What turns off tenants the most?

Posted on Tuesday, July 5, 2022

Research lists most off-putting features of rental homes and landlords

Research from specialist rental platform Ocasa has revealed what tenants find the biggest turn-off when it comes to searching for their rental property, as well as what they can’t stand about landlords.

When it comes to the most off-putting rental property feature, it turns out that it has nothing to do with the property itself, as tenants rank nuisance neighbours as the number one red flag when looking for a property to rent.

While the government has announced plans to remove a blanket ban on pets, today’s tenants are yet to benefit, and a rental property that prevents them from bringing their pet ranked as the second biggest turn-off.

A lack of parking was the next biggest no-no when it came to rental property appeal, with a lack of outdoor space also ranking within the top five, along with being forbidden to redecorate or add personal touches to a property’s decor.

When surveyed on their thoughts and feelings towards their landlords, the UK’s tenants ranked their inability to maintain a rental property to a modern standard as the most off-putting.

Landlords who also failed to maintain safe living conditions were also out of favour with the nation’s tenants, along with those who consistently increase rents without reason.

Tenants also dislike landlords who disturbed them regularly by visiting the property for no real reason, as well as those that call time on the relationship without good warning or reason.

“The rental market can be a tough place to live at times and not only is it very expensive, but many tenants will be put off by out-of-date or unsafe living conditions, restrictive tenancy rules and the insecurity and uncertainty that often comes with living in someone else’s property,” Jack Godby, sales and marketing director at Ocasa, commented.

“However, standards are improving, and the industry is undergoing notable changes that focus on renting as a long-term lifestyle choice, rather than a necessity due to the high cost of homeownership.”

Godby noted that this is particularly evident within the build-to-rent sector, which is providing a better quality of living coupled with greater security and flexibility to suit the needs of individual tenants.

“Of course, you may still fall foul of a nuisance neighbour, but some things in life are unfortunately unavoidable,” he added.

The survey of 1,157 UK tenants was carried out via consumer research platform Find Out Now and on behalf of Ocasa on June 17, 2022.

Via @MortgageIntroducer