Selling a property is often described as one of life’s most stressful processes. At the best of times, it’s a chore; so when you’re selling a property with tenants who don’t want to leave, it can be a total nightmare. If you need to sell a rental property for financial reasons and need the money quickly, tenants being a nuisance during the selling process can cause major setbacks and delays.
Tenants could hinder the sale of a property in a number of ways. They may refuse access to viewings, meaning prospective buyers can’t look around. They may leave the house in a state, making the property look substandard to people viewing it, meaning you may receive lower offers. Perhaps worst of all, they may refuse to vacate having been served notice, resulting in the prospect of a lengthy eviction process.
Get on good terms to prevent any tensions
If you have not already started the selling process, the best course of action is to avoid any hostility by being as open and transparent as possible with your tenants. Explain to them why you need to sell the property. If you do not need to sell the property, it may be worth making up a sob story that you are having financial problems and need to sell the property in order to get your life back together. While slightly disingenuous, it will make your tenants more willing to cooperate with the sale if they believe you have a legitimate reason to sell.
Giving them plenty of notice prior to the start of the process will give them time to find a new home and make the sale less of a surprise. When it comes to viewings, you should give them at least 24 hours’ notice so they can adequately prepare. Let them know of the dates of any surveys in advance too.
Explain the situation to win them round
If your tenants are already presenting you with issues for the sale of your property, you will have to utilise all your diplomacy skills as best as you can to win them round. If they are refusing access to the property and the letting agent has not succeeded in gaining access either, you will have to communicate and negotiate with them.
As stated above, you should be open with them and try and establish a rapport. Your relationship with them in the past is likely to affect how you get on, but you should make every effort to get on good terms with them regardless. Tell them you really need the money from the sale as you have run into financial difficulties. Explain that this is a last resort, you have exhausted all other options and don’t want them to have to have to move but you now have no choice. You can reassure them that you’ll do your best to find another buy-to-let landlord who will want to keep them on as tenants, but this is something you obviously can’t guarantee them.
Sell with the tenants in situ
If your tenants are being particularly hard to win round, you may want to consider selling with them still living at the property. In this case, you will only be able to sell on to another landlord who is willing to accept that the existing tenancy agreement be transferred upon completion. Hopefully, you tenants will have no qualms with this as it will allow them to stay put, making them more likely to accommodate viewings and surveys.
The only disadvantage to this is that it significantly limits the number of potential buyers who will be able to buy your property and it will likely take much longer to sell.
In the worst instance you will have to involve the court
If your tenants are still refusing to move out once they have been legally requested to vacate (after having issued a Section 21), you may have to start court proceedings to remove them. Make an application for possession with the court but keep in mind that this process can take around two months from start to finish, so you may have to delay selling until you have your property back.
In the unfortunate event that they leave your home damaged or a mess, you ought to undertake the necessary work to get the property back to presentable condition to aid with the sale.
There are therefore options available to landlords who find their tenants hindering the sale of their property. The best course of action is to avoid this sort of situation arising in the first place by cultivating a good relationship with the tenants. Otherwise, you will have to try and win them round, agree to sell with them in situ or pursue a physical eviction through the court. There is also the option to get a specialist estate agent to negotiate with the tenants on your behalf, such as House Sales Direct, who have years of experience selling properties with uncooperative tenants.
This article was written by an online estate agent House Sales Direct. If you wish to sell your house fast and for free, then head over to the House Sales Direct website for more property related information and enquiries.
