Tenancy agreements are either not read or are difficult to understand. Or at least that’s the way it looks from a report we spotted earlier this week in Landlord Today.
When renters have questions about their rights and responsibilities, they are turning to Google for the answers, says the article. No surprise there we hear you say. After all the internet is everyone’s first port of call if they need to know something.
But most of the questions being searched aren’t complicated – in fact, they are pretty basic. Clearly, tenants aren’t reading their rental agreement – or would rather not have the hassle of speaking to their letting agent or landlord to get an answer.
Research from Boiler Plan reveals the most common questions private renters asked Google in April. They were:
- Can landlords increase my rent – 3,200 Google searches
- Can my landlord evict me – 1,880 Google searches
- What are my responsibilities as a tenant – 1,600 Google searches
- Can letting agents charge fees – 760 Google searches
- Can my landlord keep my deposit – 550 Google searches
- What are tenancy fees – 250 Google searches
- Can you paint a rented house – 220 Google searches
- Does the landlord have to fix my boiler – 130 Google searches
- What repairs is the landlord responsible for– 110 Google searches
Our view is that tenants should always be asked to read their tenancy agreement and come back to the agent or landlord with the kinds of questions we’ve just listed. Some of these, such as issues around boilers, repairs and redecorating may not crop up until later in the tenancy but basic questions about rent, eviction and deposit monies should be ironed out right from the start. That way everyone knows where they stand.
Of course renters won’t read their agreement if it runs to 50 pages, so landlords should keep their paperwork short and to the point.
By using our new cloud-based letting platform PlanetRent, landlords can keep tenancy agreements simple. PlanetRent generates tenancy agreements in a matter of minutes, making them fast, accessible and easy to use.
PlanetRent is lettings automated. It puts you, the landlord, in the driving seat and helps you provide your tenant with everything they need to make their lettings journey simple and painless. We have a killer pricing model too. So why not check out PlanetRent today.
Why not READ our Property Blog too at www.ringleypropertyblog.co.uk