Are 6 month term rentals a thing of the past? Have they been phased out?

snarlsbukowski

I am looking to move after 3 years of renting in this current flat, but I find that there is no option to move to a new rental for a term of 6 months anymore and that all landlords can now demand tenants stay for a long term of 12 months. This is of course terrible for people who only want to remain in a certain city for say 5 months or so.

Is this new long term preference and the phasing out of the 6 month rent option just a symptom of the current post pandemic housing market????

steve866

When I needed a short term rental I was able to find more options on gumtree that on traditional property websites, however there are a lot of scams on gumtree so need to be careful. 

As far as I remember 6 months were also hard to find unless you you looked for a room in a shared house.

ShilvaA

A lot of the 12 month tenancy agreements have a 6 month break clause. Perhaps you could ensure your tenancy has that and then utilise it when you need it at the 6 month (or more) point?

Mimi123456

Unfortunately it is the reality. I am currently looking too and I am lucky if I find something for 12 months. A lot of landlords demand 18 or 24 month contracts. I think indeed it’s the result of covid and landlords want to lock in tenants for longer. Also prices are very high now due to low supply of rental flats so they want to lock in higher rents. 

Good luck in your search!!! It’s very tough now out there 💪🏻

Mimi123456

Btw on break clauses - agents tell me no landlord agrees to them these days. If only under 24 month contract they agree to a 12 month break clause. 

[Deleted User]

Everytime a new tenant moves in, its paperwork and fees. Six month agreements may lead to more voids and persons giving notice at times of the year when demand is lower. Pros and cons for a landlord.

Noneforit999

We looked at something for six months when we were previously looking at new builds so needed to find somewhere for six months while it was built.

EA I spoke to said its possible to get a 12 month agreement with 6 month break clause but fewer and fewer landlords were allowing this now. Of the ones we found suitable (size, location, budget etc), none allowed a 6 month break clause.

Decided against it in the end and realised a new build simply wouldn't work for us! 

housebuyer143

Mimi123456 said:

Btw on break clauses - agents tell me no landlord agrees to them these days. If only under 24 month contract they agree to a 12 month break clause. 

I think this is over generalised. Lots of lenders require a 6 months break clause in a 6 month contract, so if the landlord has one of these he will be keen to have it.

dimbo61

So when a Landlord has prepared the property for rental they need a EPC, EICR, GSC, PAT testing for say the Fridge/Freezer, Washer/Dryer etc

Fit for habitation, Inventory Video !

Agency fees to set up a tenancy, registering the deposit, Credit checks on tenants, Right to rent checks, Deposit information details, How to Rent leaflet,  fee to register deposit 
Guarantor forms and checks.
Employer background checks and confirmations.

Would you do all that for a 6 months tenancy ?

Some Landlords will only offer a 6 months Tenancy in order to see if the Tenants are Good Tenants who pay the rent every month and look after the property.
A tenant pays one month's rent and MAX 5 weeks deposit and gets keys to £100,000+ property 

TripleH

We only left our last rental after 7 months because the letting agent made a complete hash up of the contract.

Depending where you are, there are 6 month contracts but I have only seen them in the professional built to rent high turnover rental buildings in major city centres.

Noneforit999

dimbo61 said:

Would you do all that for a 6 months tenancy ?

Nope, hence why we moved on from the idea. 

As a landlord, I would want tenants that were ideally as long term as possible so allowing 6 month tenancies just encourages short term rentals