Even though tenants know that they need to be relatively flexible when it comes to looking for a new rental property, there are still many things that they are simply not willing to compromise on.
When looking for a new home, it’s always wise for prospective tenants to go into their search with an open mind. What tenants may consider to be an ideal property may not be the case in real life, and then there’s always a question of budget and what the local rental market is like. However, in a recent survey by Zoopla, there are a few things that tenants are refusing to budge on when it comes to their rental accommodation.
The survey asked 1,700 people what they are, and are not, willing to compromise on when it comes to rental accommodation. Zoopla then ranked each factor from one to ten.
According to the survey, prospective tenants have a strong emphasis on location. Although they are quite flexible when it came to the area they live in, being close to amenities (such as shops and bars) is incredibly important to tenants. In fact, proximity to local amenities is ranked first place in the top 10, with 61% saying that aren’t willing to compromise on it. Respondents also said that they needed to be near their friends, family and in a short distance to their work, with all three appearing in the top 10.
The area of the property isn’t very important to a lot of respondents and fails to even make it to the top ten. Only 39% said that they know exactly where they wanted to move to next.
Space was also a major factor for many tenants. The number of bedrooms and the size of the property ranked high in the top 10, with both placing second and third respectively. Many respondents also said that they want some form of outside space, such as a balcony or garden.
Surprisingly, cosmetic factors ranked quite low in the top 10. The décor and furnishing of the property came in at seventh place, and the overall cleanliness and maintenance of the property came in at ninth place. The cost of rent also didn’t rank as highly as one might expect, coming in at sixth place.
The findings from Zoopla should be welcome news to landlords. Tenants saying that they are very flexible on the area of the property and fairly flexible on price should be especially good news, as these are usually the most difficult selling points for many landlords.
In response to these findings, Annabelle Dixon, spokesperson for Zoopla, said: “Our research paints an interesting picture of renters’ priorities when looking for a new home. It may come as a surprise to discover that renters are more likely to prioritise access to local amenities over the number of bedrooms and rental price.”
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