Private rental tenants 'more satisfied with housing than social tenants'

The myth has been broken - tenants in the private rental sector are more satisfied with their accommodation than those in the social rented sector.

The evidence comes from the 2015/16 English Housing Survey, released this month, which shows that 82 per cent of private sector tenants are satisfied with their current accommodation, ahead of the 81 per cent who said the same about the social sector. 

Rates of dissatisfaction were also higher in the social sector, with 13 per cent of tenants dissatisfied with their accommodation compared to just 10 per cent in the private rented sector.

Some 67 per cent of private sector tenants said they were satisfied with their current tenure status.

With the average length a private sector tenant has been in their property now over four years, the survey bursts the myth peddled by some that tenants should be living in fear of eviction.

According to the statistics, 73 per cent of tenants in the sector left their last property because they wanted to, with just 11 per cent doing so because they were asked to by a landlord or an agent. Just two per cent of tenants moved because of rent increases by their landlord.

“Whilst [the] data clearly shows that many challenges remain for the sector, it is clear that the picture is one of significant improvement” says Alan Ward, chairman of the Residential Landlords’ Association.

“With only a very small minority of tenancies ended by a landlord or because of increased rent, it is time that those who suggest that landlords spend their time looking for ways to evict tenants or make profits at their expense replaced fearmongering with facts.”