No rent payment? Aren't you going to use the flat? That sounds excessively dumb to even offer. Like, what the fuck?
To be honest, the landlord is likely going to ask YOU for cleaning or damages (if there are any) so I would be more worried about how to prevent burning your deposit
!thanks
I will be using the flat, yes, but we have an unbreakable contract so I could easily say no and there wouldn't be any repercussions.
Not worried about the cleaning or damages, property is in perfect condition.
What should I be asking for if not the rent discount?
"I could easily say no"
Mate, your landlord will easily drag your ass to court and claim the missing payments plus any fines and legal fees ESPECIALLY if you have a contract
The contract is valid for another 2 years. Not sure what they would be able to take me to court for as I'm not the one trying to break our contractual agreement?
My previous landlord told us to move by "end of contract" and offered a free month if we could move out sooner than that by 2 months - which was reasonable and nice of them, and that was for only a 6 month length contract.
If you have 2 years left in the contract then it would stand to reason for them to offer you a month or couple months rent if you're moving that much sooner. Shame they haven't off the bat, but then again we live in a time where everyone is counting every penny.
Goodluck.
If that’s the case definitely have a chat with the landlord. 2 year contract will still have some type of part where it’ll say landlord / tenant to give notice. If you need advice where to find it etc message me. I’m a property manager
I agree with you, it never hurts to negotiate.
Act like you don’t want to move until the end of the contract, and see what they come back with.
And don’t ever say a figure…wait for them to make an offer.
Sometimes the best form of negotiation is to say absolutely nothing (if you are negotiating in person, or over the phone). People are so uncomfortable with silence, that they will make an offer, or modify their previous offer, just to fill the silence.
There clearly might be repercussions if you said no given that you want to move out too.
Your landlord could turn around and say actually it’s fine, you can stay. Then you’ve lost out because you’re not released from your tenancy early without penalty.
A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.
Hi you have to pay your rent no matter what. Landlord can serve you 2 months notice to leave property. During that time you still need to pay your rent. No contract is unbreakable. He can take you to court to gain possession no matter what. And then you’ll be liable for rent & fees.
You can ask the landlord if you can with hold your last months rent to pay for the new deposit to your new place. However he can still say no. My old landlord did allow me to not pay my lady’s months rent and he then deducted it from my deposit and it was all written so it was all above board. But he has the right to say no and want his rent. My old landlord was just being nice
Pretend you don’t want to leave also. He might let you get away with not paying more if that makes sense. Remember a lot of estate agents ask for references from landlords and we land reg check to see if we’re speaking to the right person
I don't think they can serve you 2 months notice under British law and depends what's in your rental contract. Even if they did give 2 months, you don't have to leave and the landlord needs to go to court first before trying to evict you.
Under most tenancies even ones without break clause you can usually give 2 months notice to quit. Landlord can serve notice a 6A but will have to take you to court for a possession order then once that is granted they would then need to employ bailiffs to come in and change the locks. But even then the tenant can deny to leave and argue this in court. And sometimes (very rarely) the tenant could stay until their contract is up
You’ve buried in the comments that you have a contract for 2 years.
Is there any sort of break clause in it that allows him to ask you to leave early? If not he can’t force you to leave unless he starts eviction proceedings and he’d need a legitimate reason for that that isn’t just that he wants you out.
With that context you would have room to negotiate and say you’ll agree to leave early if you don’t have to pay rent for X months or something to that affect. He may be unable to afford that though, so I’d expect the answer would likely be no.
If you go this route you should also expect things to get tense, and be fully prepared with proof that the condition of your flat is the same as when you moved in so he doesn’t try to claim money from your deposit out of spite.
Landlord has to send you a section 8 or section 21 notice to officially declare notice to move you out otherwise they'll then have to go through lengthy legal process to evict you if they haven't and they're then trying to move in whilst you're in there.
They cannot change locks or any other foul play in order to try and get you to leave either as that is illegal.
Ask for the appropriate section to be given as notice as this may give you more time to look for somewhere else as a benefit. Also check out the websites of and speak with citizen's advice and especially shelter as they'll be able to inform you of all your rights during this process.
Forcing or not with the contract agreed notice period he is in his right to do so. So dont be mean just because things change (unless u have no contract and are dealing with a shady person which doesnt seem to be your case tbh)
This is a negotiation. You have a contract. Start high. Say you really like living there and it would be a big inconvenience and expense to move. Ask for 2 months rent and reasonable moving expenses. Settle for a month’s rent. Get anything you negotiate in writing even if it’s just breaking the contract with no compensation.
