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Tenants in the UK believe that landlords are fair and helpful but there’s room for improvement on safety issues according to new research. Overall a harmonious, friendly and respectful relationship exists between landlords and tenants, with 59% of people surveyed saying they believe they pay a fair price in rent and 48% saying they have a good or very good relationship with their landlord. The research from AXA Business Insurance also shows that only 6% of tenants feel their relationship with their landlord is bad or very bad, and good will and acts of kindness are common between property owners and the people who rent from them. But it also highlights significant room for improvement when it comes to safety and security. Some 43% of landlords have failed to arrange the legally required annual gas safety check, 54% have neglected to install a fire alarm, 68% have not organised an annual electrical safety inspection, and 71% have not organised a carbon monoxide alarm. In addition, 74% of landlords have failed to put locks on all external windows and doors and 78% of landlords have not arranged a door chain or spyhole to keep their tenants secure. Despite these important oversights, people up and down the country generally paint a positive portrait of the person who owns their rented home. Some 30% of tenants most commonly describe their landlords, 23% as helpful, 20% as responsible, 19% as trustworthy and 15% as caring. In the small number of cases where the relationship is more difficult, some 2% of tenants say their landlord is creepy, 3% think they’re seedy and 3% describe them as dishonest. Some 28% of tenants say their landlord has done something ‘nice’ for them and 20% say they have done something ‘nice’ for their landlord in return. Many swap cards on special occasions, while the most common acts of kindness on the landlord’s side include gift giving, forgiving a late payment in difficult times and offering help above and beyond what might be reasonably expected in a tenant’s agreement. In return, tenants are happy to arrange small decorating or DIY jobs and even do a bit of home baking when they expect a landlord visit. And while 35% of tenants admit they’d take more care of a home they owned themselves, most make a special effort to look after the property and aim to have it clean and tidy before the landlord pops round. Cleaning floors and bathrooms, making beds, spraying air-freshener or lighting candles and taking the bins out in advance of a visit are common. Yet even those people who enjoy a positive rental experience recognise that not everyone is as lucky, and 85% agree that the government should do more to protect people who rent from private landlords. ‘There’s clearly a lot of good will between landlords and their tenants and our research shows that rental home horror stories and negative stereotypes… Continue reading →

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