Whether unfairly or not, landlords don’t often have the best reputation but the survey by AA Home Membership suggests that they are much more diligent than is perceived.
Some seven out of 10 say they’ve drastically changed their plans in the past year to go and help out a tenant with a household repair.
‘Being a landlord is time consuming, especially as they’re on call 24 hours a day. Landlords often get a bad reputation for not helping out their tenants when they’re needed, but our research shows that’s often not the case,’ said Helen Brooker, head of AA Home Membership.
However, many tenants feel as though they’re on their own when their landlord is away. A separate survey showed that just 27% say they know who to contact in their landlord’s absence.
‘Only a third of the landlords we polled use a lettings agent. That means that there are a lot of landlords out there who are the first port of call when their tenant has a problem. Giving tenants a list of other contacts, possibly a family member or tradesmen that you have a good relationship with could be handy. It’ll probably help your relationship with your tenants too,’ explained Brooker.
‘At a time when thousands of homes have suffered damage thanks to recent bad weather, it could also be worth giving tenants details of your properties’ insurance and home emergency policies to help deal with an unexpected emergency if you’re away,’ she added.
The survey also fund that on average, landlords have had to visit their property three times in the past year to carry out repairs which cost an average of £296.81.
The research highlights the recent trend of accidental landlords, such as those who have moved and had difficulty selling their home, so rent it out instead, and reveals that just a quarter always intended to buy to let.
AA Home Membership has a range of products which covers home emergencies and routine repairs and covers landlords and tenants.
