The landlord has extended the lease by one month without giving us confirmation, does not agree to the cancellation and requires us to pay for it. How can we cancel the additional period?
I think you need to provide a bit more information, so we can understand exactly what has happened, and give advice.
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The tenancy ended on 16 April 2025 following our previous discussion and agreement to end the tenancy via WhatsApp on 4 March 2025 and my confirmation emails of 11 April 2025 and 13 April.
The landlord changed the tenancy to 17 May without consulting us and only sent a formal email confirmation on 5 April. Although I had mistakenly given the date as 17 May in my email of 11 April 2025, I clarified that this was a mistake in my follow-up email of 13 April and reconfirmed that I would be moving out on 16 April as originally agreed. This correction was made prior to the end of the fixed term and the original intention to move out never changed.
The landlord is now demanding an extra month’s rent, how can I avoid paying the extra rent?
What did the ‘discussion & agreement’ on 4th March look like? What did the Landlord reply in their ‘agreement’?
I assume you would have read your rental contract. What does it say about your obligations when ending the contract? Are you still within minimum term or has the agreement gone periodic? How much notice should you give? Should that notice end on a rent payment day? How does it say you should serve notice? Does it say this can be by whatsapp, or must it be in writing or by email?
I would echo Karl’s questions. What does your tenancy agreement say about service of the notice? Does it imply that whatsapp is acceptable? What was the landlords response to the whatsapp notice?
If whatsapp is not a valid method of service and the landlord didnt reply accepting it, then your first valid notice would be the email of 11 April, which would end your tenancy on 17 May as requested.
Its a bit mean-spirited of the landlord, but if this is the case then you can only negotiate
However, my emails of 11th April and 13th April both clearly state that I want to end my tenancy and move out on 16th April.
Is there any good solution for this?
- on 4 March (one month in advance) we made it clear in WhatAPP that we would not renew the lease and the landlord agreed.
- the contract is now within the minimum term
- the contract suggests one month’s notice and Openrent suggests notice before the due date (payment date), overall my response time is in line.
- there is no clear stipulation on how the notice is to be sent, I Since WhatsApp is our daily communication tool, our notice method combines WhatsApp and email.
What exactly did uour email of 11 April say? Can uou also answer the other questions asked as theyre crucial to the answer to this issue
‘Not renewing’ a rental contract does not end it. After the end of the stated minimum term, it rolls on forever until terminated by (in your case) the tenant giving notice. However, that notice must be served correctly. If this is a standard Openrent contract, then a message by Whatsapp is not sufficient.
The contract clearly states that ‘notices’ must be served to the Landlords address or email… This If I recall correctly is on the last couple of pages of the contract.
It would help to understand what the Whatsapp messages both ways actually said, and what the Landlords communication since has said, and if they have changed their mind from an earlier whatsapp, what reason they have provided.
The landlord changed the date on the terrace without our knowledge and without giving a reason. The landlord only sent an email on the 5th April clearly notifying the date change but we did not have enough time to respond.
As per clause 13.2 of the standard contract, I had formal email responses on 11th April and 13th April. Is there anything I can do about this situation now please?
Sorry, but I cant offer any more thoughts until you answer the questions.
The landlord has no legal duty to respond or to coach you in how to serve notice.
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I have no idea what this is on about. A clear breakdown of actual communications including what was said, is the only way now for people to understand what has happened, and advise.