Landlord wants rent increase of £25-£40/m, on an annual tenancy HELP! Is that wise during this time?

Karen_taris

Landlord just wants to bump up the rent so she can get 'more' ££ per month,
It is an annual tenancy, which renews/gets signed by tenant /landlord every year.

The Landlord suggesting a rent increase of £25-£40 on an 'annual' Renewal tenancy,

I don't want to increase as we are during a pandemic / covid 19

I know I can say no, and say I am comfortably staying at the current rate 'without' the increase.

a) Landlord just wants to bump up the rent so he can get 'more' ££ per month, but during this pandemic is it wise for her to ask for an increase?

b) Can you give an example of a polite worded way to say to her that I am happy with what we pay at the moment, No higher and no lower on the rent (actually lower would be great lol)  but I am happy paying the current rate.

c) Can you give an example of a polite worded way to say to her that, during this covid 19 other landlords are having their tenants default on payments, so during this crisis it is not wise to suggest a rent increase during this time.

d) If nothing is done by me regarding the tenancy, nothing is signed and nothing is agreed, will this current annual tenancy just carry forward to 2021 making it a periodic tenancy ?  (if I keep on making payments on time, going forward to 2021)

e) If you are a landlord, have you been in this situation this year? what was your experience..if you were the tenant/ or the landlord? share your experience..

or 
If you are a tenant, have you been in this situation this year? what was your experience..if you were the tenant/ or the landlord? share your experience..

f) Any other suggestions/methods to tell him no increase please, but we will stay on at the current rate?

(oh all my rent has been paid this year, without any missed payments),
and she would like to keep me on as I am a good tenant.

Can you please answer in a, b, c, d, e, f format,

That would be great!

Karen xx

added My current rent is in line with market rates of similar properties.
so it is not that I am paying loads less than a property of a similar type, but paying the same.

Slithery

Read...
Rent increases

numbercruncher8

a) nobody can say for sure, you may be paying below market rent, or above it. It could be wise or foolish
b) simply say you don't feel an increase is warranted. It is helpful if you substantiate that, ie with Rightmove adverts for similar 
c) not relevant for you to tell her how to run her business
d) correct, although if it's a yearly renewal the landlord may not want that, particularly if a better rent could be achieved
e) as a tenant, we turned down a 'rent review' by the agency simply by forwarding the agency emails to him (it turned out he knew nothing of it).
f) say nothing and hope they drop it.

macman

It's not an 'annual tenancy'. It's a fixed term. You have no obligation to sign up to a new TA every year, 12m or otherwise. If you do nothing it  becomes a periodic tenancy, usually on one month's notice, and on the same rent as before. However, the risk with that is that the LL may then serve you with an S21. However, at present, enforcing that is going to take anything up to a year or more: the minimum notice period is now 6 months, and eviction many months more.
It all depends on whether you want longer term security or not. 
When does the current fixed term TA expire?
What percentage increase is your LL looking for? £25-40 makes no sense at all: if she offers you £25 then you are hardly going to agree to £40. And we don't know the context, i.e the current monthly rental?

Karen_taris

added My current rent is in line with market rates of similar properties.
so it is not that I am paying loads less than a property of a similar type, but paying the same.

macman

That doesn't really tell us anything. What percentage increase is it, and why the spread between £25 and £40?

Young_Turk

Karen_taris said:

Landlord just wants to bump up the rent so she can get 'more' ££ per month,
It is an annual tenancy, which renews/gets signed by tenant /landlord every year.

The Landlord suggesting a rent increase of £25-£40 on an 'annual' Renewal tenancy,

I don't want to increase as we are during a pandemic / covid 19

I know I can say no, and say I am comfortably staying at the current rate 'without' the increase.

a) Landlord just wants to bump up the rent so he can get 'more' ££ per month, but during this pandemic is it wise for her to ask for an increase?

b) Can you give an example of a polite worded way to say to her that I am happy with what we pay at the moment, No higher and no lower on the rent (actually lower would be great lol)  but I am happy paying the current rate.

c) Can you give an example of a polite worded way to say to her that, during this covid 19 other landlords are having their tenants default on payments, so during this crisis it is not wise to suggest a rent increase during this time.

d) If nothing is done by me regarding the tenancy, nothing is signed and nothing is agreed, will this current annual tenancy just carry forward to 2021 making it a periodic tenancy ?  (if I keep on making payments on time, going forward to 2021)

e) If you are a landlord, have you been in this situation this year? what was your experience..if you were the tenant/ or the landlord? share your experience..

or 
If you are a tenant, have you been in this situation this year? what was your experience..if you were the tenant/ or the landlord? share your experience..

f) Any other suggestions/methods to tell him no increase please, but we will stay on at the current rate?

