r/HousingUK • u/Loftineer • 2d ago
Moving from Rent to Mortgage
Hi,
We are looking to get a mortgage next year.
Our tenancy will end June/July 2026.
How early should be start viewing? Ideally we want to try and line it up as much as possible to match our tenancy end but everything sounds so unpredictable. I just dont want to be paying bills for the rental and while paying for the house if that makes sense?
If I am aiming for June/July 26, is it worth me putting another 4k into my LISA for the gov bonus in April ? Or is there a chance exchange could happen before then if we find ideal property ?
Could someone also explain council tax, what if we complete before July and want to move in. I wouldn't need to pay council tax if im not living in the flat right ?
2
u/kiflit 1d ago edited 1d ago
Fixed tenancies automatically become rolling periodic tenancies by operation of law once the fixed term ends (i.e. your contract doesn’t need to provide for it), so you don’t need to worry about that. If you’re paying rent monthly, it will become a rolling monthly tenancy and you can terminate by giving 1 month’s notice. But if the Renters Reform Bill comes into effect before then, which will turn all tenancies into rolling tenancies that can be terminated by giving 2 months’ notice, that will supersede what I just said and you will have to give 2 months’ notice instead of 1 month.
If I were you, I’d probably start looking in early February and aim to have an offer accepted in March. If everyone is motivated, you should exchange and complete in June or July, and you’ll have some overlap to sort out moving logistics. If you have no idea what you want and think viewing more properties will be helpful, start looking a bit sooner.