A new survey from tenant servicing firm Tenant’s Plus has revealed the main bugbears of renters.
In the questionnaire of 597 tenants conducted by Angels Media, publisher of Letting Agent Today, problems facing would be renters were highlighted.
Issues
39% of tenants questioned said they miss out on up to five properties before signing a tenancy agreement. 32% of renters admitted to prioritising cost over location when looking for a new place to live.
Problem residential landlords, including those who failed to fix repairs promptly, created issues for a worryingly high 52% of tenants. Letting agents’ fees amounted to problems for 30%.
Only 13% said that their rental payments caused them issues.
Offenders
Wayne Treveil, chief executive at Tenants Plus, noted that, ‘despite it often being presented as such, it is not the agents and landlords that are the main offenders here, whose hands are being forced by regulation, but the successive governments that do not deliver on new housing promises.’[1]
‘There is an obvious need for the government to prioritise longer, more stable tenancies and to commit to building the genuinely affordable homes that young people are desperate for, particularly in London,’ Mr Treveil added.[1]
The report from Tenant’s Plus comes on the heels of further data that indicates rental costs for new tenancies in the UK have risen by an average of 4.9% in the first quarter of 2016. However, this data excludes results from the capital., where rents continue to soar still further.
[1] https://www.lettingagenttoday.co.uk/breaking-news/2016/4/letting-agents-fees-are-major-problem-for-30-of-tenants-claims-group