Landlord selling house — can I stay? Your 2026 tenant rights guide

Written and reviewed by the South Yorkshire Property Buyers team. South Yorkshire Property Buyers is a trading name of Bullseye Properties Ltd, registered in England and Wales (company number 14869608), previously Lord CNB Properties Ltd until 18 April 2024. AML-registered with HMRC, ICO-registered. Last reviewed: 1 June 2026.

Your tenancy does not end when the property sells

This is the single most important thing to understand and the headline answer to the question that brought you here. Under section 141 of the Law of Property Act 1925, the freehold reversion — and with it, the tenancy — passes to the new owner at completion. The sale does not end your tenancy. You do not sign anything new. You do not give notice. You do not have to move. The new owner steps into your existing landlord's shoes and becomes your landlord on the same terms.

What this means in practice is that whoever buys the property becomes your new landlord on completion day. The rent is the same. The deposit is the same. Your rights to viewings notice, to quiet enjoyment, to challenge a rent increase, to repairs — all of them transfer with the property. The principle was confirmed in Wandsworth Borough Council v Atkinson (1996) and is the legal default position in England.

Within two months of taking over, the new owner must notify you of their name and address in writing under section 3 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985. Rent is not lawfully due to them until they do — so if completion passes without any letter, do not panic and do not pay rent into an account you cannot verify; wait for the formal notification.

What changed for you on 1 May 2026 — the Renters' Rights Act 2025

The legal framework you sit under today is materially different from the one that existed even six months ago. The Renters' Rights Act 2025 received Royal Assent on 27 October 2025 and Phase 1 commenced across England on 1 May 2026. For a tenant whose landlord is now selling, the changes that matter most are:

• Section 21 has been abolished. The "no-fault" eviction route is gone for all new notices from 1 May 2026. Most Section 21 notices served before that date have also now expired or become unenforceable under the transition rules.
• Every existing AST converted to a periodic assured tenancy on 1 May 2026. Your old six-month or twelve-month fixed term has ended; the tenancy now runs from rent period to rent period on the same financial terms. You can give two months' notice to leave at any time.
• Section 8 is now the only route to possession, on prescribed grounds, using the new Form 6A. Sale-led eviction goes through the new Ground 1A — covered in the next section.
• Rent rises must follow a Section 13 process — one increase per year, statutory form, two months' notice, with the right to challenge at the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber). The tribunal cannot set a rent above what the landlord proposed.
• Rent in advance beyond one month and rental bidding are now unlawful.
• A Private Rented Sector Database and PRS Landlord Ombudsman are coming in Phase 2 (late 2026 onwards). Awaab's Law extends to the private rented sector from October 2026.

The full text of the Act is at legislation.gov.uk. Shelter and Citizens Advice both publish plain-English summaries that are kept up to date. Our deep guide is at Section 21 abolished — what tenants and landlords need to know.

Ground 1A — the new sale-led eviction route and its limits

Ground 1A is the new mandatory Section 8 possession ground introduced by Schedule 1 of the 2025 Act. It allows a landlord to recover possession in order to sell. The headline rules read straightforward; in practice they bite far harder on landlords than Section 21 ever did.

• Four months' written notice. Up from two months under the old Section 21. The notice must be in the prescribed Form 6A and name Ground 1A and the facts relied upon.
• No use in the first 12 months of the tenancy. A Ground 1A notice cannot expire before the 12-month anniversary of the tenancy. For tenancies that existed on 1 May 2026, the moratorium runs from the original start of the tenancy.
• 12-month re-let ban after possession. Under new sections 16E and 16M of the Housing Act 1988, the landlord must not re-let or market the property for a "restricted period" of 12 months from the date specified in the Section 8 notice.
• Civil penalty up to £40,000 plus criminal liability. Breach of the restricted-period duty is a criminal offence under section 16J of the Housing Act 1988, with a civil penalty alternative imposable by the local authority.
• Genuine intention to sell required. Although Ground 1A is "mandatory", the court still wants to see evidence: an instructed estate agent, a marketing memorandum, heads of terms with a buyer. Tanfield Chambers has flagged that this is where the early case law will be fought.

