r/UKRenting

I’m looking for an objective view on a rental decision before I lose my mind.

I’m (30F) self employed (for 4 years) earning approx 25k/year due to a reduce in working hours following illness of an immediate family member. My partner is currently self-employed following redundancy last year, so household income is variable and not guaranteed.

We have been served a Section 21 notice as the landlord is selling up (too expensive to bring EPC up) and need to move within 8 weeks. There is no immediate urgency but there is a fixed timeframe.

We are considering a 3-bed, 3 storey townhouse at £1,250pcm located in a village approximately 50–55 minutes’ walk from the nearest town centre, and where we currently live. I do not drive.

The property layout is near perfect for my home-based business. The entire ground floor would be dedicated to business use, allowing separation between client space and private living space. This is a key functional requirement, as my business cannot currently expand due to insurance restrictions where work and personal space are combined.

Property positives:

- Well presented, spacious, modern home (wouldn’t be downsizing)

- Located in a nice area

- Suitable layout for full ground-floor business use

- Separation between client and private living areas

- Off-street parking

- Landlord is known personally (though not close) and aware of circumstances

- Local bus route available (limited frequency, 3-4 services/day, last service 16:00)

- Potential for increased client base due to nearby housing developments and new treatments

Property constraints:

- 50–55 minute walk to town centre (including steep incline)

- No personal vehicle access, will need to rely on partner

- Limited public transport availability

- Nearest gym 45 minutes’ walk; nearest shop 30 minutes’ walk. Nothing else in the area

Financial considerations:

- Current housing costs: £586/month each

- Proposed housing costs: £873/month, with the possibility of needing to pay some, if not all of my partners share for time being. Not including my personal bills

- Rent is at upper limit of affordability based on current income

- Partner income is currently unstable

- Guarantor required (available)

- 25k savings

- Potential need for time off work within next 12 months (unconfirmed) due to family member illness

Landlord / property condition factors:

- Property was viewed in fair but worn condition due to previous tenant (significant cleanliness issues and general neglect)

- Some cosmetic deterioration is present, including carpets that are in poor condition and areas that would benefit from repainting. Condition may be considered acceptable by some tenants but would likely require cosmetic updating to reach a higher standard

- Estate agent indicated this is the landlords only property, has limited financial resources and can be difficult to deal with

- Landlord declined request for rent adjustment despite property condition and being overpriced for location, although was rented out to previous tenant for same price

- Landlord advised cleaning and cosmetic improvements (e.g. painting, sanding doors) would be our responsibility if we deemed necessary (he doesn’t agree)

Decision point:

The property meets functional requirements for home business operations but presents constraints in affordability, transport access, and landlord/property condition.

There is uncertainty around availability of alternative properties that meet both affordability and suitable business layout requirements within the given timeframe and location constraints.

I am trying to assess whether this represents a reasonable trade-off given the constraints (timeframe, income uncertainty, and specific layout requirement), compared to waiting for an alternative property.

Looking for external input on whether this type of trade-off (business suitability vs financial/location constraints and potential landlord risk) is typically considered reasonable in similar situations.

Thanks!

Posted before, but did not get an answer. I'm currently renting in Wales, and my tenancy ends in August. I have been living in the same flat for the last 3 years and signed a yearly contract. Now that my contract is coming to an end, am I within my rights to ask for a rolling contract? I'm still not sure if I'll be staying in the same place, but I would like to, as the location is ideal.

I did read somewhere that starting May this year, all contracts will/can be rolling contracts or something along these lines, so I would be grateful for some advice.

Hi all,

I am in a joint tenancy with my current flatmate since 2 years ago. I was assigned to take the share of the tenancy when the previous person moved out. So we have done the assignation before with the same letting agency, that was how I got onto the current rolling tenancy that my current flatmate was already in. (UK)

So, my current flatmate recently submitted notice to landlord and agency that he's moving out by end of month. And I have confirmed with landlord that I'm staying and I will find a replacement flatmate. The landlord is cool with it and has agreed in text that if I found a person, he's happy with going ahead with assignation. I have also sent letting agency that I am staying, and the arrangement that the landlord, the current flatmate who's moving out, and I all agreed and happy to do assignation when I found a person to take up the share.

The agency sent an email, saying that my flatmate stating his intention to leave means starting a new tenancy protocol. (Despite we had explicitly say this is going to be an assignation)

In my exisiting lease terms, it's stated

• Assignation: Where a Tenant transfers his or her rights to a private residential tenancy (or share in a joint tenancy) to another person, subject to obtaining the Landlord’s prior written permission.

However, the letting agency sent an email saying that,

"Assignation is the process of assigning a new tenant to the current lease. We don't provide reference checks and the previous tenant will be on the new lease. Tenancy changeover, includes a new private tenancy agreement and referencing is carried out  for any incoming tenant.  For clarity, assignation is purely for short term absences in a property, for instance a 3 month holiday, to temporally find someone to cover the rental payments. Not for long term tenancies. I understand there has been some confusion in terminology and since your last lease was done. "

I intend to stay and Iandlord is happy about it. I have no intention to submit any notice, but what the agency is saying is that I'm going to be pushed into signing a brand new tenancy/PRT? Do they have legal basis to refuse assignation to be done in this scenario?

I'm close to getting a replacement flatmate to request assignation to be done soon and I'm worried how it impacts me to be forced into a new tenancy. Thanks for reading, and appreciate input from whoever got experience or expert knowledge.

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