Landlord Selling Property

[Deleted User]

My LL did exactly this.  He said he was going to sell two years before he actually did.  I allowed viewings, but he was charging too high a price for the property.  Eventually he served a S21. then we went to court and a possession order was granted, then a bailiffs warrent.  From serving the S21 (two months notice) the whole process took about 4 months.

My LL wanted to decorate before I moved out.  He had an awful partner who really pressured me to allow this.  I just said no, do it after I move out as the place is in chaos enough with all the boxes, I'm not going to be constantly moving them around, having paint on my belongings etc.  He actually replaced the badly warped laminate as well so it would have been a nightmare if I had allowed it.

I had to resort to social housing as well.  I am afraid I wasn't declared homeless until three months after I was in emergency housing.  I didn't know what the emergency accommodation would be until the afternoon after I'd been chucked out by the bailiffs.  I gave the council the S21, the paperwork was all done but they point blank refused to do anything meaningful until after the bailiffs had called.  Not all councils are as bad as this, but I'm afraid it is common practice.

Ask your council what they do with homeless people - do they go into hostels (one room accommodation), B&B or hotels, are they moved out of borough - just so you are prepared?As my children and I have special needs we were considered vulnerable so the extended period of time enabled me to get ready all the evidence needed to make sure we didn't go into single room accommodation.  I don't know if this is possible for you but if it is, start collecting evidence (consultant reports/diagnosis) now.

Having said all that, we were in a 2 bed maisonetter as emergency accommodation for 18 months, then moved to permanent accommodation.  It isn't fancy, but its a heck of a lot cheaper than a private rental, and we'll not be evicted in the same way without it being our fault ever again.  That means a lot.  I'll never have to deal with a private LL again (hopefully).

But the whole process, from the point when the LL first said he wanted to sell, the uncertainty, inability to plan, the council's stress maximising attitude (I really didn't know if we'd be in a cardboard box until I was handed keys - by then I was a zombie) was incredibly stressful.  They were sending me useless emails saying find a private rental even though they knew full well rents in the area were well above LHA so I had no chance.  Couldn't leave the area because of the schools and support provided by the LA. It was dreadful, but it did work out in the end.

D_M_E

Can you afford to buy it yourself?

Would the landlord sell it to you in its current state - save the cost of all the proposed works, which may not be done anyway, save the agents' fees and other potential savings associated with selling?

[Deleted User]

Just to add, social housing, being homeless and having a dog is going to create difficulties.  Query this with your council but if you do have to go to them, they only have to house you and your son, not your dog.  If you are put into emergency housing (which is likely), most won't allow a dog.  I had to make alternative arrangements for our dog but as we were given a ground floor maisonette as emergency housing I was given permission for the dog.  But I was very lucky with that.  You might have to look at another private Landlord.  Try OpenRent.., you tend to deal with LL's directly then and they are often more amenable than Agencies.  My ex had a dog, self employed, Agencies wouldn't even register him.  He viewed three properties through Open Rent and was accepted for two of them.

Personally, I would not say anything about the lack of gas safety certificate, the S21 will fail, giving you extra time to sort out probation with the new job to apply for a private rental.

However (sorry to pile all this on you), if you go through the full eviction process the judge will make an order for you to pay the court costs for the Bailiffs Warrant and Possession Order, which costs about £500.  This will give you even more time.  I asked my LL to take these monies from the deposit.

rachael2208

D_M_E said:

Can you afford to buy it yourself?

Would the landlord sell it to you in its current state - save the cost of all the proposed works, which may not be done anyway, save the agents' fees and other potential savings associated with selling?

I cant afford to. Wish i could. I just dont really want to be here while shes doing everything because ive been here over 4 years and shes not once done this to benefit me. This is to benefit herself.  Thank you anyway.

rachael2208

deannatrois said:

Just to add, social housing, being homeless and having a dog is going to create difficulties.  Query this with your council but if you do have to go to them, they only have to house you and your son, not your dog.  If you are put into emergency housing (which is likely), most won't allow a dog.  I had to make alternative arrangements for our dog but as we were given a ground floor maisonette as emergency housing I was given permission for the dog.  But I was very lucky with that.  You might have to look at another private Landlord.  Try OpenRent.., you tend to deal with LL's directly then and they are often more amenable than Agencies.  My ex had a dog, self employed, Agencies wouldn't even register him.  He viewed three properties through Open Rent and was accepted for two of them.

Personally, I would not say anything about the lack of gas safety certificate, the S21 will fail, giving you extra time to sort out probation with the new job to apply for a private rental.

However (sorry to pile all this on you), if you go through the full eviction process the judge will make an order for you to pay the court costs for the Bailiffs Warrant and Possession Order, which costs about £500.  This will give you even more time.  I asked my LL to take these monies from the deposit.

I have been looking at private. My credit rating isnt the best. I start a new job on Monday which is decent money and its full time work. I have a guarantor just incase. I have bad anxiety and just cant sleep. I need to grow a back bone and stsnd up for myself. 

grumiofoundation

But if you have no gas report, her S21 will be invalid. So in 2 months when she goes to court, you get the S21 notice declared invalid and she has to start again. So 1st august will become 21st October.....

Meanwhile, see your options regarding the 'improvements' she wants. It's up to you - not her.

macman said:

rachael2208 said:

But i havent had a gas safety check since I have been here. been here. 

No GSC in 4 years?! So bearing in mind the serious criminal offence committed by your LL, you really do hold all the negotiating cards here. Name your own terms not to dob them in.
BTW, without a current GSC, the S21 would be invalid anyway.

May have missed but OP where in UK are you based? 
Lanlords still legally have to do them but if you are in Wales the lack of GSC does not invalidate Section 21 notice.

Ratkin007

Not all councils are the same. I know someone who was given homeless prority after receiving S21 and was able to bid for accommodation for 4 weeks before being given a direct offer, whilst wauting for s21 to expire. Unfortunately they were unrealistic with what they was prepared to accept and the direct offer was a flat which they did not want.  That was in thd East Midlands. 

A_Lert

The following assumes your landlord is a reasonable person not a criminal thug.

You can tell your landlord you don't want that decorating work done when you're still living there. Your landlord has no right to do it if you don't want them to!

Then start looking for a new private rental. If you find somewhere you want to move into (EDIT: And once you've signed the new tenancy agreement and so on), give your current landlord notice accordingly. Of course to do this you will need some money for the deposit and moving expenses, but it sounds like you're expecting this from your new job.

At the same time, start the application process for social housing in your area. You'll probably be low priority at the moment but you can at least get some of the preliminary work done and get used to the systems and processes used.

If your landlord serves notice on you, it's a long process from serving notice to any possible eviction. As others have mentioned, if you don't have a new home to go to then don't move out before the day the bailiffs force you. Keep paying your rent and keep looking for a new place.