AST Ending.....

brendondoubleu

We have been renting a property for almost 12 months. The AST ends on 17/3/17. We paid 12 months rent up front.

The renewal letter was emailed to us on the 2/1/17, we asked immediately if we could do month by month or have a mutual break clause, both of which were NOT accepted by the landlord. They also advised that the section 21(1)(a), previously served, is still in force and the end date of 17/03/2017 still stands unless otherwise informed.

The Estate Agency who manage this have informed us that we have to sign either a 6 or 12 month agreement again with up front payment.

I've read some threads here and googled and the section 21 bit seems definitive. Just looking for other opinions please.

Thanks in advance.

theartfullodger

An s21 - even if valid,many are not - does not end a tenancy nor require you to leave.

As long as you stay there, even just 5 minutes, beyond the end of the fixed term it then rolls on, "periodically", for ever until ended by your notice or a court decision. A landlord or agent cannot prevent this happening.

You say you paid 12 months up front: How EXACTLY is the rent described in the tenancy and the 12 months payment?

You do not have to agree to any changes, new tenancy agreements or rent increases. But landlord can evict you using s21 and, even if invalid, will eventually issue a valid one & get you out.

Pixie5740

You don't need to sign a new contract. You could do absolutely nothing and the day after your fixed term ends you will automatically start a periodic tenancy.

How frequently does the original tenancy agreement say you have to pay rent?

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?