I wish to sell my flat, I tried for a while last year, but the real estate agent told me he can't while my tenant is there (other people sleeping in living room, curtains drawn at 3pm when showing people round).
I am about to adopt and cannot take my chn to that area so I wish a management co to take over managing it (none of the agencies I've spoken to wants to because of this tenant being there - DHS, history of rent arrears)
I am not a professional landlord so really need a professional to manage it now, I am also not a bully and so she takes the piss. I need someone strong to do it for me, but I'm not earning enough on rent to cover those costs - rent will have to go up significantly when management co takes over in order to be in line with market value and cover costs. Is there a limit to how much I can increase in one go? What of these situations is possible given that she does not return my calls or answer the door at all?
possible solutions I have thought of so far:
1. Take to court on section 21 notice I issued in November (however I forgot to send her prescribed info when I put her deposit back in DPS (it had been there previously under same tenancy agreement at which point I had sent her prescribed info, so I'm not sure if judge will uphold that she had had it, or that she hadn't) If judge backs her, then what??
2. Give back the deposit from DPS and issue new Section 21. but then have no deposit (its only £400, but it means something to have someone else's money, doesn't it? However, she doesn't care about it, told me she wants me to keep it!!!! obviously not going to do that - but what if she refuses to take it back?
3. Offer a new tenancy agreement so that I can do new deposit and prescribed info, rent increase and then new section 1 notice in six months when my new children are more settled and I can handle trying to sell it and find a manager for it again.
4. Ask council if they can do anything to assist this situation - she is possibly earning money and getting benefits, she has probably sub-let before, but I can't prove anything on my own.
5. ask a tough management co to take it over, even though I don't imagine I will get one who will take care of the flat at all, as she is a weight in itself. Increase rent to cover costs. What if she does not want to sign tenancy agreement with them?
6. Try to sell the flat again with her in it, at a much lower than market value and pass this situation I can't resolve onto someone else (stronger, less intimidated by her and the situation)
Please help, thank you.
