Conducted by PropertyLetByUs.com, the study also found that over 90% of tenants say they have tried to hide the damage from their landlord with one in ten admitting to causing more than £500 worth of damage to their rented property.
A further 72% of tenants said they ended up in a dispute with their landlord over the property damage.
The research also shows that the most common damage caused by tenants is stains to carpet from food, wine and paint (69%), followed by pet damage to curtains and floorcoverings (51%); cigarette burns to soft furnishings and carpets (47%); damage to kitchen cabinet doors (33%); scratches and dents to doors, door frames and skirting (28%); and burns and marks to kitchen surfaces (19%).
Jane Morris, Managing Director of PropertyLetByUs.com comments: “Landlords face an uphill struggle with tenant damage. Many tenants have little or no care for the property they are renting and because they don’t own it, they feel no sense of responsibility. There is a common view among tenants that it is someone else’s problem. So it is not surprising so many tenants think landlords should may for any repairs to damage they have caused.
It is so important for landlords to make regular checks on the property during the tenancy so that they can see the condition of the property and speak with the tenants about any damage. If many tenants are left unchecked, they can cause costly damage to the property which often exceeds any deposit held.
It is also vital that landlords have a full, independent and professional inventory, with a check-in and check-out, attended by the landlord and the tenant. Finally, all tenants should be thoroughly referenced to ensure that landlords illuminate potential bad tenants.”
