Landlords seen as ‘extended family’

Young tenants living away from their families may well come to think of their landlord as someone they can turn to for advice and guidance, as well as rely on to fix any problems in their home, reveals Alliance & Leicester Mortgages’ Landlord Index.

One in ten (10%) renters aged between 25 and 34 count their landlord as a friend, while nearly one in five (18%) say they would happily send a gift or card to their landlord to express their gratitude if they had gone out of their way to help them.

More than one in five (21%) tenants aged 25 to 34 say they spend time chatting and catching up socially with their landlord when they phone up or drop in to visit. With one in ten landlords (9%) checking in on their tenants at least once a fortnight, this regular contact seems to form the basis of some flourishing friendships. Contrary to stereotypical tales of frosty relations between landlords and tenants, only 3% of tenants overall don’t get along with their landlord.

Positive relations also bode well for landlords and could be seen as good business practice to be on good terms with tenants in a bid to ensure the property is treated with respect and care. One in seven (15%) landlords said they consider renters to be friends and nearly one in five (17%) say they would buy their renters a present or card if they moved away from the property on good terms.

More than one in three (37%) landlords take time to chat socially with their tenants when they phone or visit. With nearly eight out of 10 landlords (79%) not knowing their tenants before they moved in, it can be important to foster an amicable relationship to help encourage them to keep the property in a good condition.

Stephen Leonard, Director of Mortgages at Alliance & Leicester, says: “Contrary to popular belief, landlords can be more friend than foe. It’s encouraging that so many landlords and tenants enjoy a good relationship, as this can help ensure any issues of dispute relating to the rented property are settled amicably and on good terms. With so many young tenants living long distances away from their family and friends, it’s clearly very useful to have somebody they trust to turn to for support.”

Landlords and tenants still unaware of Tenant Deposit Scheme

Two out of five landlords (40%) say they are still not aware of the Government’s mandatory Tenancy Deposit Scheme, which helps protects tenants’ rights, nearly a year on from its launch in April 2007, suggesting that the Government may need to consider promoting the scheme further.

Only a third of landlords (32%) have confirmed they have signed up to the scheme. Many tenants also aren’t taking advantage of the new protection for their rental deposits either, although a third of those surveyed (34%) were aware of the Tenancy Deposit Scheme, around half (48%) were clueless as to whether their own landlord had signed up to the scheme.

A further two thirds (66%) of renters said they were completely unaware of the scheme. Despite the low take up, 2% of tenants surveyed said they have already successfully used the Tenant Deposit Scheme to settle a dispute.

Stephen Leonard continues: “The Tenant Deposit Scheme could play a key role in helping landlords to independently resolve a dispute with tenants relating to property damage or deposits. The process can also benefit landlords through actively encouraging tenants to look after the property and return it in the same condition they found it in. With a quarter of landlords only checking on the maintenance of their properties once every six months, this scheme could be a real advantage for many time-pressed landlords.”