A good relationship with tenants is a must

Every tenant wants to be comfortable; he or she wants to live in a place managed by a landlord that they have a good rapport with.

Almost half - 46% - of tenants surveyed by Your Move letting agents said that getting the right landlord is one of the most important factors when choosing where to rent.

However, the biggest selling point renters look for is the condition of the property they are moving into, the survey found.

While value for money is important to 45% of tenants surveyed, the state of the property is a major consideration for 52% of the 2,000 tenants surveyed.

The Your Move data also revealed that only 38% of tenants identify property location as ‘extremely important’ when picking a new home.

The research involved more than 2,000 participants, and 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 just 15% who answered as ‘unhappy’ (10%) or ‘very unhappy’ (5%).

Valerie Bannister, head of Letting at Your Move, said: “It’s not just about where you actually live anymore, but also the condition of the property as well as whose roof you’re living under, that are collectively important to tenants these days.

“As the rental sector continues to grow, so do people’s expectations of what a property should offer them and its 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.” 

Overall, Your Move’s results show that a landlord can make all the difference as tenants decide on their next move.

Bannister added: “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.”

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