What are the top ten tenant complaints?

Broken windows? Mould and condensation? Noisy Neighbours? A new survey has revealed the top ten tenant complaints.

Related topics:  Landlords
Warren Lewis
25th November 2014
question

The survey, conducted by PropertyLetByUs, reveals the top ten tenant complaints are as follows:

1.  Faulty boilers (29%)
2.  Leaking roofs (22%)
3.  Mould and condensation (14%)
4.  Faulty showers (14%)
5.  Faulty window locks (10%)
6.  Broken windows (8%)
7.  Faulty smoke alarms (6%)
8.  Pests and vermin (6%)
9.  Noisy neighbours (4%)
10. Problems with fire escapes (2%)

The research also shows that some tenants are waiting a long time to get problems fixed.  Nearly 20% of tenants are having to wait up to two months, while 12% of tenants have experienced landlords that never fix the problem.  Just a third of tenants report that their landlord fixes problems quickly - within a couple of days.

Jane Morris, Managing Director of Propertyletbyus.com comments: “Landlords have a duty of care for their tenants and leaving problems, such as faulty boilers can be very dangerous and put lives at risk.  Some tenants are having to wait long periods of time to get problems fixed, which is unacceptable.  It is worrying that only a third of landlords deal with tenant problems quickly. Only recently, two Kent landlords were fined £20,000 for leaving a flat so severely riddled with damp it posed a risk to tenants’ health.  The landlords had left tenants living in damp conditions and without heating for more than two years.  Both properties were also lacking vital fire safety alarms.

Whilst this may be an extreme case – the message is clear.  Landlords and agents should  deal with maintenance issues as quickly as possible.  If they delay, issues can deteriorate, resulting in a higher cost to the landlord or tenant.   It is also important that landlords or their agent make regular maintenance checks – ideally every three months - so they can identify potential and existing issues and sort them quickly.”

PropertyLetByUs has put together some guidelines on response times for tenant complaints:

Landlords and agents have a duty of care to advise tenants on the correct course of action while contractors are organised, such as turning off gas taps, water stop cocks or main electricity supplies, to ensure that any problem does not cause danger to life and property.

Any gas or major electrical fault is classed as urgent and should be attended to within 24 hours or less. This also applies when heating or hot water is affected, especially during cold weather.

Water leaks – within 24 hours

Cookers – within 48 hours

Other broken appliances - washing machines, dish washers etc should be attended to within 72 hours

Communication is key and the landlord or agent should keep the tenant informed of the action

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