An additional 38% of landlords and agents were willing to if there was a break clause in place, according to the latest survey released by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.

Around 70% of landlords and agents would offer longer tenancies if it was easier to remove problem tenants, it added.

In most cases, landlords and agents report that it is the tenant’s choice to end a tenancy. Few tenancies end in eviction.

Around 50% of landlords and agents reported that, in the last two years, they had ended at least one tenancy because the tenancy ended and the tenant did not want to renew.

A quarter ended because the tenant had moved out before the tenancy had ended. Meanwhile, seven per cent of landlords and agents asked the tenant to leave, seven per cent evicted the tenant and four per cent decided not to renew.

The most common reasons for evicting, asking a tenant to leave or not renewing a tenancy were due to rent arrears, at 58%, or due to the tenant not caring for the property, standing at 45%.

Agents retain more deposits

Most deposits are returned to the tenant, either fully or in part. Agents were less likely than landlords to return the deposit in full and more likely to return it in part.

Deposits were most commonly retained due to damage to property or contents or to clean the property.

In relation to the last tenancy that ended, 60% of landlords and 54% of agents returned the full deposit to the tenant. A quarter of landlords and 30% of agents returned some of the deposit.

Around 65% of landlords and 60% of agents did not return the deposit due to damage to the property or contents.

Cleaning the property for the next tenant was a cost imposed by 65% of both landlords and agents.