Short term lets - where are they?!

twink1108

We are buying a new build house. It won't be ready til October/November but as with most developers, we are expected to exchange ASAP. We've found buyers but they do not want to wait til then (understandably). Assuming that we complete on the sale of our flat by around July/ausgut, we (my partner, my self and our 2 year old) will need to find somewhere to rent for around 3-4 months. We have tried air bnb and everything is really overpriced but most estate agents have said they highly doubt we'll find anywhere to rent for such a short period of time.

I am just looking for advice on the best place to find a private letting advert where I might be able to persuade a landlord to let us rent for just a few months, potentially offering to pay their fees for finding a new tenant after we've moved out. Any advice greatly welcomed!

coffeehound

You might find something on [Spareroom].

gingercordial

My local area's Facebook group is full of people offering their flats/houses whilst off on very long trips, and others looking for short lets whilst (say) having significant building work done. Do you have a local group you could join?

G_M

The problem with short term lets is that the law does not allow a landlord to end an AST within the 1st 6 months (unless the tenant agrees).

So while a 2 or 3 month let is possible, or indeed a rolling monthly let, this allows the tenant to leave when they want, but still limits the LL to 6 months.

The other issue is that every tenant change-over costs money, so LLs tenad not to want to do them more frequently than 2ce a year (or less often).

That restricts you to hotels, airbnb, holiday lets, or lodging/sharing.

marliepanda

The problem is no matter what the length of tenancy, landlords cannot start eviction proceedings until 6 months.

So mr landlord on his 3 month holiday comes back, your house isn't finished yet and you need another two months. He can't get rid of you!

GDB2222

There are short lets available here in London, but at a premium rental.

trailingspouse

I really do think there's a gap in the market here. Think how many people might need to do just this - people who are in process of moving house, people who are unable to use their own home due to fire/flood and need somewhere to live while the insurance sorts it out, people (like my OH) who are on contract and would feel more comfortable with their own space rather than staying in a hotel for weeks or months.

We lived in the Republic of Ireland for a while, and needed somewhere for just a few weeks (longer than a holiday let, shorter than 6 months) - one of the hotels in the area had built some 'holiday cottages' but had realised that there was a market for people needing exactly this. The houses were small but well equipped, and we had access to the hotel facilities (gym, golf course etc) as if we were hotel guests. Handy for a meal or a swift half without having to drive home. Perfect.

AlexMac

In a similar context, our kids used a holiday letting agency; toppy price, but not horrendous as it was a UK coastal area, our of season, and theu didn't have to pay fuel/ utilities, Council Tax, etc as they were all rolled into the rent...

twink1108

Thank you all for your advice. We are actually in London but on the outskirts and that is a great idea to check facebook groups - I have just searched and found a couple.

I will look at hotels but I would imagine that with a toddler, this could soon become extremely tense!! Not to mention expensive. I will take a look at spareroom also, as I have seen that there are some whole properties available on there and not just rooms.

Trailingspouse - completely agree that there is a gap in the market!! It is making the whole process a whole lot more stressful as we feel like we are going to be a bit homeless!

agrinnall

twink1108 wrote: »

Trailingspouse - completely agree that there is a gap in the market!! It is making the whole process a whole lot more stressful as we feel like we are going to be a bit homeless!

The gap is, as explained already, due to the law; if you want to get more short lets persuade your MP to introduce a change to allow LLs to start eviction proceedings at any time in a tenancy. But don't hold your breath, the direction of travel on the subject is in the opposite direction, towards longer guaranteed tenancies.

If you can't find a short term let your best bet may be to take a 6 month let and hope that if you need to cut it short the LL will agree to your compensation offer (while being prepared to pay for the remainder of the term if necessary).

Cakeguts

There isn't a gap in the market. Short term lets are provided by hotels and holiday lets. If you want shorter than 6 months this is what you do.