Private renters say they are more satisfied with their housing than last year

There has been an increase in the proportion of private renters satisfied with their housing according to new data published by the government.

The figures, which form part of the English Housing Survey, show that in 2018-19, 84% of private tenants were satisfied with their accommodation, up one percentage point from the year before. This compares with 81% in the social rented sector.

The data further reveals that 73% of private renters were satisfied with the way their landlords carried out repairs and maintenance. This compared with 67% of social renters.

‘Slow getting things done’

The biggest reason for dissatisfaction with the way repairs were carried out was that the landlord was ‘slow to get things done’, at 32% of respondents, while 29% felt the landlord ‘did not bother’ with repairs and maintenance.

Ben Beadle, chief executive of the National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA), said: “It is good news that private renters are increasingly satisfied with their housing and is a testament to landlords and the improvements in standards that we have seen in the sector.

“Whilst challenges clearly remain, this dispels the myth perpetrated by some, that tenants are generally unhappy with their housing.”

Author: Richard Reed, The Negotiator