Landlord wants me out

[mcsean]

I have been renting for about two years in the same place, always paid my rent on time etc.

In December, my landlord gave me notice that he wanted to rent the entire floor to a new tenant and I would need to move. Basically he would get a lot more money renting the entire floor which was mostly vacant and he decided to do the renovations, which included demolishing my corner office!

This was fine but a bit awkward. I have to admit I was a bit peeved as I only got a months notice. Anyway, I checked with him to see if there was anywhere else in building I could move and he came up with another area for me which I moved into on Saturday 20th January. My office has since been demolished.

Just today, he decided that while the builders are at it, they should remove the ceiling from the area in which I am in an I would need to vacate the premises next week. This puts me in a really bad position as on the back of moving into the new area I have committed to completing work by the end of March.

I've always got on well with the landlord but I think he is really taking advantage of me now and suiting himself. Is there anyway I can push back against this behavior or is it better to just move on?

 

[mcsean]

Hi XombiCreative,

I signed a lease but it expired last year and I didn't bother seeking a renewal. Basically, I've been a model tenant but he's found a way to get more money.

It's not even a weeks notice. He wants me out next Monday. I actually can't believe it's happening, he'd agreed to put me up in the other area until end of March but it doesn't suit him anymore now that he's got bigger plans.

As I said, it wouldn't matter to me except I agreed to complete work for a customer and that customer has a serious legal team, so if I don't deliver and it messes up their production, if they went after me, I could be bankrupted.

 

[DavidWH]

For the life of me I can't remember the company name at the mo... but.

A customer of ours, was in a similar position.

They rented a shop for years, and the landlord wanted them to sign a lease, making them responsible for ALL repairs. Having rented the shop with a previous company, they knew the roof was leaking, and refused to sign a lease until it was fixed.

The roof would never got fixed, and they paid their rent, without a lease. Years went by. The roof got worse, and our customer stopped paying their rent until it was fixed.

The landlord served them with 1months notice.

Speaking to the solicitor who's name I forget, it became aparant that they needed to give more notice.

Twice they got the notice period extended, giving time to move.

The landlord had Subway lined up for the shop, paying more rent.

In this case, the landlord tried to take our customer to court, but they folded the company as soon as the claim form arrived, and cost them a small fortune in legal costs.

See if theres a local property law expert, and give them a call.

 

[Digimem]

For the life of me I can't remember the company name at the mo... but.

A customer of ours, was in a similar position.

They rented a shop for years, and the landlord wanted them to sign a lease, making them responsible for ALL repairs. Having rented the shop with a previous company, they knew the roof was leaking, and refused to sign a lease until it was fixed.

The roof would never got fixed, and they paid their rent, without a lease. Years went by. The roof got worse, and our customer stopped paying their rent until it was fixed.

The landlord served them with 1months notice.

Speaking to the solicitor who's name I forget, it became aparant that they needed to give more notice.

Twice they got the notice period extended, giving time to move.

The landlord had Subway lined up for the shop, paying more rent.

In this case, the landlord tried to take our customer to court, but they folded the company as soon as the claim form arrived, and cost them a small fortune in legal costs.

See if theres a local property law expert, and give them a call.

out of curiosity, what would a sufficient notice period be for a tenant who is behind on the rent?

 

[MOIC]

Get some legal advice.

If you had a lease which expired last year and which neither you or the landlord bothered to renew, my understanding (I might be wrong) is that the previous lease details are still in effect.

This will depend on the details of the lease, for example, did it have a clause saying you must vacate within a period of time? or was it outside of the Landlord & Tenant Act 1954.

It will also depend on any correspondence you have had and agreed with the landlord since the expiry date of the lease, as well as paying all rents and fees on time.

Leases are complex and you must get legal advice, ideally the solicitors you used to agree the original lease.

Good luck.

 

[DavidWH]

out of curiosity, what would a sufficient notice period be for a tenant who is behind on the rent?

Not sure, and I can't remember what they managed to get, but know they had it extended at least twice.

That was my understanding too regarding the lease, that the terms apply.

Speak to a legal beagle.

 

[Maz]

Don’t waist your money nor the time ...
Look at the bright side as you could potentially find cheaper unit or even better location altogether rather having your mind engaged with landlord unfair notice
The fact you need to finish the job is fairly obvious , but my suggestion would be to speak to your contract and offer them something to deliver the product bit later
Surly if they came to you they must like what you do so it don’t matter if they Waite longer

Good luck