The Intermediary – April 2025 - Flipbook - Page 32
BUY-TO-LET
Opinion
Three facts that
support positive
tenant relationships EMILY HOLLANDS
is group head of
distribution at OSB
T
he private rented sector
(PRS) loves a buzzword.
You’ll surely have come
across them in one
place or another. Broker
support badged as
‘education sessions’ or ‘masterclasses’ is
something I roll my eyes at each time I
see it – I can’t be alone!
Far beer value, I think, is
something people can take inspiration
from quickly.
For me, I look out for the facts and
figures that back up a story and make
it credible, or that leave you thinking
about how you can add value to
your clients.
I got to thinking about this aer
reading the output from OSB Group’s
latest ‘Landlord Leaders’ research.
It’s in its third year, and polls
an even split of 1,000 professional
and non-professional landlords,
demonstrating trends in the landlordtenant relationship and providing
insights that could benefit anyone
with an interest in the PRS.
I’ve summarised some landlordtenant relationship facts below:
They’re both interesting takeaways
alone, and if you couple those two
things together, you get a narrative
that isn’t played out through
national press – an encouraging
trend suggesting that the UK rental
market is thriving on healthy, stable
relationships.
84% of landlords describe their
53% of landlords are now
relationships with tenants
communicating directly with
as positive
their tenants at least once a
That’s four in five landlords operating
in the private rented sector who
are happy with their relationships
with tenants and describe them as
something they’re proud of.
It’s backed up through tenant
research conducted by the Landlord
Leaders Community, in which 69% of
tenants said they are happy with the
speed of response from their landlord.
This is an encouraging reminder for
landlords that tenants value a direct
and responsive relationship.
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The Intermediary | April 2025
80% of landlords are spending
or plan to spend more time
thinking about their tenants
Four in five landlords said they’re now
spending more time planning and
thinking about how they can improve
their tenants’ experiences.
The research found that the average
tenancy length is just under 2.5 years,
and with 40% of landlords suggesting
they’d prefer tenancy lengths to be
longer, this shows that planning
strategies for improving tenancies is
top of mind.
This is strengthened through
learning that 44% of landlords want
to do this with a view to build a beer
relationship with their tenant.
to maximise the length of their
relationship with tenants.
Combine that with the number
of landlords managing the tenant
relationship themselves (52%),
and it’s a signal that relationships
will strengthen through a handson approach.
As with any good relationship,
trust and stability are key, and it’s
satisfying to see so many landlords
eager to extend tenancies, which helps
build a positive, secure and valued
rental market.
If you’re interested in reading more
insights, visit the Landlord Leaders
Community, which is a membership
group of individuals focused on
creating a fairer and more sustainable
private rented sector. ●
month
More than one in two landlords are
now speaking with tenants directly
and regularly, choosing to cut out
the middleman and deliver service
directly to their tenants.
That’s fuelled by the 41% of
landlords who told OSB Group that
they value tenants who are willing to
commit to longer tenancies.
This regular communication could
be a tactic landlords are employing
The real relationship narrative is often a positive one
