My 6-month tenancy ends on 13 September and the landlord wants to increase rent from £875 to £925 for one year.
Landlords legally need to give at least one months notice for rent increases on monthly or 6-month tenancies, but I did not receive a call from the estate agent informing me until Tuesday 23 August.
I told the agent I can only afford £900 p/month and have not heard back since. If I do not decide to renew, will the tenancy roll to a periodic monthly one after 13 September if I have not found another place by then?
Can I use the fact the tenancy increase notice was one week late to propose I keep paying the same rent amount until I am ready to move out?
The agent telling you of the increase informally is of no legal effect if you choose not to pay it. They must follow due process if they want to force a rent increase. You must be careful not to get to a situation where they would have something negative to put in your reference though so stay positive and helpful but keep saying you can’t afford it etc.
Yes, your tenancy will become periodic and they can then serve you 2 months notice if they want you to leave.
Finding somewhere else to live is now an urgent priority for you.
Yes, you are right. I need to find somewhere else to live urgently. It’s not easy when my standards and requirements are high, but budget is low.
I live in Essex and am looking in the Midlands and North becausse it’s cheaper, but can’t find anywhere half decent in line with what I can afford.
I have definitely decided not to renew though. Should I tell the estate agent immediately or wait for them to come back to me with the landlords response to my counter proposal in order to buy more time?
On second thoughts, even £900 is too high for me. I have been struggling to keep up with £875 over the past few months!
I have made up my mind to leave, but find it odd that I haven’t heard back re my counter proposal. It’s been a week now. They’re cutting it a bit fine!
Well the tenancy will just become periodic as said earlier, so theyre not really against the clock. There are certainly places in the midlands that are cheaper. Make sure you dont end up in an area you wouldnt wabt to live though.
The landlord has accepted my offer of £900. I think this may be down to me having a good tenant record and always paying rent on time, despite how much of struggle it is some months.
I have decided to stick it out here for now and try find a better paid job to keep on top of my outgoings.
I don’t earn enough to pass the employment and income checks on a flat that meets my standards and I don’t want to end up moving somewhere I totally hate just because it’s signficantly cheaper. I think that’s slightly more depressing and unbearable than struggling to make ends meet in my current expensive flat!