Selling my rental

fatboydaz

Hi All,

My tenant has a 12 month contract which ends in April next year at which point I will be putting the house up for sale due to personal circumstances. I don't mind if he leaves sooner so would it be ok for me to tell him now that's my plan so he has enough time to move and find another place? 

Would this be ok as a letter to him

I hope this letter finds you well. I am writing to inform you about my plans regarding the property at [Property Address], which you are currently renting.

Due to personal circumstances, I will be putting the property up for sale once your current tenancy agreement expires in April next year. While your tenancy continues until then, I wanted to give you as much notice as possible so you can plan accordingly.

Please note that you are not required to vacate the property before the end of your contract in April 2024 unless you wish to do so. However, if you decide to leave sooner, I would be happy to accommodate this and work with you to find a mutually agreeable date for your departure.

I understand that moving can be a significant task, and I want to ensure that the process is as smooth as possible for you. If you have any questions or would like to discuss your plans, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Thank you for being a responsible tenant, and I appreciate your understanding in this matter.

BikingBud

I see no issue with keeping a tenant advised but feel you need to investigate the protections your tenant might have.

fatboydaz said:

Hi All,

My tenant has a 12 month contract which ends in April next year at which point I will be putting the house up for sale due to personal circumstances. I don't mind if he leaves sooner so would it be ok for me to tell him now that's my plan so he has enough time to move and find another place? 

Would this be ok as a letter to him

I hope this letter finds you well. I am writing to inform you about my plans regarding the property at [Property Address], which you are currently renting.

Due to personal circumstances, I will be putting the property up for sale once your current tenancy agreement expires in April next year. While your tenancy continues until then, I wanted to give you as much notice as possible so you can plan accordingly.

Please note that you are not required to vacate the property before the end of your contract in April 2024 unless you wish to do so. However, if you decide to leave sooner, I would be happy to accommodate this and work with you to find a mutually agreeable date for your departure.

I understand that moving can be a significant task, and I want to ensure that the process is as smooth as possible for you. If you have any questions or would like to discuss your plans, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Thank you for being a responsible tenant, and I appreciate your understanding in this matter.

Whilst you may wish that your tenant will vacate when the current agreement ends in Apr 2025 it cannot be assumed that they will share this view and you should consider the effort that may be required to achieve vacant possession before selling:

19 February 2015 at 7:15PM

RHemmings

fatboydaz said:

Hi All,

My tenant has a 12 month contract which ends in April next year at which point I will be putting the house up for sale due to personal circumstances. I don't mind if he leaves sooner so would it be ok for me to tell him now that's my plan so he has enough time to move and find another place? 

Would this be ok as a letter to him

I hope this letter finds you well. I am writing to inform you about my plans regarding the property at [Property Address], which you are currently renting.

Due to personal circumstances, I will be putting the property up for sale once your current tenancy agreement expires in April next year. While your tenancy continues until then, I wanted to give you as much notice as possible so you can plan accordingly.

Please note that you are not required to vacate the property before the end of your contract in April 2024 unless you wish to do so. However, if you decide to leave sooner, I would be happy to accommodate this and work with you to find a mutually agreeable date for your departure.

I understand that moving can be a significant task, and I want to ensure that the process is as smooth as possible for you. If you have any questions or would like to discuss your plans, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Thank you for being a responsible tenant, and I appreciate your understanding in this matter.

If you are prepared to let them leave with short notice, e.g. one week or so, then please tell them. This would give them flexibility that may be useful in them finding another place to live. 

As per the previous post, difficulties will happen should they not want to or are not able to move out. 

propertyrental

Indeed. You can (and probably should) also serve a S21 Notice, with the minimum 2 month period expiring no earlier than the relevant date in April 25.

(unless there is a Break Clause? Is there?)

If the T does not leave as you hope next April, that is the earliest you can apply for possession, which can take a number of further months to get to court + further time to instruct bailiffs.

But your letter will be unlikely to do any harm and may facilitate an amicable surrender by the tenant.

Skiddaw1

I know this is a personal bug-bear of mine but if I were you, I'd remove 'I hope this letter finds you well'. It's one of those stock AI phrases and it drives me to screaming pitch every time I see it. If I was your tenant it would irritate the pants off me.

'I am writing to inform you about my plans..' (etc) is perfectly fine as an opening.

FlorayG

I think that's fine; the more notice you give, the more likely he is to actually find somewhere before the end date, plus you need to let him know that you will allow him to leave with no penalty before the date he is contracted to.
I'm sure you are aware that he may decide not to leave on the end date, in which case best of luck

katejo

Skiddaw1 said:

I know this is a personal bug-bear of mine but if I were you, I'd remove 'I hope this letter finds you well'. It's one of those stock AI phrases and it drives me to screaming pitch every time I see it. If I was your tenant it would irritate the pants off me.

'I am writing to inform you about my plans..' (etc) is perfectly fine as an opening.

The phrase which I detest is 'Apologies for the inconvenience which this may cause/has caused'. It has no sincere meaning at all!