In total, Ground 1A locks the property out of the rental market for a minimum of 16 months (four months' notice plus 12 months' re-let ban) and often longer if the tenant contests at a possession hearing. HMCTS data for Q1 2025 put the median claim-to-repossession at 26.1 weeks; that statutory four-month notice now sits on top of that, and by late 2026 practitioners expect 50-plus weeks notice-to-vacant-possession as the first Ground 1A test cases hit the system.

For a landlord doing the maths, that is often the moment they consider selling tenanted with you in situ instead — because Ground 1A is slower, riskier and more expensive than it looked at first glance. More on that below.

Your other rights as a tenant during a sale

Beyond the headline answer "you can stay", several day-to-day rights matter while the property is on the market or being conveyed.

Viewings — the 24-hour notice rule and your right to refuse

Your tenancy includes the implied covenant of quiet enjoyment, which generally overrides any "viewings clause" the agreement contains. The landlord is entitled to access for inspection on at least 24 hours' written notice under section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, but they cannot compel viewings. RICS and ARLA both recommend a minimum of 24 hours' notice at the tenant's convenience. A reasonable compromise — two viewing slots a week at agreed times, accompanied by the landlord or agent — usually works better than a flat refusal, but the legal right to refuse is yours.

Your deposit — Housing Act 2004 protections continue

Under sections 212–215A of the Housing Act 2004, your deposit must remain in one of the three approved schemes (DPS, TDS or MyDeposits) throughout the sale. The outgoing landlord stays liable until the deposit is transferred or returned. The incoming landlord must protect it in their own name and serve fresh prescribed information within 30 days of completion. Failure to do so exposes them to a statutory penalty of one to three times the deposit. An unprotected deposit also prevents them from serving most Section 8 grounds. Keep your original prescribed information; ask the new landlord in writing for confirmation of re-protection.

Rent increases — Section 13 only

A new landlord cannot raise the rent on completion. Since 1 May 2026, the only lawful route is a Section 13 notice in the new Form 4A, with two months' notice, no more than once in 12 months. You can challenge a proposed increase at the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber). The tribunal cannot set a rent higher than the figure the landlord proposed, and Generation Rent's 2025 analysis shows tribunal-set rents have averaged 8–12% below the landlord's proposal across England.

Harassment and illegal eviction — criminal offences

If a landlord — old or new — tries to pressure you out through repeated unannounced visits, changing locks, cutting off utilities, threats, or allowing estate agents in without notice, those acts can be the criminal offence of harassment of an occupier under section 1 of the Protection from Eviction Act 1977. Maximum penalty: two years' imprisonment and an unlimited fine. The Protection from Harassment Act 1997 also gives a civil damages route. Report it to your council's tenancy relations or housing standards team, and to Shelter or Citizens Advice.

What if you were served a Section 21 before 1 May 2026?

Some tenants reading this page hold a Section 21 notice served before 30 April 2026 that has not yet been enforced at court. The transition rules in the Renters' Rights Act 2025 are tight. A pre-1-May-2026 Section 21 notice remains enforceable only if the landlord commenced possession proceedings before the earlier of (a) six months from the date the notice was served, or (b) three months from 1 May 2026 — meaning 1 August 2026 was the effective cut-off for most. After that point the notice is void and the landlord must start again under Section 8 with a new Form 6A.

Even where the timing is still inside the window, Section 21 notices have always failed easily on procedural grounds: deposit not protected, prescribed information not served, no current EPC, no current gas safety certificate, no government "How to Rent" guide provided at the start of the tenancy. Any one of these mistakes makes the notice invalid and the landlord has to start again. If you have a Section 21 notice in your hand, do not assume it is valid — ask Shelter (0808 800 4444) or Citizens Advice to review it. Both services are free.

Why an in-situ cash sale to an investor may be the best outcome for you

This is the part of the page that is hardest to write honestly, because South Yorkshire Property Buyers is itself an investor cash buyer. So we will be plain about what we do, and why it can be in your interest.

When a landlord sells on the open market, most buyers are owner-occupiers. They need vacant possession — they want to live in the property themselves. That is what creates pressure for tenants: the landlord serves Ground 1A, the four months tick down, and a possession hearing follows.

