Your landlord wants to sell. You're still in the lease. What now?

No. A tenancy agreement is a legal interest in land. When a property is sold, the tenancy transfers to the new owner automatically. The new owner steps into the landlord's position and inherits all of the obligations in your tenancy agreement — including the right rent, the repair responsibilities, and the tenancy end date.

Your lease does not end when the property changes hands. You are entitled to stay for the full term, at the same rent, under the same terms.

Most tenancy agreements include a clause allowing the landlord to conduct viewings with reasonable notice — typically 24 to 48 hours. Check your agreement for the exact wording.

"Reasonable notice" means advance warning, not showing up and knocking. You are entitled to know when viewings will happen and to be present or ensure your belongings are secured. Back-to-back viewings every weekend without notice is not reasonable. If a landlord is arranging this, write to them citing the clause and asking for a viewing schedule in advance.

You are not required to vacate during viewings. You are not required to be friendly to prospective buyers. You are required to allow access with proper notice.

They cannot compel you to leave before your tenancy expires. Your lease is binding on them. If they attempt to pressure you to vacate early — through repeated disruptions, cutting utilities, refusing repairs, or any other means — this may constitute harassment and breach of your right to quiet enjoyment.

If a new owner genuinely wants vacant possession before your lease ends, the only way to achieve this is by negotiating with you. That negotiation has value to them — and you are entitled to compensation for the inconvenience, early moving costs, and any gap between your current rent and the market rate for a comparable unit. What is reasonable depends on how much of your lease remains and the circumstances, but a minimum of one to two months' rent in compensation is a reasonable starting point.

A landlord who lists the property for sale, conducts repeated viewings, and then withdraws from the market has still disrupted your tenancy. If the viewings were excessive, poorly scheduled, or conducted without proper notice, you can write to the landlord formally noting the breach of your right to quiet enjoyment.

Keep a log of every viewing — date, time, notice given, whether it was adhered to. If you need to escalate, this record is your evidence.

Write to your landlord acknowledging that you've been informed of the intended sale, confirming your understanding that your tenancy continues under the new owner, and asking to be kept informed of the sale timeline and any proposed viewing schedule.

This does three things: confirms your position in writing, opens a constructive channel, and creates a record. A landlord who proceeds to disrupt your tenancy after receiving this letter has less standing in any subsequent dispute.