What are the top priorities tenants are looking for in 2024 – and what do landlords look for in a tenant?
A new report from Barclays Property Insights has revealed tenants’ top 10 househunting priorities, and the top one probably won’t be a surprise: 46% of tenants say that damp and mould are dealbreakers. Three amenities are up next: around a third of tenants prioritise a living room (34%), private outdoor space (32%), and double-glazed windows (32%).
In other highlights, 23% of tenants want a pet-friendly property, putting it in 6th place. This one could be a bone of contention: pet-friendly homes are in short supply in the private rented sector, and “no pets” actually made it into landlords’ top priorities for tenants in the same study (10th place, at 15%).
And, as ever, people skills matter: 17% of tenants prioritise likeable landlords and letting agents, putting this in 9th place.
What about landlords?
Landlords’ top three priorities are pretty unsurprising too: be clean and hygienic (27%), have proof of income (27%), and be quiet (24%). Local licensing schemes often require landlords to prevent and deal with antisocial behaviour, so noisy tenants or tenants who don’t keep up the property can be a legal risk. Being able to pay reliably is also a must: permanent employment just missed out on the top four with 22% of landlords picking it.
Tenants who want to put themselves to the front of the queue can also provide strong employer and character references and offer a guarantor, all of which featured in landlords’ top 10. And 34% of landlords said that they would also be more likely to accept a tenant who communicates with them personally – although just 23% of tenants said that they would be willing to try this.
Despite recent debates over bidding wars in the private rented sector, offering more rent than the asking price didn’t make it onto the list. In fact, 23% of landlords said that they would accept a below-asking offer if the tenant was willing to be flexible about the move-in date, and 33% said that they would accept lower rent from existing tenants who look after the home well.
Other landlord headlines
Kier Starmer: Not all landlords are evil – Property118
POLL: Higher costs to force 85% of landlords to raise rents – LandlordZONE
“I’m a 20-year-old landlord – my friends pay £1,250 a month to live with me” – The Telegraph
