As a landlord / property owner, it is your responsibility to provide notice of any changes in the status of a lease or rent to the tenant. The best way to do this is through a letter. A letter makes everything official. For instance, if you want to let your tenant know that you will be selling your flat (the one that he is residing in at that point in time), it is best to provide notice in writing.
Depending on the terms of your agreement with the tenant, you will need to provide reasons for selling the flat, and a notice period. If you feel that your reason is too private, you may choose to leave it out. But if you do provide a solid reason, you have a better chance of getting your point across and the tenant taking your situation seriously.
You must remember that tenants have rights to the property that they are residing in, even if you are the actual owner. There are two situations here – month to month agreements and fixed-term leases. For the former one, you might only have to provide a one month notice to the tenant to vacate your house. For the latter, you will need to wait to provide notice until the end of the lease.
The following letter sample gives you leeway to edit it for any of the above situations:
Letter to Tenant Informing of Sale of Flat
Brittany Long
4533 Carl Street
Sonoma, CA 19244
Tel: (000) 142-7454
September 16, 2016
Mr. Kyle Welsh
112 Merida Drive, Flat # 2
Sonoma, CA 95461
Dear Mr. Welsh:
This is to inform you that you I have decided to sell 112 Merida Drive Flat # 2 (your present place of residence) and would like to put it up in the market as soon as possible. Since our rent agreement is on a month-to-month basis, I believe that this should not be an issue – please refer to the enclosed copy of the rent agreement, particularly to the highlighted content.
I am moving to Texas at the end of this year and believe that being a long-distance landlord may not be such a good idea for me, considering my age and ill health. From the proceeds of the sale of this flat, I intend to settle myself in a new state, close to my son’s family. To make things easier for you, I have identified that Flat 12 is up for rent in the same building – the terms are more or less the same upon which we have agreed. Please look into it.
My realtor tells me that I will be able to sell Flat 2 within 15 days – however, I have asked him to make arrangements to sell it by the end of October, so that you may have enough time to make other arrangements. It was delightful to have such a responsible person living in my flat – a place that you have looked after as your own. I apologize for any inconvenience that this move will cause you, and hope that you understand why I have to do this.
Sincerely,
(Signature)
Brittany Long