This question is being considered at a very senior level within political circles at the moment after the UK’s housing crisis crept up and bit the government squarely on the behind during the most recent General Election.

One of the key reasons why the Conservatives nearly lost is that many renters felt that they were forgotten by those in power and left to face the worst aspects of the UK private rental sector on their own.

But no longer. The government has waded into the housing market with renewed vigour with new legislation and initiatives including a ban on almost all fees charged to tenants by landlords or letting agents, as well as compulsory three-year tenancies.

We polled 900 of CreditLadder's tenants to find out how they felt about longer tenancies. And 58% - perhaps lower than you might expect - said they would like to see more secure tenancies, while 42% did not.

Three-year agreements

James Brokenshire, the current Secretary of State for housing, had already said earlier this year that he wanted to bring in compulsory three-year minimum tenancies to replace the six-month rolling contracts most people sign these days.

The way these contracts are usually written means a landlord can legitimately ask a tenant to leave their property after six months and, if they refuse to go, eject them via a ‘no-fault’ eviction process.

Some tenants say they want protection from dodgy landlords while many investors argue that they should be able to eject a tenant if they want to sell their property or move back in.

Longer tenancies

But tenancies are getting longer anyway. Last year a poll revealed that the average length of a tenancy had increased from an average of 18 months to 20 months over the past three year. And the government says its data suggests the average length is closer to four years.

Under the proposed new three-year agreements, tenants would be able to leave before the end of the minimum term, but would have greater protection if they wanted to stay in a property for longer.

This chimes with recently-published research from campaigning group Generation Rent.

Automatic right

It found that 59% of tenants it polled agreed that renters who pay their rent and take care of their home should have an automatic right to stay in it. A similar number believed landlords who evict tenants in order to sell or move back in should pay the tenant's moving costs. But only 21% thought landlords should be able to evict a tenant without a reason - as is the case at the moment.

Landlords are keener on a ‘carrot and stick’ approach. A recent survey of them found that three quarters of landlords would offer longer tenures to their tenants if they were offered tax incentives to do so, and also if the eviction process was streamlined to enable faster repossessions in clear-cut cases.

Whether it is tenants or landlords who persuade the government, which way it decides to go remains unclear.

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.