Landlord wants to sell early in tennancy

Moot

kev225 wrote: »

I don't think you're being unreasonable at all by refusing to allow viewings.

The LL is playing a greedy game, causing you stress and aggravation from which only she will profit.

Stick to your guns, change the locks and play the awkward tenants game. £20 a week is an insult, you might consider using your position to really make this pay.

Either way, you pay the rent, its your space, you make the rules.

Your right. LL is playing a very greedy game. The letter mentions that if the property does not sell, then we COULD be offered an extension to the contract as the LL does not want the house to vacant at any point.

Even though we really like the house and don't want to sell. Why does the LL think would we would want to extend the lease after this and why would we want to put our family through all this uncertainty?

DVardysShadow

Moot wrote: »

Your right. LL is playing a very greedy game. The letter mentions that if the property does not sell, then we COULD be offered an extension to the contract as the LL does not want the house to vacant at any point.

Even though we really like the house and don't want to sell. Why does the LL think would we would want to extend the lease after this and why would we want to put our family through all this uncertainty?

Bloody cheek. You are their servant to keep the place occupied?

In your position, I think I would be offering to terminate early to allow them to market. Or offering 1 Saturday a month for viewings, £80 for a morning or afternoon or £125 for the day.

And if they LL did not take either, probably to move out at the end of the fixed term without giving notice, but arranging checkout for the last day at the latest possible opportunity.

BitterAndTwisted

Landlord wants their cake and to eat it, too. Do not play their game. Decide what you are willing to tolerate, tell them that in writing and then close the discussion. Bloody cheek!

At least you've got until after the summer to plan your onward move, which is precisely what I would be planning to do. Your landlord deserves a void. I would say, as I said before, that this landlord cannot afford their mortgage-payments, so you could be on the move before the summer if I am reading the signs properly.

GDB2222

G_M wrote: »

The LL has made you an offer: £20 pw for 2 viewings.

You accept this, or decline it, or make a ounter-offer.

How about £30, for 2 viewings pw at pre-arranged days/times? ie on Tuesdays betwen 6-7 plus Saterday AM (or whatever).

Make clear whether the payment is dependant on viewings actually taking place, or on your making the property, and yourself, available for viewings.

Try to reach a compromise.

I agree, it makes sense to try to reach a compromise. You may need something from the landlord soon, for example a repair done quickly, and there is no sense in making upset when none is needed.

You have explained here very clearly why you do not want viewings, and you need to explain that to your landlord, so that she understands. Possibly, you can arrange some compromise that will suit you both, or at least not be too bad for you both. For example, viewings every other Saturday morning between 9 and 11, so it does not eat into your weekends too much but gives the landlord some chance to sell the place. You can also ask for more money, if that will make a big difference to you.

At the moment, you are looking at this as an imposition, rather than as an opportunity. If the landlord does find a buyer, she is going to have to have to offer you big bucks to vacate early.

My advice to you is to stop feeling offended and start thinking constructively.

pmlindyloo

GDB2222 wrote: »

I agree, it makes sense to try to reach a compromise. You may need something from the landlord soon, for example a repair done quickly, and there is no sense in making upset when none is needed.

You have explained here very clearly why you do not want viewings, and you need to explain that to your landlord, so that she understands. Possibly, you can arrange some compromise that will suit you both, or at least not be too bad for you both. For example, viewings every other Saturday morning between 9 and 11, so it does not eat into your weekends too much but gives the landlord some chance to sell the place. You can also ask for more money, if that will make a big difference to you.

At the moment, you are looking at this as an imposition, rather than as an opportunity. If the landlord does find a buyer, she is going to have to have to offer you big bucks to vacate early.

My advice to you is to stop feeling offended and start thinking constructively.

I totally disagree with this.

I am all for making compromises but I do think the LL is definitely out of order.

The tenancy is for 12 months. Both parties have agreed to this. Unless the tenant breaks the contract in some way then the tenant has the right to remain there for 12 months.

The compromise would come towards the end of the tenancy when the tenant would agree to allow viewings for new tenants.

If a LL has to sell his/her property then he/she must do so when the property is empty.

It is not about compromising on the tenant's side. Letting your property is a business. As such it should be run as one.

If the LL has run into financial difficulties then this is not the tenant's problem. The LL must sort it out.

I think people forget how stressful it is selling a property as regards viewings, telephone calls, keeping the place clean (most of us would regardless of the 'don't bother' brigade), jiggling social life, working and child care.

