# Death of landlord - OpenRent are hopeless **URL:** \ **Category:** Landlord Discussion\ **Created:** [6 July 2021 15:11 UTC](https://community.openrent.co.uk/t/death-of-landlord-openrent-are-hopeless/24117 "2021-07-06T15:11:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![John94](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex031/user_avatar/community.openrent.co.uk/john94/32/515_2.png) [@John94](https://community.openrent.co.uk/u/John94)\ **Post date:** [6 July 2021 15:11 UTC](https://community.openrent.co.uk/t/death-of-landlord-openrent-are-hopeless/24117/1 "2021-07-06T15:11:26Z")
My wife and co-landlord sadly died in March. I now wish to offer a new AST to my tenants, but plainly my wife will not be able to appear on the new agreement as one of the landlords. I told OpenRent about this and they said that from June 30, I would be able to amend the agreement, but I found I could not, and nothing they suggested worked. Then they actually started emailing my dead wife! Now they have come up an extraordinarily complicated list of instructions for how I can make the change, but they say it’s so difficult, it might be better if I actually left OpenRent! Surely OpenRent must have experienced a joint landlord dying before !? Has anyone else come up with this problem, and did they find a way to overcome it? ---
**Author:** ![David122](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex031/user_avatar/community.openrent.co.uk/david122/32/1449_2.png) [@David122](https://community.openrent.co.uk/u/David122)\ **Post date:** [6 July 2021 17:06 UTC](https://community.openrent.co.uk/t/death-of-landlord-openrent-are-hopeless/24117/2 "2021-07-06T17:06:26Z")
Really sorry to hear about your wife. I’m sure this is the last thing you need at this difficult time. I must say, I’m shocked if this is such an administratively difficult procedure for Openrent that they would prefer you left. I hope you can get a better answer from them. I can’t see why you can’t register for a new account and use that for the next tenancy. Just on a point of law, there is no legal requirement to “renew” an AST for a tenant and it is usually better for a landlord to allow it to go periodic as it gives you more flexibility. There should also be no problem with you being the sole signatory for all documents for a tenancy with joint landlords unless you operate through a company. ---
**Author:** ![A\_Z](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex031/user_avatar/community.openrent.co.uk/a_z/32/450_2.png) [@A\_Z](https://community.openrent.co.uk/u/A_Z)\ **Post date:** [6 July 2021 18:52 UTC](https://community.openrent.co.uk/t/death-of-landlord-openrent-are-hopeless/24117/3 "2021-07-06T18:52:55Z")
My condolences for your loss. If a landlord change occurs during an AST it is dealt with a section 3 and 48 notice or start a new AST. There shall be a delay because of probate. When my father passed we continued existing tenancies and at the end of the AST we renewed with a new AST in my mother’s name. Below was a reply I received from my solicitor regarding change of ownership ( not from death ). Just speak to the NRLA or your solicitor to ensure this applies. _The transfer of ownership is usually covered with a Section 3 and Section 48 Notice._ _No new contract is needed but often it is taken as an opportunity to provide a new contract and to reserve all the required documentation so that you know all is in order._ _The deposit is generally repaid to the tenant and they are asked to then pay it back to the new landlord to protect._ _The guarantee is more difficult – it depends on the terms of the guarantee as to whether the benefit of it can pass to a new owner._ _It is probably easier to get the guarantor to sign up again._ ---
**Author:** ![system](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex031/user_avatar/community.openrent.co.uk/system/32/11_2.png) [@system](https://community.openrent.co.uk/u/system)\ **Post date:** [9 August 2022 12:52 UTC](https://community.openrent.co.uk/t/death-of-landlord-openrent-are-hopeless/24117/4 "2022-08-09T12:52:39Z")