rozellem

Thanks for all the replies. It seems that there are many different opinions on the empty vs furnished point. I will ask our property managers what they think will be best in our specific case. Does anybody have experience of selling in London or the UK recently?

We have been away from the UK for about 3 years now and can honestly say we will not be going back there to live. We are planning to buy a house in Sydney in the next year, so would like to get our money over and ready to proceed if we find something.

Wawa

For what its worth, I tend to believe that the home should not be vacant, this is why property `stagers` are becoming increasingly invaluable in the sale of houses - they sell a lifestyle which is difficult to do when the property is empty. Cape Blue mentioned the baking and coffee - so true - I bought an apartment in South Africa, and when I went to view it, the owner had just made herself a delicious bacon and egg breakfast - I walked in and knew it was for me (actually it was stunning, right on the sea front, with amazing views from every room) I ended up buying it because I could see myself there, eating my brekkie on the balcony!

However if I was in your shoes, I might be inclined to keep the property, at least the tenants are responsible, as are the management company.

Having said all that, the problem with having tenants is that they will see viewings as a pain in the butt and will not go to as much trouble as you would to ensure the house is squeaky clean and totally presentable. This can be detrimental, as they may even point out small irritations with your property. Not a good situation to be in, especially if they are not happy about their move and wish to prolong their stay.

Good luck, I am sure you will choose the right course in the end

formula

You may only be required to give 2 months notice (from the contract date), but the tenant doesn't have to move out and then you have to go through the courts to remove them. If a buyer doesn't already know this, then it will be pointed out by their solicitor. I wouldn't buy a house that had a tenant in it.

The other thing you need to be aware of is that due to the law of "quiet enjoyment" a tenant does not have to let anyone view their home if they don't want to.

Even if they agree to viewings, they can (as someone else said) point out all the bad things or they can put people off in other ways, (bad smells, dirty clothes lying around).

As a buyer, I prefer an empty house as you know then that the seller is serious about selling and won't pull out of the sale at the last minute.

MNandMN

I would only consider buying a house with a tenant in it if I wanted a buy to let, but not if I was going to live in it, as already said, what if they refuse to move out?

HelenTD

We used to go to "home opens", as they are known here. I can quite clearly remember one, a really nice house with a reasonable size garden, in a great location. The house was being rented out and the tenants were home when all of us potential buyers were going around.

They must have loved living there, as they glared at us and the others looking around and it was all very uncomfortable. Tenants can make things very difficult for the owners in all sorts of ways, as others have mentioned.

workhouse

Consider that the tenants can effectively, should they wish to do so, blow any or all viewings. Remember that your sale inconveniences and will ultimately cost them.

Is the furniture yours or the tenants? If theirs and your moving them out, consider hiring or borrowing furniture from friends and family. Get someone to go round a couple of times a week to fluff things up, pick up the mail etc. Might cost you a few bucks in plane tickets or what ever, but you'll likely make this up on a better sale price. And its London - correctly priced property sells.

rozellem

After much consideration and taking all your opinions on board, I have come to the conclusion that having a property on the market with a tenant living in it looks like trouble for many viewers out there, but then again, a empty property has other visual drawbacks. So, we have decided to give the tenants notice when their contract is up. The problem of the unloved, empty flat feeling will be solved by a bit of property staging. Yes, sounds naff, but those Americans are onto something. I did a bit of research on renting furniture and they pretty much cater for high flyers and very posh pads, so decided against that. Also, the longer we need to rent the furniture the more we pay, and who knows how long we will need it in the current market. More research on the net brought me to Ikea. We have now decided to buy very cheap Ikea furniture and furnishings with the help of a interior decorating friend with the talent of making Primark look like Prada. When the flat sells I will donate the new Ikea furniture to a homeless charity, hopefully they still collect. From my calculations we can make your two bed flat look lived in for under 700 pounds. Lets hope the market picks up and we sell.

sallysimmons

I think that is a brilliant idea! Especially as you know a designer.

We have been thinking that we won't put our house up for sale here until we leave for the UK in a few year's time. I think I'm going to steal your idea at that time.

Bijilo123

Don't forget that with furniture in it you will have to pay council tax which would be exempted if it was empty. I wonder how the flat's insurance would be affected if it was not occupied for a while.

dunroving

Two good points - from past experiences, most home insurance policies have a maximum empty period over which they will continue to insure a property. Also, presumably, the OP currently has specialist landlord's home insurance, which will need to be changed when the renters leave and the property is up for sale.

Definitely need to contact the insurance company to inform them of the changing situation and ask their advice.

Some councils may have different policies on council tax exemptions for unoccupied properties so the OP should enquire at the relevant council.

Bevm

Our insurance policy says the property won't be empty for over 90 days. That's quite generous. It might be possible to negotiate it, too.

But definitely something to check.

I agree that staging can help sell a house, but it can turn off, too, if the staging isn't right for a potential buyer.

You can also consider selling it empty but in tip-top condition. New paint job, nice curtains or blinds, all little dents and cracks fixed etc, and any appliances, if any, good quality. And good lighting. An empty place often only has the central light and if it's dim it can really cast gloom.

Bev

rozellem

Hi All, just a little update. End of January we told our tenants about our plans on selling the flat in spring, and they decided to start looking asap and ended up moving 18 Feb. My friend went to Ikea with my 700pounds and bought furniture and bits for the flat. It took them a weekend to put it all together and to dress the flat. It now clearly shows that the spare bedroom can take a double bed and the bay window in the sitting room has space for a small dining table and 4 chairs. It does not look over done at all, just right, and we have had very good feed back about the presentation. So it has been on the market for 2 weeks now and the London market seem to be quite buoyant, for two bed flats anyway. There has been many viewings and I am very relieved to say we have excepted a offer. Not wanting to jinx the sale or counting my chickens, but very pleased. We are still continuing to have the flat shown to viewers and will not stop until the buyer has signed on the dotted line. Thankfully she is a local elderly lady downsizing, so will be a cash buyer.

THIS IS WHERE I WANTED TO DRAW YOUR ATTENTION TO THE QUOTE BELOW! The poor buyer was in Spain on holiday with her husband, planning to be away for less than 28 days. I did not know this at all, but her insurance policy on the house states that she would have to tell them if they go away for any longer than that. Well she did not and on holiday her husband passed away over in Spain. And with all the drama of getting his body back etc. she ended up being away for 32 days. Unlucky for her a pipe burst while she was gone and apparently the damage is extensive. She now lives in a local hotel, until she can move into our place. What bad luck. She has actually asked us if we could leave any of the furniture as her stuff is mostly ruined. I am happy to do so, as I was going to give it to a homeless charity anyway and she is in her 80's and has gone through a hell of a lot. Fingers crossed the sale goes through as it is now in the hands of the solicitors.