Overflowing bath tubs, persistent complaints from the neighbours about noise, damage to the fixtures and fittings of the property may make being a landlord seem like one big headache after another. New figures from the National Landlords Association show that ‘problem tenancies’ are very much the exception rather than the rule.
The NLA’s chairman David Salusbury comments: “Out of around just over 2 million private tenancies in the country as a whole, we calculate that the number that encounter major problems represents a very small percentage, of less than 5%. Even so, with such a large number of private rentals in this country, this still accounts for a significant number of problem tenancies in absolute terms. But don’t forget that, despite some tenancies that go seriously wrong, around 2 million go swimmingly.”
“At the same time, I wouldn’t like to under-play the problems that can arise. Over a third of our landlords report that they have had to resort to the courts to evict a tenant, but thankfully it’s not an everyday occurrence. It’s once in a blue moon that things go as badly wrong as that.”
The success of most private rentals may be attributed to the responsive and responsible attitude of the majority of landlords and tenants. Continues David Salusbury: “It’s in the best interests of both landlord and tenant to make things work. Mutual respect, good communication and attention to detail go a long way towards setting the relationship on a good footing.”
The NLA believes that landlords can do a lot to set the right tone and make the tenant feel valued as a customer, providing them with a list of ‘Ten Top Tips’ for success as a landlord.
“A lot of it comes down to working effectively with tenants, to understand their concerns and take steps to address them,” continues David Salusbury. “Our member landlords report that by being proactive in addressing and resolving problems and issues, tenants are more likely to look after the property, pay their rent on time, and stay for longer. In fact, there is plenty of evidence that by maintaining the premises to a higher standard, tenants are more scrupulous in terms of how they treat the property. Scrimping and saving on maintenance is detrimental to the fabric of the property, and detrimental to good relations with the people who are living there.”
Indeed, the latest English House Condition Survey indicates that the quality of rented homes in this country is higher than ever before, with 52.5% officially categorised as ‘decent’.
