Tenants frustrated by lack of communication with letting agents

Many tenants say they feel ignored by their letting agent, with delays in responding to problems being the most common complaint, research reveals.

Researchers questioned 2,000 tenants and found that 31% of those who tried to contact their letting agency with an out-of-hours emergency didn’t receive a response.

Whilst delays have plagued many tenants, 29% said their landlord didn’t respond to their queries either.

Tenants complained not just about the lack of communication, but of a lack of connection with 84% saying they would rather speak to a real person than an automated bot.

Phone is the most popular way to contact a letting agent

And despite technological advances, the phone remains the most popular means of contacting a letting agent, with 49% citing this as their preferred means of contact.

This lack of communication significantly impacts relationships between tenants and landlords.

More than half (51%) of tenants said their relationship with their letting agent was either neutral at best, or that they felt highly undervalued.

That negative experience can have significant consequences because nearly a third (30%) of respondents say they’d seek an alternative solution after a negative first experience with a letting agency.

What are the biggest issues facing letting agencies?

When it comes to the biggest issues facing agents today, the top three biggest bugbears for tenants are:

• Problems don’t get solved (36%)
• Don’t hear back from landlords/letting agents (29%)
• Have to repeat details multiple times (20%).

The research also highlights a growing sense of frustration for tenants with the long wait times when trying to contact landlords and letting agencies by phone.

On average, respondents claimed that they would wait 7.9 minutes on hold before hanging up, with Londoners finding themselves in the worst position; those renting in London (22%) contact their letting agent more than tenants elsewhere. They also spend the longest on hold (up to 30 minutes) and receive the worst service.