42% of Welsh Landlords reporting arrears issues

42% of Welsh Landlords reporting arrears issues

15:29 PM, 14th September 2021, About 3 years ago

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Research published by the National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) highlights the rent arrears crisis which affected the Welsh private rented sector throughout the first half of 2021.

The research findings, which are based on extensive surveys of English and Welsh landlords conducted by research consultancy BVA/BDRC in the first two quarters of 2021, suggests that a significant number of Welsh landlords experienced issues relating to rent arrears over the course of the previous year.

The research also reveals that landlords in Wales experienced a significantly higher incidence of rent arrears than their counterparts in England in the first six months of 2021.

In the first half of 2021 42% of those with property in Wales reported that they have been impacted by issues relating to rent arrears in the past twelve months compared to only 35% of those with property in England.

However, our Q2 figures also show a growing optimism on the part of Welsh landlords. Our findings indicate that the Welsh private rented sector is experiencing the highest perceived level of tenant demand across all regions surveyed in Q2 2021. More than half (52%) of respondents confirmed that they have seen this trend over the course of the past quarter.

Chris Norris, Policy Director for the National Residential Landlords Association said:

“It is troubling that rent arrears appear to be a more significant issue for households in Wales, despite the recent announcement of the Tenancy Hardship Grant.

“These figures illustrate that the scheme must be implemented as quickly and effectively as possible to prevent Wales’ rent debt crisis from worsening and threatening homes.

“We urge Wales’ private landlords to make their tenants aware of the grant and call on the Welsh Government to inform all stakeholders across the private rented sector of the fact this financial assistance measure is now available.”

  • The research consultancy BVA-BDRC questioned a total of 1,648 members of the National Residential Landlords Association using online interviews in two waves between the 14th March and 5th April and 20th June and 5th July 2021 respectively.
  • For this section of our survey, BVA/BDRC received 117 responses from individuals with properties in the Welsh private rented sector.

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