can i get out of rental early?

molly1412

we are currently in a rental property (which as most do we secured before we left our old home so they could repossess - still not happened but anyway) we are settled in the rental property which we signed up for 12 months from aug (to give us security whilst BR went ahead)

however my parents (who are now aware of the situation and i wish i had told them sooner) have offered to buy us a house and we rent of them no obviously we are delighted by this and the sale is going through at the moment

but my concern is we are tied into this rental until aug and the new house will likely complete april time - we cannot afford both and i just want to get settled in the new house for piece of mind but i wondered what i should do about the rental.

our LL is so nice and i dont want to let him down we have invested money in this property decorating etc as we did intend on staying can i get out of the tenancy early? and if so i take it he is entitled to keep our bond?

we wanted to be honest and tell him what is happening and give as much notice as possible once the other house exchanges but it will still mean coming out of the rental 4 months early and i worried as to what can happen and also feel bad for him - however know they will have no trouble re-letting

in hindsight wish we had signed up for 6 months - wouldnt have had this added stress but who was to know this is what would have happened

thank

ivorsgirl

If he is as nice as you say. Its Feb and if the house completes in April then he has nearly 2 months to find a new tenant which from what you said might not be a problem.

The danger is, you tell him, he finds a new tenant and then the house purchase/sale falls through and you are left with nothing but then you could find a short term let until a new house sale/purchase?

I think he can keep your bond and sue for loss of rental but I THINK its only if he doesn't find a new tenant at your rental cost since I don't think civil debts can be pursued as punishment. Certainly in where I work, you can quit a contract and be sued for loss of income but only if there is genuine loss and if the client has no loss, you normally don't win.

But I'm not a lawyer!

silvercar

Give the landlord as much notice as possible. He may refuse you and insist you keep to the initial 12 month term or he may be happy for you to pay his readvertising costs and find a new tenant. You won't know until you ask.

Eliza_2

If you pop this onto the house buying, rental etc board there are some really knowledgeable people there who will advise.

Ineedaname

Have a chat with him and as Silvercar says, offer to pay his advertising or even to find a new tenant for him, that he can take up references and credit check (but offer to pay for that too).

At the end of the day, he just wants a tenant in the property and rent in his hand, but you moving on early could cost him additional money, hence offering to cover the costs he would incur. This Gov page may be of interest to you, scroll down for the relevant section.

beckyfojo

I left my previous tenancy a few months early as I could no longer afford the rent and bills. My landlord weren't particularly nice (large university) but were perfectly happy for me to give them two months notice.

It's worth a shot.

sundays

Its really down to him and what he agrees or not to.
If you just left, he would have to take seperate action for loss of rent etc.

Ivors girl makes a good point about not leaving yourself open to the sale falling through and no where to live.

All id add, if you are requiring Housing Benefit to assist with paying the rent, they may not because it could be considered contrieved and no reason to leave one property for another as the only benefit would be to the parents for investment purposes. And if you are not in need of HB make sure you can always demonstrate the arrangment is commerical in the event it looked like you had been given a gift or free accommodation.

forgotmyname

Does he know your going bankrupt? Maybe slip that out in conversation he might be glad to get you out without you going months into arrears.

sariebeth

I would imagine that most landlords would be happy for you to leave your contract early provided that they have a new tenant lined up. This may mean that you will be responsible for any fees for re-advertising (in fact I would suggest you offer to pay these, you're looking at around £200) and you will be responsible for the rent until a new tenant takes the property.

You could also speed up the process by advertising yourselves - local paper, notcieboards, or even a letting agent.

sariebeth

Sorry, I just realised a few other people already said this x