Pls help - letting dilema!!

emma-uk

Your urgent assiastance is required!!
My partner and I put down a non-refundable (unless LL pulls out) deposit of £206 for a 2 bed house offered with a minimum 12 month let. We received a call on Friday chasing up our moving out date. We need to give 6 weeks notice on our current property so it will be around March 26th (we're yet to give notice as we will not until everything has been confirmed with the new property) We made the LA aware of this when viewing. Now the LL wants someone in ASAP and we are now waiting confirmation as to whether or not he will wait. Now another problem has popped up. Whilst browsing that well know property website tonight that it is also up for Sale with no mention of tenents or BTL and is vacant! :mad: Its the same company selling which are a large Essex based EA.

Am i right be concerned about moving in here? We are looking at somewhere long term (12 months +) and worried that we will lose out (and in Hindsight I should have researched a bit more but it would appear we fell for the "its been very popular and we have alot of interest so you need to be quick" line.
I am going in tomorrow to finalise the paperwork but I am really dubious about going ahead with this seeing its also up for sale. We risk losing our deposit which, whilst to some, may not be lots but it is to us and I feel the LA have mis-lead us. What shall I do??

silvercar

It could be that selling was the fallback position if the LL failed to find tenants. Short of refusing to sign until the property is removed from all sale outlets, I dont know what to suggest. Though if you sign a 12 month contract, that is what you get.

emma-uk

It would appear the LL is not financially secure and I do not want to go ahead with this now!!:mad:

LA confirmed this morning that the house will be taken off sale as we had now given in our paper but she was still waiting to hear back from LL with regards to our earliest moving in date (which the LA have know since we first viewed the property!!)

About an hour after we left the LA I get a voicemail message from LA. LL is O.K. for us to move in on Mar 26th but is it possible we hand over some cash (around £300!!) as a "goodwill gesture" to cover him whilst the property is empty!! Is this legal? He wants may to pay "rent" on a property we will not be living in!! Never in my renting life have a come across this!! I have so far been unable to get hold of LA and left a message for her to call me back. I am out of order to go back and say No?

silvercar

You could say "no". The risk is that the landlord finds another tenant who is prepared to move in sooner. From the landlords point of view, he is losing 6 weeks rent while he waits for you.

emma-uk

I have left a message that no, we are not prepared to pay additional money. Its not like we have just announced we can not move until then. We made it clear to the LA this was the earliest possible when we viewed and before any cash was handed over and told this was fine!!

I am just concerned that the LL can do this! To me it looks like he is having financial difficulties as it was my understanding that anyone venturing into BTL ensured they had funds available to cover them during periods that their property will be vacant.

silvercar

It may be that money is tight or it may be that he doesn't see why he should keep his property empty for 6 weeks to wait for you.

Say he finds someone next week able to move in March 1, he's lost nearly 4 weeks rent for nothing.

If you decide not to pay that is the right decision for you. If you find the property is still empty in 3 weeks time, the landlord may be more agreeable to not accepting a payment.

Pottymouth_2

You should say no to paying while empty - as long as you are happy for them to say - "fine you can't have the place then" or risk them renting to someone else.
You could be a bit bullish and offer to pay 1st month rent now (covering you in 6 weeks time) - providing he signs contract now and holds for 6 weeks.

You might also look into the letting agents hold the deposit instead of the landlord - I am not sure, but am guessing its possible that if the landlord is not financially secure, they could go belly up leaving you with nowhere to live and without your deposit.

Anything goes here - the landlord can ask you for money to hold while empty and you can tell him to sling his hook as long as you are OK to lose the place.

I'd make sure everything else works in the house and is up to certification too - gas / electrics (I think the landlord should have certificates of some sort, but may be wrong) and there is no damp and the shower works etc...

You might look at it from the landlord point of view: http://www.landlordzone.co.uk/ (know your enemy..*grin*)

Good luck - tell me how it turns out.

Potty

Strapped

I think it's cheeky of the LL to ask if you've been up-front all along, but if I wanted to definitely secure the property then I might offer a smaller "goodwill" sum. However, given the fact it has also been up for sale, if you have concerns about this, you might say "no", and then press to get the signed paperwork back asap ie get a firm "yes" (property is yours) or "no" (in which case, your deposit is refundable).

haylibo

It may be that money is tight or it may be that he doesn't see why he should keep his property empty for 6 weeks to wait for you
But surely if everyone was aware of this fact at the beginning then no deposit should have been taken and then the conditions changed? If OP was explicit about the terms then the LA took the deposit on behalf of the LL on those terms. Now the LL is asking for consideration for something which should have been considered before the deposit was taken. What is the function of the deposit? Does it not secure the property for the OP on the terms she requested?

emma-uk

The £206 is payable to the LA, not the LL, to secure the property. They have to make their money some how!!

We have negotiated the "goodwill geture" down to £200 however, should be lucky enough to leave our current property early this will be refunded against the 1st months rent (we have just this second had our current LA over doing the 6 month check and said it should be let no problem and these masionettes are in serious demand which is currently outstripping supply!) There is a way we can leave early so notice with a clause to request immediate viewings etc to secure a new tenacy so we can leave early so this notice is going in tomorrow. If we can't get out early then its £200 put down to experience, Fingers crossed!! We do really want this new property, nearer to work, garden (been in current property for 4 years and the thought of another summer with no outside space does not bear thinking about!!!!) extra space!! Can't wait!

chappers

What is this £206 you are paying to the agents, sounds like arip off to me, unless it is actually part of your deposit or letting fees(references etc).
I would have done what pottymouth suggested and offered to pay the first months rent now but not made any extra payments.
Hopefully your current LL will let your house quickly and you can move earlier anyway, if you do move earlier than 6 weeks remeber you are £200 up already.