J5 · 5 steps
My landlord is selling
A sale changes who owns the building, not whether you live in it. Until a valid notice of termination arrives nothing changes, and for a tenancy that began on or after 1 March 2026 a larger landlord cannot serve one to sell at all. Five steps, from the first conversation to the viewings.
Checked 27 OCT 2026Nothing changes until a valid notice of termination is served. If your tenancy began on or after 1 March 2026 and the landlord has four or more tenancies or is a company, they cannot end it to sell. A smaller landlord can only at the end of a six-year cycle, or during one on the hardship ground.
The tenancy timeline shows which regime you are in and where you are in the cycle.
Check it in the notice checker: the period, the contents, the statutory declaration a sale ground needs, the copy to the RTB. If it cites hardship, the declaration must state the hardship ground: a principal residence, a debt over 15% of the price due within nine months, or insolvency. Retirement alone is not hardship.
For a sale intended to complete within nine months you must allow viewings arranged with you at reasonable intervals. You need not allow entry without agreement, and you may be present.
If you qualify for social housing support, the local authority may buy the home with you in it; the 2026 scheme has a funding ceiling, so ask the same week. A buyer who takes the home with you in place takes over the tenancy and the cycle as they stand.
For two years after a no-fault termination the rent for the next tenancy cannot be set to market. A landlord who thinks the house must be empty to sell, or that a new tenant means a new rent, is often wrong on both counts, and it is worth saying so in writing.
Questions people ask
The house is on the market and the agent wants me out for photographs. Do I have to leave?
No. Marketing a home is not a ground for anything. Viewings for a sale must be arranged with you; photographs of your home and belongings need your agreement.
The landlord is a small landlord and says they have to sell. What notice do I get?
For a tenancy that began before 1 March 2026, a sale is a ground at any time with the full notice period for your tenancy length and a statutory declaration. For a tenancy from 1 March 2026, a smaller landlord can sell at the end of a six-year cycle, or during it only on hardship. Either way the notice period is the full one for your length.
What happens to my deposit when the home is sold?
The buyer steps into the landlord's shoes, including the deposit. Ask in writing who holds it and get the new landlord's name and address for notices.