Research Shows Landlords Need to Better Protect Themselves

According to research carried out by insurer AXA, landlords are putting themselves at unecessary risk by failing to carry out basic checks on prospective tenants. In a survey of tenants, 60% admitted to breaking the terms of their rental agreement. Over a quarter (26%) said they were guilty of late rental payment, while one in ten admitted to having done a runner in order to avoid paying the landlord.

The survey sample was 2,000 people currently renting property in the UK. All regions were represented. According to the survey, 18% of the approximately nine million private rented sector tenants have kept pets in their property without permission. Noise complaints from neighbours were received by 15%, and 8% had sub-let a room without permission from the landlord.

8% admitted to having committed a crime within their rented property, and 10% said police had been called to their property. Although the vast majority of tenants are law-abiding, landlords need to keep in mind their legal responsibility to ensure their properties aren’t being used for criminal purposes.

It was found that 38% of landlords carry out no checks at all, and only 5% carry out a criminal record check. A third of landlords reported never visiting their property during a rental.

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