In conjunction with the announcement made by Housing Minister, John Healey, regarding the measures outlined in ‘The Private Rented Sector: Professionalism and Quality’ consultation paper[1], Upad, the UK’s largest lettings agent has conducted a poll[2] of more than 150 private tenants.

John Healey has called for practical help and protection for tenants in privately rented homes. This includes a new housing hotline, a ‘trip adviser’ style feedback website and a National Landlords Register.

Upad’s tenant survey corroborates the proposals made in the consultation paper, and the findings include:

·        57 percent of tenants knew nothing about their current landlord before renting the property they currently reside in.

·        77 percent of respondents said it would be useful to find out what other/previous tenants thought of a landlord (pre-renting).

·        82 percent of tenants suggested that it would be useful to find out about landlords from a centralised website. This corroborates the proposals outlined by Government, in terms of a central National Landlord’s Register.

Tenants were also asked to leave specific feedback in relation to the subject, and comments included the following:

·         “I think that landlords can really take advantage of people without ever being accountable for their actions...”

·         “I think it would have been very beneficial to talk to the previous tenants to find out about him and his actions. I think had I done that, I would have never rented this accommodation and also others in the past.”

Commenting on the survey findings, James Davis, CEO and founder of Upad.co.uk, said: “It seems clear that tenants are now beginning to demand more information about their landlords, and that having clear details about a landlord in advance of a tenancy would make them feel more empowered.

“I am all for encouraging the growth of professionalism in the sector, and getting rid of bad landlords to ensure that tenants are both protected, and feel confident about their property rental experience.”