Why should all this fall on the tenant who gains nothing? (OK a paltry sum offered by LL)

It is up to the LL to compromise, not the tenant.

GDB2222

If the amount being offered by the landlord is too small (paltry, apparently), there is room to negotiate a larger sum. There must be an amount of money for which it is worth the tenant's while to allow viewings, and if that results in a potential sale, there is a further sum that will make it worth the tenant's while to give up the tenancy early.

By the way, in the 1st post on this thread, the OP said he/she would consider £100 per month to allow viewings. The landlord is offering £20 per week, so there is barely anything between the 2 of them. All this talk of the landlord being "out of order" or totally in the wrong is just emotional claptrap, getting in the way of being constructive about this.

Wobblydeb

Moot - if you are finding even just the prospect stressful, I would suggest that you (politely) decline to allow viewings.

Our rental place is up for sale, and after a few run ins with the LL about timing of viewings, I am thoroughly fed up. I agreed Thursday evening and Saturday mornings, but she has repeatedly pushed for other times to suit viewers.

I find it terribly intrusive and yes, it does chew into your precious free time. Our relationship has deteriorated since the house went onto the market - 6 months and counting!!

Jellybean_Jo

I agree with GDB here. In a previous rented property our landlord decided to sell early in the tenancy. We initially reacted in exactly the same way as the OP, which I think is only natural. It was stressful and inconvenient, and we didn't even have children to consider! But in the end, we compromised as the relationship with the LL had broken down so much I dread to think what it would have been like to live there!
The example of needing repairs is a good one; especially with a young child to consider. The last thing you need is a stubborn, inflexible LL dealing with a broken boiler and no heating/hot water. Yes, they are being selfish and greedy as others have said, and yes moving etc. is stressful but I know I would rather try and get what I could out of the situation than stay there for X amount of months with the LL doing everything they can to get rid!

pmlindyloo

GDB2222 wrote: »

If the amount being offered by the landlord is too small (paltry, apparently), there is room to negotiate a larger sum. There must be an amount of money for which it is worth the tenant's while to allow viewings, and if that results in a potential sale, there is a further sum that will make it worth the tenant's while to give up the tenancy early.

By the way, in the 1st post on this thread, the OP said he/she would consider £100 per month to allow viewings. The landlord is offering £20 per week, so there is barely anything between the 2 of them. All this talk of the landlord being "out of order" or totally in the wrong is just emotional claptrap, getting in the way of being constructive about this.

I agree that the OP originally said that he/she would consider £100 a month but I think from the most recent postings the OP is beginning to be totally p**ed off with the LL and I don't blame her/him.

I'm not sure how talk about the LL being 'out of order' is emotional claptrap.

As far as I can gather from reading the OP's postings it is fairly obvious that the LL is trying to retain paying tenants whilst selling. If the LL wasn't going down this route why wouldn't they just offer the tenant a nice sum to leave the property early? So, far from being emotional claptrap it is just stating the facts, isn't it?

GDB2222

pmlindyloo wrote: »

I agree that the OP originally said that he/she would consider £100 a month but I think from the most recent postings the OP is beginning to be totally p**ed off with the LL and I don't blame her/him.

I'm not sure how talk about the LL being 'out of order' is emotional claptrap.

As far as I can gather from reading the OP's postings it is fairly obvious that the LL is trying to retain paying tenants whilst selling. If the LL wasn't going down this route why wouldn't they just offer the tenant a nice sum to leave the property early? So, far from being emotional claptrap it is just stating the facts, isn't it?

There are a fair number of people on this forum who have had some sort of bad experience with their landlord at some stage in the past. They just want to get back at landlords, generally, and they tend to wind tenants up. Often, I think, the end result is not the best advice for the tenant.

This particular landlord simply wants to test the market. She has offered the tenant the best part of £100 per month to allow viewings. There is no suggestion that the tenant will be turfed out of the property, or anything sinister like that. If it would help the tenant, the agent has offered to show people around when the tenant is not there. But they have not done that, and I have not seen any suggestion that they are proposing to do that against the tenant's wishes.

All in all, this landlord is being treated on this forum like a racketeer, where in fact all she has done is make a perfectly reasonable proposition to the tenant that the tenant is free to turn down or renegotiate.

I agree with you on one point, namely that it is very difficult to sell a property that has tenants in it, even if the tenancy is coming towards its close. There are all sorts of conflicts of interest, and in particular there is no incentive normally for the tenant to keep the property looking like a show home. On the other hand, it does not make the landlord an absolute rogue for wanting to try, as some of the people here seem to think.