A survey conducted by online rental agency Upad shows that a majority of landlords in the United Kingdom (UK) consider the gender of prospective tenants when making lettings decisions. According to the survey, some landlords favor men because they are typecast as the type of tenants who can handle general maintenance issues and know how home systems and appliances work, which means fewer calls to the landlord and less risk of damage to items that require expensive repair. On the other hand, other preferred women because they are believed to be tidier, which means less maintenance issues arise in the first place. For more on this continue reading the following article from Property Wire.
Over half of private property landlords in the UK care about whether their tenants are male or female, according to new research.
The sex of a tenant was a genuine concern for 57.4% of respondents in a survey conducted by online lettings agency Upad.
The majority of landlords have a gender preference with the typical typecasts of men being good at general maintenance and women being clean and tidy very much to the fore.
Claim up to $26,000 per W2 Employee
- Billions of dollars in funding available
- Funds are available to U.S. Businesses NOW
- This is not a loan. These tax credits do not need to be repaid
The survey also found that landlords were also more in favour of couples as both parties fulfil certain jobs in the house.
‘Like it or not, gender can sometimes be a deciding factor in whether a person makes the cut even in the rental arena. In our survey, we really wanted to see if the sex of a prospective tenant actually matters to landlords and from our research it appears that it does,’ said James Davis, chief executive office of Upad.
‘Men make better tenants. They can (usually) change light bulbs, they know how the central heating works, and they’re more likely to carry out minor repairs than women. Men are more easy going, they take care of the small things, generally they just want a roof over their heads,’ one landlord told the survey.
‘On average, females are tidier which means less maintenance. Females also seem to like their outside space being picturesque and generally do more in the garden such as cutting the lawn and keeping it tidy. Females are also more in control of finances then males, I find I get on time payments from female tenants and they are also more likely to stay put,’ said another.
‘Both genders have their pros and cons but ideally I prefer couples as tenants. You often find one is good at keeping things clean and tidy and the other is good at sorting out the little things. Also, couples tend to be the best long term tenants particularly if they have a child. I just tend to avoid sharers in favour of couples,’ explained Davis who is himself a landlord.
This article was republished with permission from Property Wire.