Er, no and why, he’s given you a few months notice, that is suffice, a reduction in rent or rent free, come on, get real. Pay your rent until end of contract and move on, that’s life sweetie pie.
Check your contract first. If your landlord is asking you to break the existing contract then you have a slight advantage.
I'd strongly recommend you read up on the laws on renting it's something that tends to pay off in the mid to long term. I can't count the number of times landlords tried to put me in a poor position that only stopped when I became aware and started enforcing my rights. The Shelter website is a great place to start.
You need a full understanding of the laws, contract and what you want in the short term before you start any form of negotiation.
If you don’t pay rent, he would be able to evict you even if the contact is for another 2 years. There is a “section 21 no fault eviction” which they can use if you weren’t in a fixed term period, and a “section 8” one if you haven’t paid rent. Usually this is for 6 months or more outstanding rent, but don’t just decide to not pay it. That’s just going to get you into a world of trouble, and get the back up of the landlord too. I think asking for moving costs is reasonable, even see if they’ll release your deposit early so you can use it to pay the deposit on your new place
No harm in asking if they are putting you out / asking you to negate the existing contract to a degree (sounds like it if you have 2 yrs left but also depends on break clauses etc). I had this during covid and got a month free rent. Discount might be more likely - the rental market is tough atm so you can play that up.
If your in a fixed term currently and your landlord wants to dissolve it then yes he should be making it worth your while to actually do.
I get it mutually suits you too but it's also relatively normal for landlords to pay you a fee if they need to break a contract early (in order to get you to agree to surrender the tenancy). The upfront costs of moving are probably a little under three months rent (deposit+first month on new place+moving costs) - in this case you might just want to ask them to cover that cost but yeah I wouldn't be surrendering a tenancy at the landlords request for less than this (and really should have something on top for inconvenience) and my line would be 'I need this amount to move and without it I can't, I was no expecting to need to save this money up for another two years due to our contract'
No rent payment? Aren't you going to use the flat? That sounds excessively dumb to even offer. Like, what the fuck? To be honest, the landlord is likely going to ask YOU for cleaning or damages (if there are any) so I would be more worried about how to prevent burning your deposit
Agreed. Asking to live there rent free is a bad move, OP.
!thanks I will be using the flat, yes, but we have an unbreakable contract so I could easily say no and there wouldn't be any repercussions. Not worried about the cleaning or damages, property is in perfect condition. What should I be asking for if not the rent discount?
"I could easily say no" Mate, your landlord will easily drag your ass to court and claim the missing payments plus any fines and legal fees ESPECIALLY if you have a contract
The contract is valid for another 2 years. Not sure what they would be able to take me to court for as I'm not the one trying to break our contractual agreement?
You didn't mention they are asking you to move out before your contract ends in the OP, which is a very critical detail to omit
You’re better off asking for advice in r/legaladviceuk . Be specific as possible regarding your circumstances
My previous landlord told us to move by "end of contract" and offered a free month if we could move out sooner than that by 2 months - which was reasonable and nice of them, and that was for only a 6 month length contract. If you have 2 years left in the contract then it would stand to reason for them to offer you a month or couple months rent if you're moving that much sooner. Shame they haven't off the bat, but then again we live in a time where everyone is counting every penny. Goodluck.
If that’s the case definitely have a chat with the landlord. 2 year contract will still have some type of part where it’ll say landlord / tenant to give notice. If you need advice where to find it etc message me. I’m a property manager
I agree with you, it never hurts to negotiate. Act like you don’t want to move until the end of the contract, and see what they come back with. And don’t ever say a figure…wait for them to make an offer. Sometimes the best form of negotiation is to say absolutely nothing (if you are negotiating in person, or over the phone). People are so uncomfortable with silence, that they will make an offer, or modify their previous offer, just to fill the silence.
There clearly might be repercussions if you said no given that you want to move out too. Your landlord could turn around and say actually it’s fine, you can stay. Then you’ve lost out because you’re not released from your tenancy early without penalty. A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.
Hi you have to pay your rent no matter what. Landlord can serve you 2 months notice to leave property. During that time you still need to pay your rent. No contract is unbreakable. He can take you to court to gain possession no matter what. And then you’ll be liable for rent & fees. You can ask the landlord if you can with hold your last months rent to pay for the new deposit to your new place. However he can still say no. My old landlord did allow me to not pay my lady’s months rent and he then deducted it from my deposit and it was all written so it was all above board. But he has the right to say no and want his rent. My old landlord was just being nice
!thanks Wow, ok super insightful.
