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Buy To Let

Landlord matters more than location, say tenants

adamlewis
Written By:
adamlewis
Posted:
Updated:
22/12/2016

Getting the right landlord is more important to tenants than location, according to research by estate agency Your Move.

It asked more than 2,000 tenants what was most important to them and nearly half (46%) said getting the right landlord is “extremely important”.

This was shortly behind the condition of the property (52%) but ranked more highly than location, which 38% said was extremely important. Value for money is extremely important to 45% of tenants surveyed.The research was commissioned to provide insights into the 4.5 million privately rented households in the UK – a number which is expected to grow to 6 million over the next few years.Respondents also revealed a high level of satisfaction when renting, with 66% of all tenants either ‘happy’ (36%) or ‘very happy’ (30%) with their current circumstances, compared to only 15% who answered as ‘unhappy’ (10%) or ‘very unhappy’ (5%).

Valerie Bannister, head of lettings at Your Move, said that as the rental sector continues to grow, so do people’s expectations of what a property should offer them.

“It is understandable that landlords who present and maintain their properties – and who even consider the lifestyles of their prospective tenants – will be viewed more favourably than others. It reflects our findings that the landlord’s willingness to respond to reasonable requests from tenants, for property improvements etc. is viewed as extremely important when a tenant makes their decision to rent.”

She added: “Overall our results show that a landlord can make all the difference as tenants decide on their next move. From securing the deposit and dealing with any unforeseen problems, to maintaining a comfortable and secure environment, the role of the landlord is critical to tenants.

Although we’re pleased to see that 66% of tenants are happy with where they’re renting, we want that figure to be even higher. The private rental sector needs to provide high quality accommodation that tenants feel excited about, rather than seeing renting as a second-best option to buying.”