argh!! family?tenants?

lillypoo

It took me four months to get an offer on my house, and to accept. Up until that point I saw houses on right move every single day which I 'loved' and would have liked to have viewed. now , naturally, very little is coming up that even remotely interests me.

Last week I did a drive by of one property I thought I would like. To say that the estate agents pictures were out of date is an understatement. It was horrific.

Theres now one other property I feel I would like and I am seeing it later this week. BUT when I was booking the viewing, the EA said the vendor would check the booking with the people living in it tonight! I asked if that means it currently has tenants and the EA said' I think its just family members'.

I intend to ring her again tomorrow for clarification. what exactly should i be asking? ( so sorry to sound clueless guys - older newly single female here buying alone for the first time in my life )
On another thread of mine last month when I was asking about a different property, I kind of got the impression that a property with tenants is not really even worth considering at the present time.

im just feeling so pressured now. dont want to lose my buyer and i know that they have first time buyers trying to rush them along in order to beat the stamp duty deadline ( personally i think theyve no hope) 

pinkshoes

If they are tenants, and they don't want to move, then it is unlikely you would be able to exchange for at least 6 months.

If it is family, who are NOT paying rent (so no tenancy) then I would want it in writing that the house would be vacant for exchange, and perhaps give a deadline by when that would need to be. 

AdrianC

lillypoo said:

On another thread of mine last month when I was asking about a different property, I kind of got the impression that a property with tenants is not really even worth considering at the present time.

Currently, a landlord has to give six months notice - it's normally two. And that's if the tenants play ball. If they don't, it's going to be six to twelve months after that for it to come to a court, and who knows what state the property will be left in.

If the occupiers are family members, then it may be a lot quicker...

hazyjo

Yep, just hope they're not paying rent or lodging with the owners. If they are in need of being housed by the council, it's likely to take over a year as they'll (prob) need to be evicted before they'll be housed.

Ashworks

Could you rent until the right house comes up rather than risk buying something under pressure that you may later regret?

greatcrested

Iwould ask for clarification as to whether

1) they are tenats or

2) they are familymembers.

If 2, I would ask

3) do they pay rent and

4) what are their intentions regarding vacating

Having had that discussion, I would ask the EA to cofirm their answer in an email. It won't make any legal differece, but will focus the EA'smind on actually checking rather than just blustering a 'best guess' over the phone simply to reassure you

lillypoo

thanks everyone. waiting for estate agents to get back to me .

diego_94

Ask for vacant possession before exchanging contracts. Even if they are family, relationships could of gone sour etc so they wont move out. The estate agent is only going to tell you what you want to hear I'm afraid.

macman

There is no chance that your conveyancer would allow you to exchange without vacant possession anyway, unless you are buying a BTL.
The fact that they are 'family members' does not mean that they are not tenants, with all the protection that tenants enjoy.