A third of all landlords in the UK manage their own properties and elect to deal directly with their tenants.
This means approximately 650,000 landlords across the UK get to know their tenants a lot better than the ones who use a letting agent to manage their properties.
The vast majority of landlords who manage direct are professional and keen to please, but there are always a few who are just wrong ‘uns, unaware that their behaviour is at best inappropriate or annoying, and at worst slightly scary, and even illegal.
If you’re a tenant enduring the worst kind of property management from a landlord then you may recognise these stereotypes.
The sleazeball
Lechery, the unattractive sibling of passion, is never a good look. But there are some landlords who view the relationship they foster with their tenants as an opportunity to find love and maybe more. Some are blatant about this, particularly when they’re renting out a spare room. This was laid bare recently by BBC TV reporter Ellie Flynn. Her documentary followed up ads online offering cheap rent in return for ‘favours’ and unveiling a “staggering amount of rent for sex adverts” that “appear unchecked online”.
The frequent visitor
Too many landlords are simply not aware of the law. A landlord cannot just rock-up to their rented property and let themselves in to do repairs or check up on the house or flat. But many do. One tenant who contacted us said she found her landlady in her kitchen unannounced making herself a cup of tea, blythe to fact that the law says tenants should be given 24 hours notice and told who is coming and why.
The best friend
Some landlords take their role so seriously, it can descend into fussiness and ‘bestie’ behaviour. Tenants may be at first appreciate of their new landlord's attentiveness and friendliness, offered by the landlord in the honest belief that it’s the best approach to customer service in the world. But it eventually becomes annoying - no one likes being checked up on and watched 24/7.
The vanished
A few landlords are Harry Houdinis. Happy to be around for the move-in, they then vanish, incapable of answering emails or taking phone calls. This is the lightest of all landlording options - simply don’t manage the property at all. The perplexing part about this is that many tenants, particularly in London, are happy to put with absentee landlords if the property they’re renting is relatively affordable and in a good location - a rare thing in the big smoke. There are rules around this. If you ask for repairs to be completed, for example, the landlord must reply promptly and let you known when the repair will be completed.
The entitled
Does this sounds familiar? It’s their home, and their tenants are but lucky interlopers passing through their properties like ships in the night, not permanent tenants. It’s a common attitude among some landlords, particularly those who are renting out their own home lock-stock and still see it as ‘their nest’ while they go travelling, move abroad to work or maybe live with a new partner.
CreditLadder can help you improve your credit score
If you want to improve your credit position by reporting your rent payments, CreditLadder is the only way to improve your credit score and position across all four of the main Credit Reference Agencies in the UK, namely Experian, Equifax, TransUnion and Crediva. Building up a high credit score has a lot of benefits, including helping you access finance at better rates - this can also help save you money.
CreditLadder also runs a free mortgage application service in partnership with Tembo which will tell you how much you could borrow.
Remember the information provided in this article is for information purposes only and should not be considered as advice.