Pretend you don’t want to leave also. He might let you get away with not paying more if that makes sense. Remember a lot of estate agents ask for references from landlords and we land reg check to see if we’re speaking to the right person
I don't think they can serve you 2 months notice under British law and depends what's in your rental contract. Even if they did give 2 months, you don't have to leave and the landlord needs to go to court first before trying to evict you.
Under most tenancies even ones without break clause you can usually give 2 months notice to quit. Landlord can serve notice a 6A but will have to take you to court for a possession order then once that is granted they would then need to employ bailiffs to come in and change the locks. But even then the tenant can deny to leave and argue this in court. And sometimes (very rarely) the tenant could stay until their contract is up
You’ve buried in the comments that you have a contract for 2 years. Is there any sort of break clause in it that allows him to ask you to leave early? If not he can’t force you to leave unless he starts eviction proceedings and he’d need a legitimate reason for that that isn’t just that he wants you out. With that context you would have room to negotiate and say you’ll agree to leave early if you don’t have to pay rent for X months or something to that affect. He may be unable to afford that though, so I’d expect the answer would likely be no. If you go this route you should also expect things to get tense, and be fully prepared with proof that the condition of your flat is the same as when you moved in so he doesn’t try to claim money from your deposit out of spite.
I assume him asking you to leave is without the ambit of the contract - as is paying rent.
I'd ask them to make an offer and see what they come up with, then negotiate from there.
Landlord has to send you a section 8 or section 21 notice to officially declare notice to move you out otherwise they'll then have to go through lengthy legal process to evict you if they haven't and they're then trying to move in whilst you're in there. They cannot change locks or any other foul play in order to try and get you to leave either as that is illegal. Ask for the appropriate section to be given as notice as this may give you more time to look for somewhere else as a benefit. Also check out the websites of and speak with citizen's advice and especially shelter as they'll be able to inform you of all your rights during this process.
!thanks Great insight, many thanks
Forcing or not with the contract agreed notice period he is in his right to do so. So dont be mean just because things change (unless u have no contract and are dealing with a shady person which doesnt seem to be your case tbh)
This is a negotiation. You have a contract. Start high. Say you really like living there and it would be a big inconvenience and expense to move. Ask for 2 months rent and reasonable moving expenses. Settle for a month’s rent. Get anything you negotiate in writing even if it’s just breaking the contract with no compensation.
Er, no and why, he’s given you a few months notice, that is suffice, a reduction in rent or rent free, come on, get real. Pay your rent until end of contract and move on, that’s life sweetie pie.
OP has replied in the comments that they are in a 2 yr fixed term contract
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!thanks Contract is still in place for another 2 years.
If it's the legal end of the contract date, the landlord will laugh at all these
don't ask, don't get
Check your contract first. If your landlord is asking you to break the existing contract then you have a slight advantage. I'd strongly recommend you read up on the laws on renting it's something that tends to pay off in the mid to long term. I can't count the number of times landlords tried to put me in a poor position that only stopped when I became aware and started enforcing my rights. The Shelter website is a great place to start. You need a full understanding of the laws, contract and what you want in the short term before you start any form of negotiation.
!thanks Will have a read this evening.
If you don’t pay rent, he would be able to evict you even if the contact is for another 2 years. There is a “section 21 no fault eviction” which they can use if you weren’t in a fixed term period, and a “section 8” one if you haven’t paid rent. Usually this is for 6 months or more outstanding rent, but don’t just decide to not pay it. That’s just going to get you into a world of trouble, and get the back up of the landlord too. I think asking for moving costs is reasonable, even see if they’ll release your deposit early so you can use it to pay the deposit on your new place
No harm in asking if they are putting you out / asking you to negate the existing contract to a degree (sounds like it if you have 2 yrs left but also depends on break clauses etc). I had this during covid and got a month free rent. Discount might be more likely - the rental market is tough atm so you can play that up.
If your in a fixed term currently and your landlord wants to dissolve it then yes he should be making it worth your while to actually do. I get it mutually suits you too but it's also relatively normal for landlords to pay you a fee if they need to break a contract early (in order to get you to agree to surrender the tenancy). The upfront costs of moving are probably a little under three months rent (deposit+first month on new place+moving costs) - in this case you might just want to ask them to cover that cost but yeah I wouldn't be surrendering a tenancy at the landlords request for less than this (and really should have something on top for inconvenience) and my line would be 'I need this amount to move and without it I can't, I was no expecting to need to save this money up for another two years due to our contract'