This is a question to the blog clinic from Paul, who is a tenant in England.
We moved into a property five months ago. The advert for the house stated ‘long term let’ and I confirmed it verbally with the agent.
The initial term was for 6 months, and we assumed it would have carried on after that. After 3 months the agent informed us that the landlady was thinking of selling.
The agent refused to let me have any of the landlady’s contact details. After several weeks they finally gave us her email address and I contacted her to say how disappointed we were only for her to tell us that she told the agent that it was to be a short-term let for 6 months
Answer
If you signed a tenancy agreement for six months, then under the current law, the landlord is entitled to require you to vacate after the fixed term has ended. If you fail to do so, then they can still use the no-fault section 21 procedure to evict you.
Even though you were told this was to be a long-term let, the landlord is entitled to require you to leave. Under the terms of your tenancy agreement, all the landlord has actually contracted for is the six-month fixed term.
Although if you did something in reliance on this, which now puts you in a difficult situation moving out, you may have a defence to a possession claim. For example, if you lost an alternative long-term property, and the agents were aware of this. This would be difficult, though, unless you had clear evidence.
However, I would suggest you put in a complaint about the agents to their Property Redress Scheme , as they were clearly misrepresenting the property when it was let to you. You may be awarded some compensation.
Note that once the Renters Rights Act has come into force (on 1 May 2026) the situation will be different. Although there is a ground for possession when the landlord wants to sell, this cannot be used during the first 12 months of the tenancy, and the landlord will have to give you 4 months’ notice in writing using the prescribed form.
So, under the new legislation, tenants will have far greater stability, at least during the first year of their tenancy.
Your right to the landlord’s contact details
I’m glad that the agents finally gave you your landlord’s contact details.
Note that they are required to do this by law under section 1 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 – failure to do this is a criminal offence.
However, this could still be an additional ground for complaint to their Property Redress Scheme.
You have every right to stay in the property until the courts say otherwise. It’s entirely up to you whether you choose to go before then.
Absolutely. But many tenants don’t stay on after their landlord has served a s21 notice, as they are worried that it will affect the reference the landlord gives them. A bad reference could make it hard for them to find another property.
Things will be easier for most tenants after 1 May next year when the new act comes into force.
Except that things won’t be easier for most tenants after May 1st 2026 because there are going to be fewer properties available for them to rent. Making the entirely reasonable assumption that the agent was reflecting the landlord’s instructions when a long term let was offered it is equally reasonable to assume that the reason the landlord is now seeking possession is because of the Renters’ Rights Act. Another property removed from the stock. We are going to end up exactly as we were 60 years ago when my mother rented properties as corporate lets to the USAAF but would never consider letting to a private individual because only a lunatic would let a property in that way.
It will be easier for tenants who are already renting a property they want to stay in.
The government seems to think that landlords organisations threatening a diminution of available properties to rent are ‘crying wolf’.
It remains to be seen who is right.
There are 23% fewer properties now advertised to rent on Rightmove than in 2019.
It’s not a coincidence.