Tenants in the private rented sector in the UK are increasingly keen to personalise their rental properties and landlords should facilitate this trend, a new report suggests.
The Association of Independent Inventory Clerks (AIIC) believes that landlords should be more open minded to tenants’ requests to make home improvements and they could benefit in the long term.
The growing trend is reflected by a study recently undertaken by Plentific, which found that 73% of tenants have carried out DIY jobs at their own expense.
According to the research, which included a survey of over 2,000 renters, some 23% of participants said they have spent over £500 on home improvements in their rental property.
‘It’s clear that tenants are increasingly willing to spend their own money on improving their rental property and this is certainly something landlords should think about,’ said Patricia Barber, chair of the AIIC.
Barber explained that the market is seeing more long term tenants who are clearly committed to living in a property and want a high standard of décor. ‘Landlords who cautiously allow tenants to put their own stamp on a property could benefit from a lower turnover of tenants and an improved and well maintained property at the end of the contract,’ she pointed out.
The AIIC warns, however, that communication between landlords and tenants is vital if this relationship is to be s positive one. ‘Tenants must be up-front with their landlords about home improvements particularly if they are thinking about spending hundreds of pounds of their own money,’ Barber said.
If tenants are undertaking improvements it is also vitally important to have an independently compiled inventory. ‘If rental properties are noticeably changing over the course of a tenancy, it’s vitally important that there is an inventory which comprehensively details the condition and contents of the property at the start of the tenancy,’ she added.
