Landlord wants to sell

[Chris From The Gulag]

Freehold ?

Even today ... main HOUSING thread again ... whole estates full of leasehold properties for sale ... best to read the main thread rather than me polluting this thread even more !!!

[Chris From The Gulag]

Section 21 notices ?

No better example than an article just posted on the main HOUSING thread :

https://www.carersuk.org/forum/news-and ... 35#p397935

[Denis_1610]

Brian, is the property furnished or unfurnished? If unfurnished (landlord does not provide furnishings; you do) then it is very difficult for the landlord to evict you provided you are up to date with the rent.

Regardless, I would advise seeking alternative accommodation along the lines that others have advised. It is not comfortable to live where you are not wanted. Just don't feel panicked that you will be forced out soon.

[Chris From The Gulag]

Yep ... hence the Section 21 route as detailed in the Shelter part of the thread.

Turn the clock back a couple of decades , furnished / unfurnished did matter ... as did the level of rents
applied to each !

( Unfurnished ? Couple of crates / tin foil over lights etc... furnished ... and less security of tenure ! )

One offered a higher level of security of tenure ... certain during my banking days when " Winkling " was
the name of the game ... emptying properties of tenants to secure vacant possession ... and rents were
contolled by local rent officers ... my next seat neighbour at Leyton Orient for six years did precisely
that for the London Borough of Hackney.

..... and the stories we used to exchange about landlords / tenants ... late 70s / early 80s !

The game changed ... and the new system of AST and BTL.

The new system still has faults but ... less cowboys / gunslingers and a few more sheriffs in the Wild West now.

[Brian_19011]

Thanks to everyone who replied to my post. I've been really busy since just after I made the post as my mum went down with a bad stomach bug which was a bit of a nightmare scenario on top of her other problems. Trying to look for somewhere to move to with that lot going on has been very stressful.

One question: If I don't leave after the tenancy expires, will I get a bad reputation, making it even harder to rent somewhere?

[Chris From The Gulag]

A sitting tenant refusing to budge ... assuming no Section 21 notice ???

Depends on your landlord ... and numerous reports over the years as to " Methods " used to " Help " you budge ... some now even lawful if one considers paper is more more potent than the " Old " way !

Did I mention WINKLING ... no , I didn't ... can be a remunerative way ... did I say that ?

( Old term for it ... Mexican stand off ... who flinches first ! ... bearing in mind your landlord is the only one with a gun !
" £ 300 to go the legal route and four months with / without the rent or ... say £ 500 cash in hand ....Mmmmm ? " )

References ... particular " Character " ones ... letting agents thrive on these with the amount they charge prospective tenants for them ( I have seen £ 150 charged for a standard template enquiry letter ! ).

Difficult ... and a very grey area in law ... if seeking a new btl and paying cash upfront , the cash tends to do the talking ... a character refence takes second spot.

If seeking one locally , word tends to get around ... I'm pretty close to the letting agents in Worksop ( Swopping information from time to time ) and they do tend to share " Information " under the counter ... contrary to what the Data Protection Act says for itself.

So , if there is a " Rogue " tenant out there , " Wanted : Dead or Alive " posters will be around on that manor inside the letting agents ... all girls together ?

A case of " By the book " or ... in the real world ?

If an O's fan , plenty going cheap up 'ere in Worksop ( Noworksop ) , and I could do with a fellow supporter locally ...
or should that be sufferer from the same infliction ... no know cure ?

[Brian_19011]

They even charge for a reference? My God, they really do take the mick these days.

My landlord isn't a professional one, he inherited the house and the other beneficiaries are pressuring him to sell. I don't really feel bad towards him, he has to do what he has to do, but it has put me in a very bad situation. I take it 'winkling' is a euphemism for Rachmanism.

[bowlingbun]

Check your rights with the local Housing Officer. When my neighbour was in a similar situation, they sold the house with a sitting tenant.

[Brian_19011]

Check your rights with the local Housing Officer. When my neighbour was in a similar situation, they sold the house with a sitting tenant.

Did the sitting tenant just stay after his assured shorthold tenancy ran out? I didn't think I really had any rights when it ran out.

[Chris From The Gulag]

Winkling ?

Regretably , yes ... Dear Peter does come into the equation but ... take away the Profumo connection ... merely the pubic face of a very large " Under the counter " industry.

Rent Act 1957 ... almost my choice for a specialist subject on Mastermind ...the real starting gun ... the new nane of the game ? ... vacant possession ... winkling a nature consequence of a badly thought out remedey to the ( Then ) housing crisis in London ... exasperated by the arrival of the Windrush generation !

Friendly landlord ?

Handy but , at the same time , limited as to what he could do for you ?

My own suggestion ... NOT recommendation ... is to seek fresh pastures unless you have the means and resources to acquire a tenancy in a btl locally ... what usually costs in excess of £ 800 per month down there , £ 300 up 'ere !

Costs ?

Usually 3 months rent in advance + this month's rent + moving costs + anything from £ 100 to £ 1,000 in letting agents fees.

Say ... £ 600 per month ... that's £ 3,000+ needed upfront before you the get the key !

( I faced virtually the same when moving to Worksop in 2010 ... very painfull , for years ! )

That's the cold heart reality of the btl market in 2019.

Read the press and more btl landlords are getting out ... not in.

Oh , should add ... on benefits ? Many btl landlords do NOT accept benefit claimants as tenants ... fact !

Difficult situation , Brian.

I'll do what i can to help but ... it won't be much as there is not much that can be done ?

Shelter ... any advice beyond ... " Make yourself homeless and then we can help ? "