Almost half of tenants in UK fall out with their landlord at some point, research suggests

Almost half of private rented sector tenants in the UK have admitted falling out or arguing with their landlord and the majority would move if their relationship broke down, new research has found,

Overall 49% of those survey said they had quarrelled and 89% said they would consider moving while 18% found their landlord unapproachable. The research from lighting firm Lightbulbs Direct, also reveals the root of the most common disputes.

The most frequent reason for a tenant calling a landlord was a damaged window, cited by 66% of survey respondents, followed by 49% asking for permission to decorate, 46% about a broken appliance, 44% for a blocked toilet and 33% about cleaning a dirty property.

The research also uncovered some more unusual reasons including 16% seeking help to hang photographs or art on walls, 8% wanting screws on a door frame tightened and 7% wanting help to move furniture.

It terms of disagreements, it seems that the younger generation are more likely to fall out with their landlord. The research discovered that 65% of 18 to 24 year olds and 66% of 25 to 34 year olds have argued with their landlord in the past, compared with 36% of 55 to 64 year olds and 34% of people aged 65 and above.

The survey also revealed that 24% of UK tenants have missed a rental payment in the past and those over 65 years old are also less likely to have missed a rental payment at 5% in comparison to 44% of those between the ages of 25 to 34 years.

Martin Davies, a sales director from London, explained that some tenants can be worse than others. ‘We had a tenant who would call us to ask about every little thing. The constant ridiculous questions drove me mad but then he failed to tell me that the washing machine had started leaking badly. He didn’t mention it for over a month and it damaged the expensive new floor I had put down,’ he said.

‘The flat is part furnished and he once got in touch during the weekend to say that he didn’t want some of the furniture anymore and asked us to remove it. When we didn’t respond the same day, he phoned us to complain,’ he added.

According to David Tetlow, ecommerce manager at Lightbulbs Direct, said that it is worth finding out about a landlords before signing a tenancy agreement. ‘It will help to understand how approachable they’re going to be in a crisis. You should always take the time to research and understand your rights as a tenant and your landlord’s rights to avoid any difficult situations in the future too,’ he added.