Wasting money tops the list for frustations of renting, according to new research.
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The new survey commissioned by Zenith Home has revealed that 79% of tenants are frustrated by renting. Of the 500 tenants who answered the survey, 33% felt that renting was a ‘waste of money’. Other frustrations included not being able to make long term improvements and changes to the property, and not being able to decorate the property.
Top Renting Frustrations
Renting is a waste of money
Unable to make long term improvements (such as replacing the windows, doors, boiler etc)
Not owning the property
Having to pay utility bills that I can’t influence
Unable to decorate the property
The survey also found that 97% of tenants would like their landlords to allow them to make changes to the property. Of those who had tried to make changes, 73% said that it was difficult to change utility providers in their rented property, and 47% agreed that their landlord made the process difficult for them.
Nearly half of the tenants surveyed said that a decrease in their utility bills would make them feel less frustrated about not being able to afford to get on the property ladder.
The survey did also find some of the joys tenants experienced from renting, including:
- The ability to live somewhere I couldn’t necessarily afford to buy
- There are no hidden costs such as stamp duty, repairs and maintenance etc
- The freedom and flexibility
- The ability to live somewhere new every year and with different friends
Operations Development Manager, Andrew Stone from Zenith Home comments:
“It seems that with more and more people renting (around 1/3 of people in the UK rent*) landlords need to offer tenants the option to make changes to the property that will not only benefit the tenants but also their property in the coming years. Unable to afford to buy their own property, renters are extremely savvy when it comes to energy efficiency and the things that contribute to their energy bills. It is therefore in the interest of landlords to offer potential and existing tenants the opportunity to reduce these costs, and make the necessary ‘greenovations’ to their property.”
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