I can’t risk that plus it will be stressful and unsettling
moving towns and schools though, still stressful 😥

I believe that as OP plans to continue paying rent, a CCJ wouldn’t apply to her.

Oh yes we will continue to pay rent
as far as I’m aware we won’t get a CCJ if he goes for possession? That’s just means court that then gives us a date right? And IF we don’t go in that time then the bailiffs come right?
which in theory could take months ? so we could leave after the court give us a date BEFORE the bailiffs ?

I even looked at putting everything in storage and living temp in a lodge nearby ! But that’s expensive and maybe unsettling for the children. But means we don’t panic move or buy and keep my youngest at nursery/ school for now

She ends ends July but I plan to commute her from wherever we go as it won’t be for too long

so IF we did that we could be looking at a few more months then being mortgage ready?

oh my head hurts 🤯

thanks to everyone helping me x

Maybe get a friend to have a view

Plus if he wants a quick sale does that mean it’s at a reduced /lower price

Don't forget you will be liable for costs if the landlord has to start proceedings. These will be the issue and other associated costs in line with the cpr - £530.75 plus if you don't leave after the PO £148 Warrant cost.

Be careful that you do not incur the additional costs of the landlord which could amount to his full costs providing it is laid out in the contract. Most contracts do include recovery of landlords costs but it's unlikely a court will award these, depending upon behaviours of the tenant.

Edited to add if the costs are not paid immediately after the completion of the proceedings your landlord will be perfectly placed to get a CCJ against you.

I think it’s gone up for a considerable low amount for what this house is and what prices are around

@PrincessofWellsgood point, court really isn’t last resort, I’m sure we will find something before April so it doesn’t come to that. Just looked now and there’s literally nothing.

I have viewed a house with tenants in place and then bought the house on ubderstanding that it would need to be empty. The conveyancing dragged on longer than was necessary, because the seller did not seem to understand that tenants needed to move out before we could exchange, but got there in the end. The appeal was that there was no chain.

In that case I would throw everything at clearing the cards starting right now, take on additional jobs, cut out absolutely everything not completely necessary and try to get them cleared by April. That’s if you actually need to clear them.
Tell the landlord you are checking out affordability and will let him know asap. It’s much better for him to sell to you, less hassle, no agents fees etc.

Yep done all that and have a plan, we were about 6m away so really really trying but we’ve told the landlord this and he is just waiting for updates really, open house still going ahead so we shall see.

That’s despicable advice from the council. Why should the landlord pay legal costs because you refuse to leave his house when he’s given you fair notice?