The latest research from BDRC Continental’s Landlords’ Panel reveals that almost three quarters of Britain’s private landlords trust their gut instincts when vetting potential new tenants.
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According to the research, if you’re looking for a new home to rent, you need to be open when answering questions, dress smartly and be enthusiastic about the property if you want the landlord to choose you as their next tenant. And that’s as well as having proof of income, references from your previous landlord and your employment history.
In today’s market, there’s no shortage of demand for rented property so landlords often have their pick of potential tenants. The latest figures from Q3 2012 Landlords’ Panel show that demand is up by 7% on last quarter. So it’s vital for potential tenants to use everything within their control to secure that all important next rental property.
Top turn-offs
The top three no-no’s for private landlords are having bad or no references (28%), low or irregular income – or none at all (24%) – and a failed credit check (21%). But after the hard facts, come the less scientific reasons: lack of manners/bad attitude (18%), and ‘just don’t like the look of them’ (17%) are the next two most important factors.
It’s a dog’s life – and other pets
Very few private landlords will allow tenants with dogs to let their property. Just over one in ten (13%) always allow pooches to take up residence, with 32% making their decision based on the property. The main reasons against doggy tenants are damage (41%), smell (26%) and annoying the neighbours (22%).
However when we asked landlords to list some of the strangest requests they’d had from tenants, many of them concerned other pets – and not all furry. From the relatively tame cats, chickens, cockerels, tortoises, rats and parrots to the more unusual pigs, hedgehogs, iguanas, lizards, geckos, tarantulas (and other spiders), snakes and stick insects. The strangest requests concern horses, with our favourite two being “Can I keep my horse in the garden?” (in a two bed, mid-terrace cottage with a 30ft garden) to the more outlandish “Can I keep my horse in the kitchen?”
Mark Long, Director at BDRC Continental, said: “In today’s market there is a lot of competition for rented property, yet despite that our research shows that landlords do go out of their way to keep their tenants happy by accommodating their requests where they can. Nowhere is this more obvious than with pets. However, asking to keep a horse in the kitchen does seem a request too far!”
Further Information
These are a selection of findings from the Q3 2012 BDRC Continental/NLA Landlords’ Panel study. Fieldwork took place between 14th September and 1st October 2012 and incorporated 469 online interviews with National Landlords Association members.
