Landlord wants to renew for another 12 months

Cherry_Bomb

Current situation is we privately rent and have been in this particular house for 10 months. Initially we signed up for a 12 month tenancy which would change to a periodic however agent has contacted me saying LL would like us to sign up for another 12 months. We are good tenants, look after the house, pay rent on time, don't cause any problems etc etc. Problem is we're hoping to buy somewhere next Summer so don't want to be tied in for another year.

Someone has said to me not to tell the LL this as they might look for new tenants who are after a long term let.

Landlords would you really do this??

She's got me worried now about what to say! Finding somewhere new would be a nightmare for us (very big dog, not usually welcome in private lets!)

thriftylass

Mine did that when I got my first rental flat. It was either sign the new 12 months contract or I easily find someone else who does. Not sure what the legalities are but I hope someone comes along soon and can give you some advice.

In here it seems to say, don't sign the renewal and your tenancy should automatically go ver to a periodic one as he has no reason to terminate.

nidO

Chances are it's the agent who're asking you to sign for another 12 months, and the landlord doesn't know or particularly care.

I would just reply to whatever letter/notice you've had from the agent saying thanks for the offer but you're happy to move onto a statutory periodic tenancy at the end of your current term.

The agent might try to lightly bully you into signing for another 12 months, they're doing so because they get to charge (usually both you and the landlord) preposterous fees for doing so, so they really want tenants signing new fixed contracts wherever possible.

The landlord would have to be an idiot to try to kick you out purely for refusing to sign a new tenancy, as he's then faced with having to get rid of a !!!!ed-off person getting kicked out of their home (which you can make a difficult process) along with all the costs involved with finding a new tenant NOW to get themselves a 12 month contract, vs maybe having to find a new tenant at some point in the future when you decide to leave. There's no upside to the former.

Pixie5740

How much is the letting agency wanting to charge you for the privilege of renewing? I wonder how much the landlord is getting charged too...

It takes time, effort and money to evict tenants. Ask yourself if a landlord is going to go to the effort of evicting a tenant who doesn't cause any hassle. It's very unlikely and is probably just a tactic employed by the letting agent to extract more fees from both you and the landlord.

Just say thanks but no thanks, you're happy with a periodic tenancy.

Guest101

I'd say nothing at all. If pressed I'd say i'm considering the offer.

[Deleted User]

Personally, I'd advise contacting the LL and seeing what he/she wants to do. My LL (no LA involved) twice forced me to renew the tenancy agreement (when I still dreamed I could find somewhere else to live) as he said if I didn't, he'd evict me.

Guest101

deannatrois wrote: »

Personally, I'd advise contacting the LL and seeing what he/she wants to do. My LL (no LA involved) twice forced me to renew the tenancy agreement (when I still dreamed I could find somewhere else to live) as he said if I didn't, he'd evict me.

Which is fair enough. The LL is entitled to some say.


that's the risk with periodic tenancies.

G_M

Cherry_Bomb wrote: »

....... Initially we signed up for a 12 month tenancy which would change to a periodic

So is this in the tenancy agreement? Does it say that at the end of the 12 months the tenancy will continue on a monthly basis (or words to that effect)?

If yes, it will become a Contractual Periodic Tenancy.

If no, and you don't sign a new contract, it will become a Statutory Periodic Tenancy.

Either way, your security is reduced and you could, in theory, be served a S21 Notice.

However as others have said, a LL would be crazy to evict a reliable tenant for this reason.

However, an agent actually has an incentive to encourage a new contract (he can charge fees) and to evict if he has the LL's authority (again, more fees for finding a new tenant).

So find out
a) if this is the agent or the LL pushing the new contract and
b) if the agent has complete autonomy (eg if the LL is overseas and relies totally on the agent)

read:

* Ending/renewing an AST: what happens when a fixed term ends? How can a LL or tenant end a tenancy? What is a periodic tenancy?

Cherry_Bomb

Thanks for the replies. I've never dealt direct with the LL so I'm not sure what their views are.

Agent is charging £60 to renew. I've just replied saying I'd prefer a periodic tenancy so will see what they say. It's difficult to know whether to be honest wkth them or not!

RAS

Hi

For the future - delay replying to the LA. It may give you more time to sort things out in your favour. A quick response gives them more time to make things awkward for you.

For what it is worth, go to the Land Registry web-site and download the deeds to find out who the LL is. Costs £3.

Guest101

Cherry_Bomb wrote: »

Thanks for the replies. I've never dealt direct with the LL so I'm not sure what their views are.

Agent is charging £60 to renew. I've just replied saying I'd prefer a periodic tenancy so will see what they say. It's difficult to know whether to be honest wkth them or not!

If they persist you could try offering £30 with a 6 month renewal.

The price is just an arbitrary amount anyway.