What can I do if my landlord just extended my trial period?

The situation

I moved into a flat in Manchester, England, about three months ago on an introductory tenancy. Everything seemed fine, and I have always paid my rent of £850 on time every month. However, yesterday, the 14th of October, my landlord sent me a formal letter stating they have decided to extend my trial period for another two months instead of letting me move onto a permanent contract. They didn't give much detail in the letter, just that they weren't fully satisfied with how I've managed the communal garden area. I feel this is completely unfair because I have spent several hours every weekend tidying it up and even bought new plants with my own money. I tried speaking to the property manager in person this morning to clear things up, but they were quite dismissive and said the decision was final. I really want to challenge this because I need the security of a long-term tenancy for my job. I know I have to act quickly, but I am not sure how much time I actually have to ask them to look at this decision again, or what the process is for getting someone else to check if they made a mistake.

Detailed Analysis

Because your landlord sent you a formal letter on 14 October extending your introductory tenancy (a trial period for new tenants), you have a legal right to ask them to look at the decision again.

To do this, you must follow a specific timeline. The law states that "A request for review of the landlord’s decision... must be made before the end of the period of 14 days beginning with the day on which the notice of extension is served"^[1]. This means you have 14 days from 14 October to submit your request.

Once you make a valid request, the landlord is obligated to act. The statute says "the landlord shall review its decision"^[1]. This means they cannot simply dismiss you as the property manager did; they must perform a formal review process.

There are also rules regarding what your notice should have contained. A valid notice of extension must include "stating the reasons for the landlord’s decision"^[2]. Since you mentioned the letter did not give much detail, you should check if it met this requirement. If the notice failed to explain the reasons or failed to inform you of your right to a review, the extension might not be valid under the law^[2].

It is currently uncertain whether the person reviewing your case will be different from the property manager you spoke to. The law allows for regulations that require the review to be done by "a person of appropriate seniority who was not involved in the original decision"^[1], but we do not know if your landlord has adopted such a procedure.

Statutory Citations

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