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News

The Barfoot & Thompson tenant survey

The results of our tenant survey are in. Find out what's most important and valuable to renters when looking at properties. 

The Barfoot & Thompson tenant survey, which was conducted in August, sought to open up the lines of communication and understand the good and the 'could do better' of our property management service, as well as build on our in-house, enhanced property management training programme. 

A random sample of one thousand people from our database of 15,000 tenants were contacted, with a response rate of 31%.

 

What's important to tenants?

Tenants were asked what factors were important to them in choosing a rental property.

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What keeps tenants staying longer

"Unsurprisingly, renters and buyers are looking for the same things - the right amount of space, in a good location for work and schools, and something within their budget. Further down the list, but still important - renters also named insulation and good heating," says Kiri Barfoot.
"Tenancy duration and security is really important for both tenants and landlords, which is why we like to understand what keeps tenants happy in a property."
When asked who renters would prefer to manage their tenancy:

 

  • 48% of respondents said they would prefer a professional agency
  • 25% said an owner
  • 27% said they had no preference for one or the other

 

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Aspirations of home ownership still strong

A strong majority maintained their ambition to own a home of their own - with 59% saying they intended to buy in the next two to five years. 

"We were taken by surprise by the positive response around buying a home in the next few years. It's very encouraging, particularly given much of the recent commentary around it has been negative," says Kiri Barfoot.