Tenancy renewal

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TalTal wrote: »

Hi,

some advice needed regarding assured shorthold tenancy agreement. We have been in the property for a few years now and renew every year in December. We now advised the agents that we are not planning to renew the contract next month. In return they said there is a 2 month notice period that will take us all the way till the end of January. I assume the plan is to charge us full rent for that time.

We are planning to move out at the end of the contract date. Can they enforce that much notice on us even though the contract was always expected to finish next month?

Thanks in advance, it would be good to get some advice before I go back complaining to them

sounds like you message to the agent has not been understood.

legally, if the contract reaches its end date and you move out then the contract has .... ended

it is not required ("impossible") to give notice to say that a contract with a clearly stated end date is going to be ended by you. That is patently obvious if you neither renew it nor remain in occupation under a periodic tenancy

either your message to the agent has not been understood or (much more likely) the agent is once more showing the ignorance displayed by most of them when it comes to tenancy law

that said it is only polite to make sure your intentions are understood, so write to the LL, copied to the agent, stating you will move out by the end date of the contract and they therefore need to make arrangements for check out etc so the deposit can be returned.

If the agent persists in saying you need to give "2 months" notice politely invite them to quote the relevant contract and tenancy law which supports their fiction so you can frame it in an art gallery as a masterpiece of abstract nonsense

Fish&Chips

Just be very careful to hand in the keys to the agency before or on the very last day of the tenancy; don’t go one day over! This signals that you are no longer in possession of the property. Try to arrange a check-out inventory before you do so.

Bearing in mind this is due sometime in December, double check with them their closing dates or early closing around the festive period....you don’t want to turn up to hand the keys in and they are closed for an office party or for the holidays....!

G_M

If I recall the contract correctly it is protected.

TalTal wrote: »

Did a quick check and it is protected.

Just to be clear: did you check the contract (pointless), or have you checked direct with the deposit scheme(s)?

The details are in the link I gave you.