Landlords’ perfect tenant revealed

Almost a quarter of households in Britain will be renting privately by the end of 2021 as rising house prices and stagnant wages put homeownership out of the reach of a growing number of people.

Around 5 million households, or 21% of the total, are currently living in private rented accommodation, but what sort of tenants would landlords prefer to have?

A new survey of 500 UK-based landlords, conducted by Intus Lettings, has found that the most sought-after tenant types are couples and young professionals, while student renters are typically the least desired.

Almost one in three - 29% - of landlords surveyed said that their most desirable tenants are couples with no children, while least popular tenants are students, with just 1% of landlords choosing them as their favourite.

The second most sought-after tenant is a single young professional, with a quarter of landlords favouring this category, followed by families, which one in five landlords prefer.

Hope McKendrick, letting manager at Intus Lettings, said: “It’s likely that landlords opted for couples with no dependants due to the stability that it provides. They understand that finding the right tenant can save them time, money and stress in the long term and with the number of people renting continuing to grow, they want to be reassured that those living in their properties are reliable.”  

The survey also revealed what landlords consider to be the most important aspect during the vetting process.

Almost 40% of respondents agreed that references are most likely to sway them to sign on the dotted line, followed by the general attitude of the potential renters. Age and marital status are the least important. 

Hope added: “As the survey results prove, negative experiences with previous landlords or poor references from your employer can impact where you end up living in the future.

“Landlords have more choice as more and more people enter the private rented sector, so getting through vetting without glitches and making a positive impression is more crucial than ever.”

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