Renters in the UK deem pet-friendly properties, unfurnished homes and those with access to a garden as most desirable
In the West Midlands, the most popular are in fact pets allowed, unfurnished, and off-street parking
A dryer, a balcony, and a garage rank at the bottom of desirability list for the West Midlands
A home being pet-friendly is the most desirable attribute in a rental property, according to research by buy-to-let focussed marketplace lender, Landbay. The study delves into the psyche of 2,000 private renters in the UK, offering insight to landlords on the wants and needs of their tenants.
The research found that nearly one-in-seven (14%) renters in the UK rated ‘pets being allowed in the property’ as their most important requirement. In the West Midlands, the most desirable trait is also a pet friendly property, at 15%, rating pets as most important attribute. The most pet-friendly region is the North East (27%), and the least is London, with just 3% rating it at the top of the list. Women are more than twice as likely (18%) as men (8%) to prioritise a pet-friendly property.
The second most popular attribute in the West Midlands is unfurnished homes, followed by off-street parking. In the UK as a whole, a home which is unfurnished also comes second, with 12% of renters saying this is the most desirable attribute. Perhaps tellingly, renters aged 55 and above (22%) are five times more likely to consider an unfurnished property as crucially important than those aged between 18 and 34 (4%).
Unlikely in the West Midlands, a garden was third in the UK, with 11% of renters rating outdoor space as their most important attribute. Parents (15%) are more than twice as likely to prioritise a garden compared to non-parents (7%.)
Having a dryer came bottom of the list of most desirable attributes in the UK with just 1% of renters considering it key to their home. A king-sized bed, a balcony, and a dishwasher also polled just 1%. In the West Midlands, the bottom three attributes were a dryer, a balcony, and a garage.
| Top Five Attributes in the UK | Top Five Attributes in the West Midlands | ||
| Pets allowed | 14% | Pets allowed | 15% |
| Unfurnished | 12% | Unfurnished | 12% |
| Garden | 11% | Off-street parking | 11% |
| Off-Street parking | 9% | Storage | 10% |
| Quality of décor | 7% | Square footage | 7% |
Deborah Mudway, Director, Landbay comments: “This will make interesting reading for landlords, who could be forgiven for believing little luxuries like a dishwasher, dryer and even a king-sized bed make all the difference for tenants. In fact, nothing could be further from the truth.
“Landbay is investing in a research series to help landlords understand tenants and opportunities within the private rental sector. This edition shows renters value two key attributes above all others that are fundamentally free to bring in. In short, they want to make their property feel like home by bringing both pets and their own furniture with them. The reality is, aside from a deeper clean at the end of a tenancy, this really isn’t hard for landlords to implement.
“Essentially, landlords knowing what renters want can make for a happier, more prosperous relationship which benefits both parties in the long run.”
