LANDLORDS & TENANTS SURVEY
2016
TENANT SURVEY RESULTS 4,879 Participants
What age bracket do you fall into?
20 or younger
3%
21-29
34%
30-39
29%
40-49
17%
50-59
10%
60-69
5%
70+
2%
0
10
20
30
40
The Property Academy Tenant Survey 2016 • www.propertyacademy.co.uk
In which area of the UK do you currently live?
London
19%
South East
25%
South West
16%
East of England
9%
East Midlands
8%
West Midlands
10%
North East
2%
North West
5%
Yorkshire & the Humber
4%
Wales
2%
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
The Property Academy Tenant Survey 2016 • www.propertyacademy.co.uk
Are you renting out of choice or necessity?
43% 57%
I chose to rent I have no choice but to rent The Property Academy Tenant Survey 2016 • www.propertyacademy.co.uk
Do you currently own/have a mortgage on another property?
12%
88% Yes No The Property Academy Tenant Survey 2016 • www.propertyacademy.co.uk
Are you planning to buy a home?
Yes, in the next 12 months
15%
Yes, in 2-3 years
25%
Yes, in 3+ years
21%
No I do not want to buy
12%
No I cannot afford to buy
27%
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
The Property Academy Tenant Survey 2016 • www.propertyacademy.co.uk
Are you familiar with the Government-issued "How to Rent" guide?
32% 68%
Yes No The Property Academy Tenant Survey 2016 • www.propertyacademy.co.uk
How long have you lived in your current rental property?
Under 3 months
28%
3-6 months
20%
6-12 months
30%
12-24 months
10%
24 months +
12%
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
The Property Academy Tenant Survey 2016 • www.propertyacademy.co.uk
How much is the monthly rent for your property?
£0-£350
2%
£351-£500
9%
£501-£750
33%
£751-£900
19%
£901-£1350
23%
£1351-£1800
9%
£1801-£2400
3%
£2401-£3000
1%
£3001+
1%
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
The Property Academy Tenant Survey 2016 • www.propertyacademy.co.uk
What costs did you incur when moving in to your current rental property?
No cost
£24 or less
£25 - £50
£50 - £100
£100 - £200
£200 £300
Administration/ set up fee
10%
1%
5%
16%
32%
19%
17%
Reference checking fee
17%
1%
9%
23%
32%
12%
6%
Inventory
44%
2%
7%
18%
23%
2%
4%
£300+
The Property Academy Tenant Survey 2016 • www.propertyacademy.co.uk
Do you think that lettings agents are entitled to charge a fee for the service they provide tenants?
40% 60%
Yes No The Property Academy Tenant Survey 2016 • www.propertyacademy.co.uk
Do you think the fees you were charged were fair for the service you received?
36% 64%
Yes No The Property Academy Tenant Survey 2016 • www.propertyacademy.co.uk
Why do you think the fees were unfair?
22%
Poor service Tenants shouldn't have to pay fees in addition to rent and deposit
38%
11%
I don't understand what the fee covers
Other (please specify)
29%
0
10
20
30
40
The Property Academy Tenant Survey 2016 • www.propertyacademy.co.uk
If lettings agents were not able to charge a fee, how do you think this would impact you?
It would be good for tenants
45%
Tenants would be worse off as the landlord fee would increase, and the costs would be passed back to the tenant as higher monthly rental.Â
25%
I don't know
30%
0
10
20
30
40
50
The Property Academy Tenant Survey 2016 • www.propertyacademy.co.uk
Did you take out tenant content insurance?
Yes, using provider recommended by agent
15%
Yes, using my own preferred provider
43%
No
42%
0
10
20
30
40
50
The Property Academy Tenant Survey 2016 • www.propertyacademy.co.uk
Who manages the property you are renting?
The Landlord
37%
The Agent
56%
A 3rd Party (contractor/company)
7%
0
10
20
30
40
50
The Property Academy Tenant Survey 2016 • www.propertyacademy.co.uk
60
Would you prefer the property to be managed by:
A landlord
36%
An agent
25%
A 3rd party (contractor/company)
4%
I don’t mind
35%
0
10
20
30
40
The Property Academy Tenant Survey 2016 • www.propertyacademy.co.uk
How would you rate the property management service you receive from your landlord or letting agent?
Excellent
Good
Satisfactory
Not Great
Poor
Speed & Efficiency
25%
30%
19%
12%
14%
Helpfulness
29%
30%
20%
10%
11%
Availability
26%
32%
23%
9%
10%
Personal Service
28%
29%
21%
10%
12%
Knowledge
24%
31%
24%
10%
11%
Communication
27%
28%
19%
12%
14%
Problem Solving
23%
27%
22%
13%
15%
Politeness & Manners
41%
32%
16%
5%
6%
The Property Academy Tenant Survey 2016 • www.propertyacademy.co.uk
Are you happy with the condition of your current property?
24%
76% Yes No The Property Academy Tenant Survey 2016 • www.propertyacademy.co.uk
Do you intend to stay in the property and renew your tenancy agreement when it expires?
29%
71% Yes No The Property Academy Tenant Survey 2016 • www.propertyacademy.co.uk
Why would you not renew your current tenancy agreement? (Tick all that apply)
Cost of rent
29%
Condition of property
32%
Location
19%
Fancy a change
13%
Buying a property
26%
Change of situation e.g. growing family
23%
Unhappy with agent service
29%
0
10
20
30
The Property Academy Tenant Survey 2016 • www.propertyacademy.co.uk
40
How long did you search for a property to rent?
24 hours
3%
2-3 days
5%
Less than a week
9%
Less than a fortnight
13%
Less than a month
26%
1-3 months
34%
3-6 months
6%
6 months+
4%
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
The Property Academy Tenant Survey 2016 • www.propertyacademy.co.uk
40
Excluding price, what is the most important to you when searching for a rental property?