(oh all my rent has been paid this year, without any missed payments),
and she would like to keep me on as I am a good tenant.

Can you please answer in a, b, c, d, e, f format,

That would be great!

Karen xx

added current rent is in line with market rates of similar properties.

It's hard to know exactly what to recommend, as you have to make judgements about what is important to you and how likely different scenarios are.
You can simply tell your landlord that you will move out if rent increases. But is that a bluff (are you really not prepared to move)? How likely is your landlord to agree with you that rent is in line with similar properties? How likely is he to be persuaded about risks of void periods and having to lower rent to get another tenant?
It probably doesn't hurt to write a letter explaining that you are prepared to pay the current rent, but no increases. 

greatcrested

Not sure what difference the pandemic makes....

Nor why the spread (25 - 40) Is he giving you a choice? Surely any sensible tenant would choose £40......?!

What's the current rent?

What's the local average for similar properties?

How important to you is a new fixed term and the security it offers (though given the current gov protection against evictions, a periodic is almost as secure!)?

Have you read slithery's link above?

To answer your question though:

Karen_taris said:

a) Landlord just wants to bump up the rent so he can get 'more' ££ per month, but during this pandemic is it wise for her to ask for an increase?

b) Can you give an example of a polite worded way to say to her that I am happy with what we pay at the moment, No higher and no lower on the rent (actually lower would be great lol)  but I am happy paying the current rate.

c) Can you give an example of a polite worded way to say to her that, during this covid 19 other landlords are having their tenants default on payments, so during this crisis it is not wise to suggest a rent increase during this time.

d) If nothing is done by me regarding the tenancy, nothing is signed and nothing is agreed, will this current annual tenancy just carry forward to 2021 making it a periodic tenancy ?  (if I keep on making payments on time, going forward to 2021)

e) If you are a landlord, have you been in this situation this year? what was your experience..if you were the tenant/ or the landlord? share your experience..

or 
If you are a tenant, have you been in this situation this year? what was your experience..if you were the tenant/ or the landlord? share your experience..

f) Any other suggestions/methods to tell him no increase please, but we will stay on at the current rate?

a) it's no skin off her nose to ask - if you agree she makes more income. If you don't, she won't. So yes, it's wise for her to ask!

b) Either do not answer at all and go periodic, or nex time you speak : "Thanks for offering me a new rent but I feel the current one is similar o local rents so I'm happy as we are."

c) can see no point in saying this.

d) Yes. She can however raise the rent inline with whatever your TA says, or via a S13 Notice. read the link

e) N/A

f) see b) above

blue_max_3

Rather adding on to this, can I clarify the following please ...
I'm happy to continue after renting for two years (agreed this period beforehand). Had the agent ask for £70 more (from £1400) and when I objected, they said £50 more. I was intending to pay the £1450, but if I just pay the £1400 and they serve the S21, will there be any other implications if I move out within the 2 months? Will it impact my credit rating or in any other way? And does that apply if I refuse and they go to court (eventually?).
It all seems very complex and although I don't really want to pay the additional sum, I don't want to cause myself problems (other than having to move out after the notice period).
Just want an overview of possible implications if anyone would be so kind. Cheers.

AdrianC

Surely it's simple... There's three options.

1. Stick with your current tenancy, but periodic
2. Sign a new tenancy, at whatever rent you and the landlord mutually agree on.
3. Move.

Just because the landlord says "I'd like you to sign a new tenancy at higher rent" doesn't mean you have to.

If they're really going to say "No, I don't want you periodic, I'll give you notice", then that's their choice - and remember s21 is now six months. It would seem to be cutting their noses off to spite their faces over a relatively small increase, but who needs a landlord who's that petty and penny-pinching? Moving would seem wise.

getmore4less

Why over complicate 

I don't want to increase

 The answer is No.
see what happens next.