A new investigation has looked at the struggles landlords face and the most common demands put on them by their tenants.
According to the survey conducted by property management specialists London Shared, one-third of buy-to-let landlords said that the full-on nature of the role made it more stressful than they first imagined.
Responsibilities
The research quizzed 500 UK landlords, who noted that the job of being a landlord is far from straightforward. Worryingly, 76% of landlords said that their tenants do not understand their responsibilities as renters. 10% of landlords said they had experienced anxiety problems due to the behaviour of their tenants.
Many landlords said that they are call for 24 hours, with 34% saying that they had received calls in the middle of the night from renters.
Of the landlords questioned, the top five minor issues that they said they have been called out for were:
- Unblocking the drain (23%)
- Lost Keys (19%)
- Turning the heating back on (14%)
- Changing a light bulb or fuse (13%)
- Mowing the lawn (7%)
Repairs
Another worrying stat was that 43% of respondents to the survey said they were unsure of their responsibilities when repairing a property.
Just 24% of landlords said they were clear on their legal obligations for adequate HMO licensing and just 18% said they knew they had to apply for a HMO licence.
Additionally, the survey found that landlords spend an average of 11 hours per month managing their rental property. 83% said they spent up to £5,000 per year on property repairs from their rental accommodation.
Most common struggles faced by landlords revealed
Arrears
A major source of landlords’ stress was underlined by 40% of those questioned saying that they had received their rental payments late. Of those that said that they had received late payments, 18% said they had defaulted on their bills.
When looking further at those that have either had late or missed payments from their tenants, 11% said they were unable to pay off their existing debt. 22% said they had to go to court to reclaim money owed to them by their tenants.
Many landlords were found to be dependent on their rental income to pay off their mortgage, with over half stating this was the case. 23% said they used rental incomes to renovate their homes, while 13% said it paid for their children’s rental fees.
Notices
Some tenants are causing such a problem for their landlords that 24% said they had to serve notice on them. Of those that served noticed, the main reasons for doing so were found to be rent arrears (69%), property damages (44%) and inappropriate behavior (24%). Furthermore, 18% said that they served notice as their tenants sublet the property without consent and 11% after finding out their tenants were using the home for illegal purposes.
Despite it being illegal to live in a property once an eviction warrant is given, 44% of tenants who had been served notice refused to leave. As such, 25% of landlords said that this caused them extra financial stress. 13% of landlords admitted that they wished their rental property was managed by somebody else!