Rental rights when selling a home - Free advice

Questioner

We rent a house privately. Now the house is sold. Our landlord lived next door. And now both houses have been sold to 1 party. Now the new owner has plans to turn the house next to us into 4 studios and our house into 3 studios. The latter was not communicated to us. There is now a building application for 7 studios at the municipality, so for both houses together. We have a lease for an indefinite period. What are our rights? And do we need to take certain steps?

Lawyer

Purchase does not break a lease. But the tenant must be careful because the landlord will think that he is no longer offering the same thing, namely a house is split into a number of apartments/non-independent spaces. In fact, it is still the same rental property and you must present yourself as the rightful tenant. The landlord needs a valid reason to terminate the lease. In the law, there are only a few and it must go through the court.

Questioner

But we now live in the entire house and want to continue doing so. If a building application is submitted and approved, does that change the situation?

Lawyer

The landlord must terminate the lease agreement through legal proceedings under the reasons stated by law. I would like to find out for you what your position should be. Then I have to do case law research.

Lawyer

Even if a building permit is granted, this will not change the current situation. If the owner wants to be able to carry out the building plans, he will have to end the lease with you. This can be done by terminating the lease on one of the legal grounds. The lease could be terminated in connection with the building plans due to urgent personal use, if it were not for the fact that a waiting period of three years applies for a subsequent owner.