Renters in the United Kingdom appear to agree a great deal on what they want and expect out of a landlord, according to a recent survey from Upad. A whopping 95% agreed that having a landlord who is easy to contact is critical to a good landlord-tenant relationship, while 89% agree that timely communications about repairs is also essential to good relations. Although many points agreed upon involved obvious concerns regarding the quality of maintenance, there were other issues that didn’t cause concern. For example, only 37% of tenants expected their landlords to give proper notice before entering the unit. For more on this continue reading the following article from Property Wire.
Communication is the key to being a good landlord in the UK, particularly when it comes to repairs, new research has found.
Some 95% of all tenants say landlords being easy to contact is essential or very important but not all are as worried about other standards as might be assumed, according to a survey by Upad, the national self service lettings agency.
It found that 88% believe it essential or very important that the property was property maintained and but just 37% expect a landlord to give the correct notice before entering a property, which should be a minimum of 24 hours written notice.
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Some 89% think it essential or very important that a landlord consult with them on the timing of repairs to a property. Highly rated landlords are those who deal with problems quickly, consult on repairs and keep in touch throughout a tenancy.
Tenants were also asked what one piece of advice they would offer landlords and the answers reveal the less cordial aspects of the landlord/tenant relationship. This includes to ‘fix things when we say they are wrong, not if you think they are a danger’.
Another piece of advice was to keep promises, respond to issues seriously and to realize that the properly is another person’s home. Tenants also suggested landlords should make sure repair jobs are done properly and not aim to cut corners to save money.
Other landlord behavior that clearly annoys tenants includes those who moan about the cost of repairs, accidental landlords who are too precious about their former homes, landlords who charge excessive admin fees and those who rely too much on cheap furniture from IKEA. The most common comment on a more philosophical note is that tenants dislike being treated like an income stream and not a real person.
‘The results of the survey show that to be successful as a landlord the same rules apply as for any business which means investing time listening to your customers’ needs and you’ll earn their loyalty and respect,’ said James Davis, founder of Upad.
This article was republished with permission from Property Wire.