Cash buyers who buy to let are different. We do not want to live in the property. We want a rent-generating tenanted asset from the day we complete. Because section 141 LPA 1925 transfers the tenancy on completion, an existing reliable tenant is what we want, not an obstacle. The tenancy continues unbroken. You receive a Section 3 notification of the new owner's name and address within two months. The rent, the deposit, and your rights continue as before. For your landlord, the route avoids Ground 1A's 16-month freeze and the £40,000 penalty risk; for you, it preserves your home.

This is not us doing you a favour — it is the commercial economics of the investor cash-buyer model. And it is the legal default route for selling tenanted property in England: Ground 1A is the alternative, not the rule.

How to suggest a tenanted in-situ sale to your landlord

If your landlord has mentioned selling but has not yet served Ground 1A or instructed an estate agent, raising the in-situ option is a reasonable conversation to have. Some landlords have not considered it. Others have considered it but have not realised that specialist tenanted-property cash buyers exist in their local market.

A simple message — by text, email or letter — might read: "I understand you are thinking of selling. I would like to stay in the property. Would you consider selling to a cash buyer who keeps the tenancy in place? I have read about how the in-situ sale process works under the Renters' Rights Act 2025 and it sounds like it might suit both of us."

You can then share our landlord page — Sell a tenanted property in situ — which sets out the Ground 1A maths, the realistic in-situ discount, and our offer process. The landlord makes the decision. We will not pressure them; we will not pressure you. If they would rather sell vacant on the open market, they are within their rights. But many landlords, once they see the Ground 1A numbers in full, choose the in-situ route. It is fast (typical completion 7–28 days), there are no estate-agent fees, and the tenant — you — is protected.

South Yorkshire in detail

This page is hosted by a buyer who operates exclusively in South Yorkshire and the surrounding postcodes. Below is the regional picture in 2026 — the rental market, the licensing position, and where to get free local advice.

Rental market context — April 2026 ONS data

Average monthly private rents across the four South Yorkshire local authorities to April 2026: Sheffield £920 pcm (+8.0% year-on-year), Rotherham £679 (+7.7%), Doncaster £670 (+6.5%), Barnsley £670 (+8.7%). All four exceeded the Yorkshire and Humber regional average rent increase of 5.7% and the England average of 5.4%. Sheffield rents have risen approximately 41% over the four years to early 2026, faster than wages. For a tenant whose landlord is selling, the wider market context is important: re-housing is more expensive than at any point in recent memory, which makes staying in place — through an in-situ sale or otherwise — a more valuable outcome than headline figures suggest.

Selective Licensing and HMO licensing — where it matters

Sheffield City Council operates Selective Licensing in defined neighbourhoods including Page Hall, Fir Vale and parts of the east of the city, and Additional Licensing for HMOs across the whole city. Sheffield voted in October 2025 to extend Selective Licensing further; the new boundary is expected to take effect in 2026. Doncaster, Rotherham and Barnsley operate the mandatory HMO licensing scheme for three-or-more-storey, five-or-more-person HMOs. If your property is in a licensable area and not licensed, that is itself a major fact — an unlicensed licensable property cannot be the subject of most Section 8 grounds, and the council can prosecute. Check the council's licensing register online.

Where to get free local advice

• Shelter England — national helpline 0808 800 4444, online chat, regional adviser in Sheffield; england.shelter.org.uk.
• Citizens Advice — Sheffield, Doncaster (central library), Rotherham and Barnsley each have a dedicated housing adviser; citizensadvice.org.uk.
• Your council's housing options team — Sheffield, Doncaster, Rotherham and Barnsley councils all have online application portals and statutory homelessness prevention duties under sections 175–177 of the Housing Act 1996 (as amended by the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017) as soon as you are threatened with homelessness within 56 days.
• South Yorkshire Housing Association — additional tenant-support helpline and supported housing routes.

Red flags and how to verify any cash buyer

The cash-buyer sector has a reputation problem and you are right to be cautious. The National Association of Property Buyers estimates that cash-buyer scams have cost UK homeowners around £216 million in aggregate, with common tactics including inflated headline offers cut at exchange, tie-in option agreements, and PO-box-only contact details. Whether you are evaluating SYPB or another buyer your landlord introduces, run these six checks.

