Most tenants should know that if any significant damage is caused to a property they are renting, it’s their responsibility to tell the landlord or letting agent. However, new research from YouGov suggests that this is not something every tenant is prepared to do, as a quarter of people said they would not admit to causing any damage.
The poll – which was conducted by YouGov on behalf of online property marketplace TheHouseShop – was sent out to 2,000 people, 27 per cent of which said they would not tell their landlord or letting agent about any damage caused to the property. However, more than half (58 per cent) of respondents said they would report it as they are supposed to.
Having caused damage and chosen not to report it, roughly one in nine of the respondents said they would attempt to repair what had been broken. Around the same number of people said they would take a similar route, however would opt to hire a professional to fix any damage caused.
Worryingly, there was a small number of respondents who would simply hide the damage in the hope that the landlord or letting agent wouldn’t discover it.
Interestingly, it seems that private tenants are even more likely to avoid reporting damage, with 33 per cent saying they wouldn’t tell their landlord or letting agent. Tenants renting from local authorities were more likely to tell the truth than their private counterparts.
Of these private tenants, 15 per cent said they would attempt to repair any damage themselves, while 17 per cent would hire somebody in to do it.
So what of the responsible tenants who said they would report damage ‘ According to the survey, most of them would offer to pay towards the repairs. Around 24 per cent said they would put up the entire cost of fixing the damage, while seven per cent said they would at least offer a contribution.
The remaining 27 per cent would be willing to pay, however said they would wait until their landlord or letting agent asked rather than offering money straight away.
If you would like to speak to one of our expert lettings team then please call Belvoir Liverpool Central on 0151 23 1613 or email liverpoolcentral@belvoir.co.uk
