AST 6-month advice

mutty_hc

hi all, basically, in May of this year i signed a 6month ast contract to extend my stay at where im renting. i am happy with where im renting to a degree, but ive seen a property elsewhere that would be better, its nearby and has pluses that would definitely help me. i would like to end my agreement before the term is up, now from reading i see i dont have a leg to stand on, essentially i wasn't aware of this because i was on an statuary agreement before and when i first moved in i had to just do it quickly so had no time to really do much homework. that aside, i see that i would have to pay rent for the forseeable future, and/or letting costs also? Or the LL may just take my deposit from me and let me go? Since its all at their discression - correct? is there anything I can do here, I know some of you will have no sympathy but sometimes this is the way life goes, I had to move fast in the 1st place and then when I resigned the term there was no where else in the area better for me, this isn't just a 'im bored' type deal. i really would love to be able to end this and want to know the best way to do so, the last thing i want to do is upset/ get on the wrong side of my current LL, this isnt my intention. any advice on how to best handle the situation is greatly appreciated.

Geenie

Hi Mutty, can you clarify how long you have been at the property and are you being made to sign a new AST every 6 months as I gather from your post?

clutton_2

talk to your landlord and explain what you want - cooperate with him with viewings by new prospective tenants andhe may agree to an early termination - offer to pay for his advertising/agents costs - he is doing you a favour by allowing you to break your contract early - be nice to him !!

mutty_hc

Re: Geenie:- been at the property since Nov 2008 (so about 7months now) Yes being made to sign a new AST every 6months.

Re: clutton:- spoken to letting agent, gave me a very standard response of their procedure explaining I am liable until a new tenant is in and also that I need to pay those fees you mentioned. I'm fine with payin the fees but I don't want to be paying rent for months, though the property I believe is quite desirable.

cheers for help.

mutty_hc

what should I do guys? I really dont like the idea of risking having to pay the current place till november, but i really do want this new property. What would you do?

adg1

Your landlord has a duty to mitigate your losses - ie find a new tenant as fast as possible if you do NEED to leave. Basically, you are right with one of your first statements - you don't have a leg to stand on. You signed a contract which will run for 6 months, hence the landlord would like this to happen.

Other posters are correct, you will probably need to pay rent until a new tenant is found and marketing costs, ie agency fees, and also don't forget the deposit, month in advance and admin fees for the new house. I would, personally, forget about moving as it will no doubt be the costlier option for you to move, unless the pros far outweigh the cons.

Putting it aother, if you someone entered into a contract for you to provide, for instance, broadband/cleaning supplies/etc to them for a certain amount of time then you would want that to continue for the duration - it is making you money. Same with a rental contract, it is making him money/paying his mortgage and you want to break the tenancy hence cutting off his income.

You can break a contract, but will probably end up more out of pocket than if you stay put for the remainder of the contract and move house then.

Pepzofio

Stay put til November - other places are bound to come up and you don't run the risk of paying for 2 places for several months. You've already said you're not unhappy with your current place.

If nothing you like has come up by November then refuse to sign another AST and say you're happy with a periodic tenancy. This way you will not be tied in and should only need to give 1 month's notice.

Another reason to stay put is that too many moves can impact on your credit history - I have pretty much impeccable credit, but I had to move twice in less than 8 months as my LL decided to sell the house I was renting 5 months into the TA & gave me my s21. I tried to get a contract mobile shortly after and found that they wanted a massive deposit due to my credit score! (Not something I have ever had before.)

mutty_hc

yeah, its a difficult decision. reluctantly it seems im going to stay put, but im feeling really quite depressed about it because the house available was to a degree just what i wanted all along. the letting agent thinks the property should go fairly quickly (next couple of months) but it would end up costing £850 to just do that, a lot of money. i guess it really isnt worth payin such a high amount in the end?

Geenie

mutty_hc wrote: »

yeah, its a difficult decision. reluctantly it seems im going to stay put, but im feeling really quite depressed about it because the house available was to a degree just what i wanted all along. the letting agent thinks the property should go fairly quickly (next couple of months) but it would end up costing £850 to just do that, a lot of money. i guess it really isnt worth payin such a high amount in the end?

I'm afraid you are being stung by the LA's in having to sign a new AST every 6 months, when infact the previous AST could have just rolled on and become periodic, in which case you would be OK to give a months notice. I totally disagree with this practice, both as a former tenant and now a LL. Voids should be included as part of the business when letting. Good luck OP.