1. Companies House. The buyer should be an incorporated UK company, active, with accounts filed on time. SYPB's parent Bullseye Properties Ltd is at company number 14869608.
2. A real UK trading address. Not a PO box, not a virtual office only. South Yorkshire-based buyers should be reachable in South Yorkshire.
3. The Property Ombudsman or NAPB membership. Both run code-of-practice schemes with complaint and redress routes.
4. No upfront fees, no tie-in option agreements. A legitimate buyer never charges the seller or the tenant a fee, and never asks you to sign an exclusivity option at the start.
5. Proof of funds available on request. A solicitor's letter on letterhead, dated within 14 days, showing cleared funds for the purchase.
6. Right to your own solicitor. Any buyer who insists the seller uses a solicitor they choose — particularly one the buyer cannot name openly — is a red flag.

Your honest options if you cannot stay

Sometimes the landlord will not sell in situ. Sometimes a Ground 1A possession order is granted and the four months run out. In that scenario, here are the realistic routes.

• Approach the council as soon as a valid Section 8 notice is served. The prevention duty (s.195 Housing Act 1996) kicks in at 56 days, and the relief duty (s.189B) when you are actually homeless. Sheffield, Doncaster, Rotherham and Barnsley each have online homelessness portals and out-of-hours lines.
• Local Housing Allowance and Discretionary Housing Payment. LHA rates were frozen at the 30th percentile of April 2023 rents for 2025/26 — meaning they sit below most market rents in Sheffield in particular. DHPs (administered locally) can bridge the gap for short periods.
• Family, friends, or temporary accommodation. Leaving before the bailiffs arrive can affect a council's intentional-homelessness assessment under s.191. Shelter's standard advice is to take case-specific advice before vacating.
• Open-market re-renting. Tight in 2026 but not impossible. Plan early, prepare references and last six months of bank statements, and consider properties slightly outside your current postcode where queues are shorter.

If the eviction notice arrives, do not face it alone. Shelter's helpline is free. Citizens Advice's housing service is free. Your council's housing options team is free. Use them.

Frequently asked questions for tenants

Do I have to move out if my landlord sells the house?

No. The sale itself does not end your tenancy. Under section 141 of the Law of Property Act 1925, the freehold reversion passes to the new owner at completion and your tenancy continues unbroken on identical terms. You do not sign anything, do not give notice, and your deposit, rent and rights continue exactly as before. The only way you can be required to leave is if the landlord (or the new owner) serves a valid Section 8 notice on a specific ground — most commonly Ground 1A, the new sale-led possession ground introduced by the Renters' Rights Act 2025.

How much notice can my landlord give me under Ground 1A?

At least four months in writing, on the prescribed Form 6A, naming Ground 1A and the facts relied upon. The notice cannot expire in the first 12 months of your tenancy. If the landlord then re-lets or markets the property for re-letting in the 12 months after the date specified in the notice, that is a criminal offence under section 16J of the Housing Act 1988 with a civil penalty up to £40,000.

Can the new owner kick me out as soon as they complete?

No. A new owner has exactly the same powers and obligations as the previous landlord — no more. They cannot end your tenancy on completion. They cannot demand a new tenancy on different terms. To recover possession they must serve a valid Section 8 notice on a prescribed ground (Ground 1A for sale, Ground 1 for moving in, Ground 8 for serious rent arrears, and so on), wait out the notice period, and, if you do not leave, obtain a court possession order. An informal request to leave carries no legal force.

What happens to my deposit when the property is sold?

Your deposit must remain protected throughout. The outgoing landlord stays liable until it is transferred; the new landlord must protect it under sections 212–215A of the Housing Act 2004 and serve fresh prescribed information within 30 days of completion. If the new landlord fails to re-protect within 30 days they are exposed to a statutory penalty of one to three times the deposit, and an unprotected deposit prevents them from serving most Section 8 grounds. Keep a copy of your original prescribed information and ask the new landlord in writing for confirmation of re-protection.

Can I refuse viewings while the property is being marketed?

