Possible stupid question about ending my tenancy..

hanb

Hi all,


I've tried searching online and can't seem to find the answer.


If I write a letter today giving notice on my flat, does the notice start from today or the date it's received?


I've agreed with my landlord that I can give 1 months notice on any date rather than the date in the tenancy (due to buying a house and wanting to exchange without delay but also not wanting to pay extra rent!). So I'm able to give notice today but they wouldn't receive it until tomorrow/Saturday in the post so I'm not sure whether the notice would be from today or the date received?


Thanks in advance for any help and apologies if it's a really stupid question!

anselld

Notice is deemed to be served the second business day after posting by first class mail. If you want to do it sooner then you will need to serve in person.

You would be well advised not to serve notice until you have actually exchanged contracts (confirmed by solicitor).

hanb

Great, thank you! I couldn't find out.


Yep, waiting on exchange which should be tomorrow. Was hoping to date it for then, post after confirmation of exchange and that it would be taken from tomorrow rather than 2 days later.


Could I say that in my notice (notice is given on 2/9 and will end on 1/10) and wait to see whether they say I have to cover another two days on the end? Or could I just end up in a mess if that happened? Annoyingly that still means an extra 1 day payment to make after paying for Sept today!


Thanks again

anselld

You have already done well to negotiate a notice not aligned to rent days.

It is not worth worrying about a couple of days rent compared with the overall cost of buying a house. If you really want to avoid the postage time then hand deliver.

mattk_180

I would wait until you exchange and then either do it by hand or post it then.


As above, a couple of days rent isn't worth as much as the complications if something went wrong.

G_M

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?

booksurr

your position depends entirely on whether your landlord sticks to the letter of the law or is willing to compromise

have you asked them?

Mulder00

From everything you have said, your landlord seems flexible and it seems like the agreement you have is on a fixed term agreement, so the real question about notice is more about the landlord's flexbility rather than the date that you put on a letter/date you post it.

If I were you, I would speak to my landlord and tell them where things stand currently and see if there is possibly a good compromise that could be made. (Obviously still do all the formalities in writing, but that shouldn't prevent you from having a discussion).