A new platform, Ask the Landlord, has been launched to help the country’s rising number of tenants get the advice and expertise they need on renting.
Ideal Flatmate, a flatmate matching site, will use its extensive base of landlords – who have agreed to offer their time – to answer questions any renter may have on a prospective or current tenancy.
Ask the Landlord will be based on monthly ask-me-anything sessions, in which one of Ideal Flatmate’s top landlords will answer questions live online and across the firm’s social media platforms.
Whether a renter has a question on what to do if they have lost their keys, concern about a party that got out of hand, or how to renew a contract, Ask the Landlord aims to help all tenants navigate the often confusing world of renting.
Ask the Landlord Platform Launched for Tenants
Tom Gatzen, the Co-Founder of Ideal Flatmate, says: “As an organisation that bridges the gap between renters and landlords, we’ve witnessed so many landlords genuinely take a great care and interest over who is in their property and how they can support them.
“We wanted to provide a platform for renters to take advantage of some of these great landlords and ask for any help or advice. It’s important we do as much as we can to help the rising number of renters who are often unsure about the confusing and complex elements to rental living.”
The platform also aims to promote the often forgotten beneficial and supportive role that landlords play in the property market. There has been a long-standing misconception that most landlords are looking to take advantage of and profiteer from the rising number of tenants, fuelled by unrepresentative media reports.
Ideal Flatmate wants to promote the countless number of decent landlords it works with who are willing to go the extra mile for their tenants and genuinely take an interest in their wellbeing.
Leading the campaign is The Landlord, an all-knowing investor that every tenant can look to for advice and support. The Landlord will feature in a series of tongue-in-cheek, but informative, short films on common issues that tenants have and how best to go about handling them.
Chris Norris, the Director of Policy and Practice at the National Landlords Association (NLA), comments: “The majority of landlords are good at what they do and provide decent homes for their tenants. However, they’re not the ones you normally hear about. We’re extremely pleased to support Ideal Flatmate’s launch of Ask The Landlord and look forward to seeing it showcase the large number of decent landlords in the market.”
Vanessa Warwick, the Co-Founder of PropertyTribes.com, also responds to the launch: “I was delighted to learn of Ideal Flatmate’s initiative to engage with tenants and landlords, and assist them in making wiser choices when renting. The vast majority of landlords are decent and honest people who want to provide a safe, ethical, and compliant service for their tenants, so anything that assists in connecting good tenants with professionally minded landlords is a very positive thing.
“This campaign comes at a time when the spotlight is very firmly on the private rented sector and it is very clear that the Government is intent on raising standards. Property Tribes whole-heartedly supports education of both tenants and landlords, as it makes the private rented sector a better experience for everyone involved.”