Yes. Your tenancy includes the implied covenant of quiet enjoyment, which generally overrides any "viewings clause" in the agreement. The landlord is entitled to access for inspection on at least 24 hours' written notice under section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, but they cannot insist on viewings without your consent. In practice a reasonable compromise — two viewing slots per week at agreed times, accompanied — usually works better than a flat refusal, but the legal right to refuse is yours.

Can the new owner put up my rent because of the sale?

Not because of the sale. Since 1 May 2026 the only lawful route to raise rent on a periodic assured tenancy is a Section 13 notice on the new Form 4A, with at least two months' notice, no more than once in any 12-month period. You can challenge the proposed increase at the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) before the date it takes effect; the Tribunal will set the rent at the open-market level for a comparable property and cannot set it higher than the figure your landlord proposed. The application fee is £47 and you continue paying the old rent until the decision.

What if my landlord served a Section 21 before 1 May 2026 — is it still valid?

Possibly, but only for a short window. Under the Renters' Rights Act 2025 transition rules, a valid Section 21 notice served before 1 May 2026 remains enforceable only if the landlord commenced possession proceedings before the earlier of (a) six months from service of the notice or (b) three months from 1 May 2026 — so 1 August 2026 was the cut-off for many. After that the notice is void and the landlord must start again under Section 8. If your Section 21 expiry falls after that, treat it as suspect and ask Shelter (0808 800 4444) or Citizens Advice to confirm.

Can my landlord use Ground 1A in the first year of my tenancy?

No. Ground 1A cannot be used to recover possession in the first 12 months of the tenancy. The notice itself cannot be served so that it expires before that 12-month mark. For tenancies that existed on 1 May 2026 the moratorium runs from the original start of the tenancy, not from 1 May 2026, so a long-standing tenant of three or four years is past the moratorium already. A tenant who signed a fresh tenancy in, say, July 2026 cannot face a Ground 1A possession date until July 2027 at the earliest.

Can I ask my landlord to sell to a cash buyer who will keep me as a tenant?

Yes — and it is often the cleanest outcome for everyone. Cash buyers who buy to let (rather than to occupy) want a rent-generating asset, not vacant possession. If your landlord sells to an investor like South Yorkshire Property Buyers, the tenancy continues unbroken under section 141 LPA 1925 — same rent, same terms, just a new bank-detail letter and a Section 3 notification of the new owner's name and address. Your landlord avoids Ground 1A's 16-month freeze (4-month notice plus 12-month re-let ban) and you keep your home. The conversation is reasonable to raise; share our landlord page with them if it helps.

What if I get a Ground 1A notice but my landlord then re-lets the property?

That is a criminal offence under sections 16E, 16J and 16M of the Housing Act 1988 (as inserted by the Renters' Rights Act 2025). The landlord must not re-let or market the property for a tenancy of 21 years or less for a 12-month "restricted period" beginning on the date specified in the Section 8 notice. Breach exposes the landlord to a civil penalty of up to £40,000 imposable by the local authority, and serious or repeat breaches can be prosecuted in the magistrates' court. If you suspect a breach, report it to the local council's housing standards team and to Trading Standards via the Citizens Advice Consumer Service (0808 223 1133). A Rent Repayment Order may also be available.

What free help is there in South Yorkshire if I might lose my home?

Several routes, all free at point of use. Shelter England — national helpline 0808 800 4444, online chat, and a Sheffield-based regional service. Citizens Advice — Sheffield, Doncaster (central library), Rotherham, and Barnsley each have a dedicated housing adviser. Your council's housing options or housing solutions team — under sections 175–177 of the Housing Act 1996 (as amended by the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017) they owe you a prevention duty as soon as you are threatened with homelessness within 56 days, which includes the moment a valid Section 8 notice is served. South Yorkshire Housing Association also runs a tenant-support helpline.

How do I check that a cash buyer offering to keep me on is legitimate?

Six checks: Companies House (incorporated, active, accounts up to date), a clear UK trading address (not a PO box), The Property Ombudsman or NAPB membership, no upfront fees and no tie-in option agreements, proof of funds available on request via a solicitor's letter, and your absolute right to instruct your own solicitor. South Yorkshire Property Buyers is a trading name of Bullseye Properties Ltd (Companies House 14869608), previously Lord CNB Properties Ltd until 18 April 2024. We surface that name-change history because any serious Companies House check will see it.