A survey conducted by Plentific has discovered from collecting data from a variety of sources that 73 per cent of people occupying rented properties are the ones who conduct do-it-yourself repairs on the properties that they rent. It is clear from this that a huge amount of renters, rather than report the property problems directly to the landlord or to the letting agency, resort to using their own means and capabilities to try and fix the problems within their household, even when it is the landlord’s responsibility to do so. Such things as installing new forms of furniture or appliances are often done by tenants who might feel that the property needs a touch of personal style or panache, but very often end up paying the bill for this themselves rather than reporting these improvements directly to the landlord, many of whom otherwise simply refuse to pay for whatever reasons that they can come up with. What is clear from this is that there needs to be more contractual legislation to protect the rights of tenants in rented properties in this country.
In addition to this, it was found that of every 5 people interviewed or surveyed by Plentific, one of them had paid more than half a thousand pounds on repairs during their time in a rented property. Plentific also found from the results that it seems to be the case that older generation (in the rage of 55 years and over) renters paid more for repairs than younger generation renters. Readers of this can make of this what they will, but it is clear that more people need to be made aware that they ought not to be paying for these residential enhancements themselves.
Additionally, tenants in areas around the Northern regions of England were found to spend the most on rented properties, with 85 per cent of those staying in Sheffield paying for repairs and 33 per cent of renters in Glasgow and Liverpool admitting to pay more than half a thousand pounds towards improving their rented homes.
