The 12 month tenancy is coming to an end in November, so 2 months notice was given to my tenant in a timely manner, by posting it 3 days before the rent payment date with a certificate of posting and also emailed the tenant last week. No response so far. I have arranged for agents to come over to value the property and put it for sale. I emailed the tenant to get an appointment for Thursday, 12th. She is now saying that she wants an updated tenancy with her partner named on it. The tenancy did say to let me know if she has anyone else staying there so they can be added on the tenancy with their full details and a fee to update the tenancy. But I have been there and she never had anyone else in the house, so I left it. Now she wants updated tennacy with her partner’s name. However, I do not wish to update the tennacy as it is less than 2 months for her to leave. After she leaves I may need to do some work on the property. Now I feel she does not wish to leave, that is the reason she is asking me to add her partner’s name. I wish to tell the truth and say a S21 notice has been given last week on Monday. She never got back until I arranged appointments to come over. I could not have agents before giving the notice to her. What should I do in these circumstances?
So go ahead and tell her the truth… which, if she has received notice, she will already know. It may be that she is simply sticking her head in the sand to avoid this. It may be that she thinks that you might feel differently about the S21 if you have two people to cover the rent. It may be that she has no intention of going anywhere until the bailiffs arrive in 18 months time and drag her (and her partner) into the street.
But whatever she feels, my impression is that you and the tenant have not built a close relationship to the point where you actually talk to each other. I would have spoken to the tenant about the fact that I was planning to sell and told them that I was going to issue an S21 to expire at the end of the fixed term. In fact, I would have done that prior to letting to them in the first place had I been planning to do so at that stage. That would have left no ambiguity and the S21 would not have come as a surprise. As it is, you don’t know what she knows and she doesn’t know what you know. Polite, clear and frequent communication is always best in a LL/T relationship.
By the way, everytime I visited or had a chat with her, I stated that it is for a year only as I wish to sell it. She said she wishes to stay for 4 to 5 years and the agent had told her it would be ok. It was always a friendly chat. I said the agent has not told me anything. Also since having this property and another one in the same town, the tenants do not normally stay for longer than a year so it never occurred to me that she may wish to stay longer. She also said to me at the end of August that she wants to buy it but has no money, but can pay a little extra rent and pay off gradually. I said I need to sell as need that money as it is my pension. My state pension is insufficient for me to live on. The rent is not enough to live on.
In May and June, she had said she understood and never pressed me to have her partner included in the tenancy and I never met him whenever, I visited. It was always just the tenant. I really did not know she will cause any hassle as she said she will ask the agent to find her another place.
Her partner will have no tenancy rights, so has no right to notice or to remain in the property.
If she says youll have to get a court order, you should remind her that this will destroy her reputation as a tenant and cost her over ÂŁ500 in court costs, (a point that Councils never tell tenants). She will thereafter be condemned to live in Council emergency accommodation or the grotty properties that they can find for her as no landlord will trust her.
Thanks David122
I feel she may not tell me to get a court order, but keep quiet. I feel she may not leave either on the termination date.
I may have to go to the court to get her out and this may take a while.
So, anyway I shall warn her about what you said. That I do not wish to go to court, but may have to and the consequences for her.
So far, she has been a good tenant but if she does not leave then there is a risk that I shall not put in a good for her to a prospective buyer, if they are investors. She is still hoping I shall sell it to an investor.
“LL/T relationship.” LL are in the business of collecting an income from an investment they are not social workers
If you want to collect income from an investment, buy bonds. If you want to be a LL, you neglect your relationship with the T at your peril (as many threads on this forum prove).
got to have a good relationship look after them .Top up the boiler if they cannot, change lightbulb. I have been to visit tenants in hospital, gone to their funeral (not that they knew I was there) just for respect
You are so clever, a financial advisor and a social worker.
I’m more than happy to have a conversation where we share opinions on how to manage the relationship that LLs have with their tenants. If you want to do that, then please start a thread to that effect and I’ll join you over there. For the record, I am neither a social worker nor financial advisor. Nevertheless, as you rightly point out, I am clever.
that makes two of us who are clever on here !! 
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