Buying: Notice to current landlord

DoctorStrange

I'm currently renting and looking to buy.

I am obliged to give my landlord 56 days notice.

Question to landlords: should I tell landlord that I'm looking to buy? Giving them more time to prepare ect.

But.... If the sale falls through and I need to stay renting my current place, have I left myself in a bad position? - landlord could say that I've already given notice or they've already spent money preparing for new tenants?

the_syco

DoctorStrange wrote: »

Question to landlords: should I tell landlord that I'm looking to buy?

When you have the keys of the new house in your hand.

Until then, sh|t happens, and you'll be begging the landlord for an extra week when he may have a new tenant already lined up to move in.

Butters1979

Nothing wrong with telling the landlord you are looking to buy, however do not give notice unless you are very sure you are ready to leave.
Giving them time to prepare is exactly what the 56 days notice is. Do you think they will have difficulty finding a new tenant? Probably not.

What stage are you at? It sounds like you have not started the process yet. Viewing, bidding, sale agreed, solicitors, the whole process can take 6 to 12 months. No point this early to talk about anything with the landlord.

Mrs OBumble

The 56 days is the legal minimum, but you are free to agree less provided both sides are happy.

If you're in a location where there is high demand, it's very likely that you can mutually agree a shorter notice period - they'll get higher rent as soon as they find someone else to moves in.

BattleCorp

You'd be mad to tell your landlord in advance of the 56 days. You could well find that your landlord's attitude towards you will change, and not for the better.

Buying a house isn't like buying groceries in a shop. You don't go in and pick it off the shelf. It can easily take three to six months to buy a house. And that's if everyone is agreeable and there are no problems.

Leave things as they are and only give notice when you are sure of a date when you can move into your new house.

DoctorStrange

Butters1979 wrote: »

Nothing wrong with telling the landlord you are looking to buy, however do not give notice unless you are very sure you are ready to leave.
Giving them time to prepare is exactly what the 56 days notice is. Do you think they will have difficulty finding a new tenant? Probably not.

What stage are you at? It sounds like you have not started the process yet. Viewing, bidding, sale agreed, solicitors, the whole process can take 6 to 12 months. No point this early to talk about anything with the landlord.

Towards the end of the process at this stage but you never know how it's going to work out.

Guess I'll be keeping quiet until contracts are signed!

DoctorStrange

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

If you're in a location where there is high demand, it's very likely that you can mutually agree a shorter notice period

Never thought of this, I doubt they'll any trouble re-renting and at a significantly higher rent.

Archaeoliz

We're in the same situation but we live rurally and have a good relationship with our landlord. We told him partly because it probably would have gotten back to him anyway, but also because we get on well. We have no timescales because conveyancing takes an eternity plus we're now on the third house we're trying to buy. He appreciated the honesty and knows we'll be giving notice in the near-ish future so doesn't expect us here for years and years to come.

Guess all I'm saying OP is it depends on your relationship with your landlord but he can't do anything anyway until you give formal notice.

4ensic15

No point in giving notice until contracts are signed. Sometimes a landlord might appreciate knowing that a tenant will be leaving. They might want to take the opportunity to do work on the house or sell it. They may also want to avoid committing to holidays or anything else around the time the house will be vacant. It all depends on the relationship.