Can we pay reduced rent at the end of our tenancy?
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Sally from Bristol
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Renting questions and answers
Question
We are moving into our new home early, so our flat will be empty for 3 months. Will it be possible to negotiate a reduced rent at the end of our tenancy if we are not living in the flat?
Answer
You can always try! It’s unlikely there is anything in your agreement to allow this kind of reduction but you could ask.
If you don’t need the property, I suggest you ask the landlord if you can assign the lease. This means they advertise for a new tenant and when they find one, your obligation is at an end. You would also have to cover any of their costs – for instance if they paid a let fee based on you staying there for 12 months and you are leaving three months early, we think 3/12 of the new let fee would be reasonable.
The landlord cannot prevent you assigning the lease if a reasonable replacement is found and as long as they understand you will not be out of pocket, most landlords would agree to this in my experience.
Crystal Horwood
PACE Property Professionals
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Bee14 on 02/12/2023