Government needs to avoid breakdown of trust

Government needs to avoid breakdown of trust

8:57 AM, 12th July 2019, About 5 years ago 5

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The Government urgently needs to provide tenants with better information on their rights and responsibilities if it is to avoid a breakdown of trust between renters and their landlords, the National Landlords Association warns.

New research, commissioned by the NLA, found that over three quarters (79%) of tenants need better information about what they should expect from their landlords or agents.

Worryingly, the NLA also found that more than two thirds (67%) of tenants were not aware of the Government’s How To Rent guide that is designed to help them understand their rights and responsibilities. The guide provides tenants with key information on what to look out for before renting, living in a rented home, what happens at the end of a tenancy, and what to do if things go wrong.

Most tenants have a good relationship with their landlords. In the survey, 68% of tenants said they never had any cause to complain to their landlord. A further 12% said that when they had complained, the problem was solved to their satisfaction. But the NLA is concerned that tenants’ failure to fulfil their responsibilities will undermine their relationship with landlords.

Richard Lambert, CEO of the NLA, said: “It is alarming that so few tenants seem to know about the Government’s flagship guide on their rights and responsibilities. It’s clear that compelling landlords to give tenants copies of the How to Rent Guide has made little impact.  Unless the Government tackles this problem quickly, there is a danger that there will be a breakdown of trust between landlords and tenants at a time when this relationship is already coming under strain because of over-regulation in the PRS.”

*NLA Tenant Survey Feb 2019, fieldwork conducted by Dynata (885 respondents)


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Comments

Jo Westlake

9:46 AM, 12th July 2019, About 5 years ago

Tenants are provided with an overwhelming amount of information before they sign the tenancy: How to rent guide, EPC, gas safety certificate, electrical certificate, GDPR policy, deposit protection information, etc.
How many of them actually read any of it?
At the moving in time there's another overwhelming information overload about how the heating works, the importance of ventilation, how appliances work, bin collection days, etc. I expect a tenant to remember about a quarter of this information. Most of it is also in a house information folder which they will probably never look in.
Younger, less worldly tenants usually listen more attentively. More experienced tenants often seem to think they know everything already.

Whiteskifreak Surrey

10:04 AM, 12th July 2019, About 5 years ago

Breakdown of trust? !
Is there ANY TRUST in this government still left among the Landlords? Somehow I do not think so.

Jan Martin

10:49 AM, 12th July 2019, About 5 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Whiteskifreak Surrey at 12/07/2019 - 10:04
You must of noticed that nobody cares a dam about us landlords .

Michael Barnes

11:25 AM, 12th July 2019, About 5 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Whiteskifreak Surrey at 12/07/2019 - 10:04
Read the article.

It refers to a breakdown of trust between Ts and LLs, not between LLs and Government.

Whiteskifreak Surrey

11:30 AM, 12th July 2019, About 5 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Michael Barnes at 12/07/2019 - 11:25
Indeed, primarily about that. . But I am afraid the same applies. Government, Shelter, Generation Rent - thy will do everything to make these two sides enemies of each other. Government definitely does not trust LLs and projects that onto TTs. TRUST in PRS is just not on anyone's agenda..

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