Tenants are Poorly-Informed on Their Rights, NLA Blames Government

A recent report commissioned by The National Landlords’ Association (NLA) has found that more than three quarters – 79% – of tenants need more information about their rights and responsibilities.

The NLA believes the government isn’t doing enough to make tenants aware of their rights despite their latest push of their How to Rent Guide. Currently, landlords are compelled to hand copies of the guide to their new tenants, but whether through landlords and letting agents not doing so, or tenants simply not reading the guide, the program has been ineffective. 

The study found that 67% of surveyed tenants weren’t even aware of the Government’s How To Rent Guide. 

Richard Lambert, CEO of the NLA, commented: “It is alarming that so few tenants seem to know about the government’s flagship guide on their rights and responsibilities. It’s clear that compelling landlords to give tenants copies of the How to Rent Guide has made little impact.” 

Whilst the study did bring to light that 68% of tenants had never had any cause to complain to their landlord: a definite positive, Lambert is concerned: “Unless the government tackles this problem quickly, there is a danger that there will be a breakdown of trust between landlords and tenants at a time when this relationship is already coming under strain because of overregulation in the PRS.”

The Guide is designed to inform tenants of their rights and responsibilities. According to gov.uk: “It provides a checklist and more detailed information on each stage of the process, including what to look out for before renting; living in a rented home; what happens at the end of a tenancy and what to do if things go wrong.” 

The guide can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/how-to-rent