Landlord selling the house

[RobMcC83]

Hi everyone. I was wondering what our rights are  with my landlord deciding to sell our home.  Me my wife and 2 children have been renting the home for 10 years. We were always given a 1 year tenancy agreement however for the past 2 years we have not been given a new contract but continued to pay rent. We did request a new tenancy agreement on several occasions with the landlord saying “yes I’ll post you one but nothing materialised.”   We received a phone call from the landlord 3 days ago saying she wants to sell the house. So my question is, what if any notice does she have to give us for moving out, for viewings etc etc. Thanks. 

[Dino V]

You're on a rolling contract, so probably one month unless they're was something specific in the original contract.

That's assuming she wants to sell it as vacant, she may be willing to sell it to a new landlord - whilst it reduces the market and therefore, potentially, the price, it also means no loss of rent for her, right up to the day the sale completes. Currently, you could give her a month's notice and she would have a vacant property until sold, which can easily take 3 months after accepting an offer. If you move out, she may also need to do some decorating, new carpets etc to get a good price, so more delays and costs. Don't therefore assume she'll be looking for you to leave, but I'd ask the question and potentially start looking for alternatives for you

[Julia Urquhart]

Assuming she is upto date on all her paperwork she can issue you a section 21 which is 2 months notice. You don't have to leave until she evicts you but as a S21 is mandatory eviction, if her paperwork is correct she will win & you will be billed for the costs. Normally a tenancy will state that you must allow viewings in your notice period & 24 -48 hrs notice would be normal..

Much better in my opinion to engage with the LL - ask whether she is considering selling to another LL or whether she requires vacant possession. If she wants vacant possession I would start looking immediately & move at your own convenience. It may not be easy in the current market so the sooner you start the batter. If she is happy to sell with you in situ you could still be evicted by the new LL.

 

Good luck