Number of images
62%
Floor plan
23%
Main image
5%
Summary text
8%
Audio tours/Property video
2%
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
The Property Academy Tenant Survey 2016 • www.propertyacademy.co.uk
When you were searching for your rental property, did you expect the details to include:
Professional photographs
87%
13%
Floor plan
87%
13%
Audio/Video tour
12%
88%
EPC
73%
Directions
27%
67%
Local area information
33%
71%
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
29%
80
90
100
Yes No
The Property Academy Tenant Survey 2016 • www.propertyacademy.co.uk
How did you first come across the property you are renting?
Newspaper
1%
Portal - e.g. Rightmove, Zoopla
69%
To Let Board
2%
Agents Own Website
9%
Agents Window
2%
Email from the Agent
2%
Phoene Call from the Agent
6%
Visit to the Agent’s Office
6%
Social media platform
3%
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
The Property Academy Tenant Survey 2016 • www.propertyacademy.co.uk
Did you use your mobile phone to search for a rental property online?
29%
71% Yes No The Property Academy Tenant Survey 2016 • www.propertyacademy.co.uk
Did you find the mobile sites were easy to navigate?
95% 5%
Portal Websites
68%
Agents’ Own Websites
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
32%
70
80
90
100
Yes No
The Property Academy Tenant Survey 2016 • www.propertyacademy.co.uk
Did you search for a property to rent in:
The Local Paper 15%
85%
A National Paper 2%
0
98%
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Yes No
The Property Academy Tenant Survey 2016 • www.propertyacademy.co.uk
Did you search for properties to rent on agents' own websites?
41% 59%
Yes No The Property Academy Tenant Survey 2016 • www.propertyacademy.co.uk
When searching for your rental property did you find that the properties advertised were up to date?
37% 63%
Yes No The Property Academy Tenant Survey 2016 • www.propertyacademy.co.uk
If No, did this have a negative impact on the agents brand?
33% 67%
Yes No The Property Academy Tenant Survey 2016 • www.propertyacademy.co.uk
Would you rent through an online letting agent with no local office?
55%
45%
Yes No The Property Academy Tenant Survey 2016 • www.propertyacademy.co.uk
What would be the primary reason for using an online agent without a local office?
Cheaper/no fees
59%
Easier to deal with
16%
Recommended
9%
More innovative
5%
Other
11%
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
The Property Academy Tenant Survey 2016 • www.propertyacademy.co.uk
What would be the primary reason for using an agent with a local office over an online agent?
I value the agent's local presence
18%
Ability to meet face to face
65%
Their local knowledge is important
6%
It's more convenient for me
7%
Other
4%
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
The Property Academy Tenant Survey 2016 • www.propertyacademy.co.uk
If the same property was available with two different letting agents, would you prefer to rent through:
A recommended and trusted agent for a higher administration/set up fee
49%
51%
A lesser known agent for a cheaper fee
48
49
50
51
The Property Academy Tenant Survey 2016 • www.propertyacademy.co.uk
If there were two identical properties available to let, but one had a higher quality of furnishings, would you pay a premium?
Yes 5-10%
45%
Yes 10%+
5%
NoÂ
50%
0
10
20
30
40
50
The Property Academy Tenant Survey 2016 • www.propertyacademy.co.uk
If an agent had taken a new rental property on to the market that suited your requirements, what is the best way to notify you?
Phone call
21%
67%
Text
11%
Social media e.g. a tweet or Facebook message
1%
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
The Property Academy Tenant Survey 2016 • www.propertyacademy.co.uk
70
Would you connect with agents via social media (such as Facebook) to receive the following (please tick as many as apply)
Local community information
10%
Local property market updates
15%
National property market updates
4%
Tenant guidance and information
13%
Properties to rent
26%
I would not connect with my Letting Agent via social media
70%
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
The Property Academy Tenant Survey 2016 • www.propertyacademy.co.uk
Please measure the service received from agents during your search as follows:
Always
Mostly
Sometimes
Never
When searching, did you feel that the agents you dealt with fully understood your requirements and situation?
24%
44%
26%
6%
Do you feel that the properties you viewed suited your requirements?
20%
43%
35%
2%
Did the agent/s make you feel important?
21%
29%
32%
18%
Did you feel the staff were professional and interested in your custom?
30%
33%
28%
9%
The Property Academy Tenant Survey 2016 • www.propertyacademy.co.uk
How would you rate the service you received from your letting agent at the move in stage?
Excellent
Good
Satisfactory
Not Great
Poor
Speed & Efficiency
30%
33%
19%
9%
9%
Helpfulness
31%
31%
20%
9%
9%
Availability
29%
34%
21%
8%
8%
Personal Service
30%
30%
20%
10%
10%
Knowledge
27%
32%
22%
10%
9%
Communication
29%
31%
20%
10%
10%
Honesty
30%
30%
20%
9%
11%
Problem Solving
25%
29%
22%
12%
12%
Politeness & Manners
39%
32%
18%
5%
6%
The Property Academy Tenant Survey 2016 • www.propertyacademy.co.uk
On a scale of 0-10 how likely are you to recommend your letting agent to a friend or colleague? (0 not likely, 10 very likely)
0
14%
1
3%
2
3%
3
3%
4
4%
5
9%
6
6%
7
10%
8
16%
9
9%
10
23%
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
The Property Academy Tenant Survey 2016 • www.propertyacademy.co.uk
If in the future you need to sell or let a property you own, would you instruct your current letting agent to act on your behalf?
42% 58%
Yes No The Property Academy Tenant Survey 2016 • www.propertyacademy.co.uk
LANDLORDS & TENANTS SURVEY
2016