I'm currently flat hunting in Bromley and have spoken to a few estate agents. Estate agents keep telling me properties move really fast - typically let within 1-2 weeks of listing.
From my understanding, under the Renters' Rights Act (in force since 1 May 2026), tenants now need to give 2 months' notice to leave their current place.
It feels like the market hasn't caught up with the new law yet. Landlords want tenants immediately, but tenants are legally locked into 2-month notice periods.
Has anyone in Bromley (or SE London generally) managed to navigate this? Did you:
- Negotiate with your current landlord for a shorter notice period?
- Overlap on rent for a bit?
- Find landlords who were actually willing to wait?
My situation currently:
Been house sharing since graduating a few years ago, I’m a finance professional. I’ve not missed a rent payment in 3 years and have a salary of around 70-80k, and looking for places with £1.5-1.7k per month (will also be splitting with girlfriend), so affordability is probably not an issue here?
Would love to hear how others are handling this practically. It feels like a bit of a catch-22 right now.