Tenant in situ

Tenant in situ is a term used in UK property transactions to describe a tenant who is already living in a property at the point of sale. It means "tenant in place", the property is being sold as an occupied investment rather than with vacant possession. The buyer becomes the new landlord automatically on completion, inheriting the existing tenancy on the same terms.

The term is used interchangeably with sitting tenant in most contexts. "Sitting tenant" is the older legal term, more common when discussing tenant rights and security of tenure. "Tenant in situ" tends to appear in property listings, auction particulars, and conveyancing, to signal that the buyer is acquiring an occupied property.

For a full explanation of what buying with a tenant in situ means in practice, including the buyer's due diligence checklist, deposit obligations, compliance inheritance, and how the Renters' Rights Act affects the position, see the August dictionary entry for sitting tenant.

Also see: Sitting tenant · Vacant possession · Assured shorthold tenancy · Periodic tenancy · Grounds for possession · Tenancy deposit · Renters' Rights Act · Landlord · Tenant