Agency rights or lies during Covid

OpenRent Chat
1

Hi all,
I am struggling to get out of my fixed term contract,
I have lived in that joint tenancy house for more than two year ; it was written on the contract that after one year of fixed term, it would go to a rolling contract but every time the agency told us they didn’t want to do a rolling contract in the end… I wonder if that is even legal?

We were normally still available to leave by paying a 50£ fee to change the name on the contract. One of my flatmate actually did it in July but now they are refusing for me to do the same.
They are saying that new rules came in because of COVID the past week allowing them to not change names on contracts because they are understaffed. They are also telling me I can sublet but that I will still (of course) be reliable until the end of this contract…

Could you please tell me if I have any way out ? I don’t understand how they can tell me No since they have done it a couple months back…

Thank you very much

2

Hi

Yes it is legal for a landlord to only use fixed term. Some landlords prefer the security it offers and if you didn’t want to tie yourself in then you shouldn’t have signed it. A fixed term automatically converts to rolling contract but if landlord doesn’t want this they can just give notice to avoid rolling period.

With regards to replacement tenant it depends what your contract says but vast majority wouldn’t allow it without landlords approval which they dont need to give. Just because the have previously doesn’t mean they always have to.

1 Like