For investors
Is it worth buying a flat with a tenant in it
When you buy a flat with a tenant, you step into their lease exactly as it stands — a sale does not end the tenancy — so what decides the value of this deal is not the price but the content of the lease and whether the tenant pays.
Legal status as of October 14, 2026
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Documents you do not go to the deed without
- The lease in full, with annexes — not the seller's summary
- Proof of rent payments for the last few months
- The handover protocol and meter readings from the day the tenant moved in
- A document confirming the amount and whereabouts of the deposit
- A certificate of persons registered as residents
- For occasional lease: the notarial act of submission to enforcement and the designated alternative premises
What exactly you buy along with the flat
Selling a flat does not end the tenancy. The buyer takes over the landlord's rights and obligations, inheriting the lease in the shape it was signed: its rent, its term, its termination rules and whatever the previous owner promised in an annex. That is the single most important sentence on this subject.
So the document that decides the price is the lease, not the valuation or the photos. A fixed-term lease binds both sides until it ends — and if it carries a low rate or a ban on increases, you buy that rate along with the flat. An open-ended lease gives more freedom, but notice periods still follow the statutory rules.
The second document is proof that the rent actually arrives. Transfer confirmations from several months say more about this investment than the seller's assurances, and their absence is an answer in itself.
When it is a good deal
When you are buying to let and the tenant is proven: pays on time, has lived there over a year, and the lease rate is close to market. You then save what costs most at the start — vacancy, searching for a tenant and getting the flat into showing condition — and have income from day one.
When the price reflects the constraint. A flat with a tenant is harder to sell and harder to view, so it tends to be cheaper — and that is an honest reason to buy it. A low price without such a reason usually means the problem lies elsewhere.
When you understand when you can get the flat back. If you plan to live there or renovate, count it in months from the deed, not in intentions. The date follows from the lease and from tenant-protection rules, not from goodwill.
When to walk away
When the seller does not show the lease in full or explains that „it is a standard one”. Every restriction that will hurt you is in exactly the paragraphs you are not being shown.
When there are arrears. You are then buying not a flat with income but a dispute — and recovering premises from someone who does not pay is a procedure counted in months, with the added limits of tenant protection. If you go in anyway, the price has to reflect that fully, not „take it somewhat into account”.
When someone lives there on the basis of nothing: no lease, „we agreed verbally”, or an oral arrangement. The lack of a document does not mean the lack of tenant rights — it only means you do not know what you are getting into.
Frequently asked questions
Does selling a flat end the lease?
No. The buyer steps into the tenancy in place of the seller, so the lease continues on its own terms. That is why you read the whole lease before buying, not a summary of it.
Can the lease be terminated after buying the flat?
It depends on the type. A fixed-term lease binds until its end except in cases it describes itself; an open-ended one follows statutory notice periods protecting the tenant. A change of owner is not in itself grounds for termination.
What about the deposit paid to the previous owner?
Settlement of the deposit passes to the buyer along with the lease, which is why its amount and whether it was actually paid must be documented before the deed. Otherwise you will return money to the tenant that you never received.
Is a flat with a tenant cheaper?
Usually yes, because it is harder to view and the pool of buyers is narrower. That is an honest reason for a lower price. But if the discount is large with no visible reason, check arrears and the lease before calling it a bargain.
How does an occasional lease differ in such a transaction?
An occasional lease gives the owner a stronger position, because the tenant submits in advance to enforcement of vacating the premises and designates alternative premises. When buying, check that the full set of documents exists and that the filing with the tax office was made on time — we describe that regime in a separate guide.
This text describes the legal position as of the date above and is informational — it does not replace legal advice on a specific case. If your situation differs from the one described, write to us or consult a lawyer.
See also
Still have a question?
Write to us — we answer specific questions specifically, even if you are not looking for a flat yet.
We call back every day, 10:00–18:00We speak English