A concerning new survey shows that 17% of private rental sector tenants in Britain have sub-let part or all of their property to persons not named on lease agreements.
Additionally, 25% of tenants who said they sub-let did not check the terms of their lease to see if this activity was permitted. 34% said that they did not inform their landlord of the decision.
Of these renters who did not inform their landlord, one-fifth got found out. In 11% of cases, the tenants named on these leave were evicted, with 6% losing their deposit. Other punishments for these tenants included increased rental charges, fines and formal warnings.
Tempting
The survey, conducted by Direct Line for Business, also shows 15% of current tenants are thinking about sub-letting either some or all of their property.
A spokesperson for Direct Line for Business said, ‘the average monthly rent across the UK currently stands at £739. This means on average, approximately a third of people’s income goes towards accommodation. With the market having seen a five per cent increase in average rents in the last year, it seems that a larger number of renters are tempted to offset this expense by sub-letting their properties.’[1]
17% of tenants have sub-let their rental property
Sub-let Increases
In the last two years, Landlord Action has seen a rise of 18% in the number of landlords with sub-letting cases. This is making it a more substantial reason for eviction, alongside rent arrears and Section 21 for possession only.
Founder of Landlord Action Paul Shamplina said, ‘organised sub-letting scams are also becoming more prevalent, where tenants, or sometimes even fake tenants, advertise properties and rooms on holiday/accommodation websites in order to cream a profit without the landlords’ consent.’[1]
Further data from the report shows that sub-letting is most common in the North West and West Midlands. In these regions, more than 25% of tenants said that they have sub-let their accommodation. London came in third.
[1] https://www.lettingagenttoday.co.uk/breaking-news/2016/2/one-in-six-tenants-has-already-sub-let–and-more-may-do-so-via-airbnb