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10.03.10

Landlord: a roof over your head and a shoulder to cry on
New poll reveals what tenants really want in a landlord…and it’s Philip Schofield

Landlords are assuming the role of surrogate mothers as new research shows tenants are making their renting decision based on the ability to offer a friendly shoulder to cry on, rather than price.

Surprisingly, it’s women who are more interested in traditional landlord skills such as DIY (47 per cent versus 35 per cent for men), but it’s men who are looking for a good listener (30 per cent versus 20 per cent for women). In fact, 27 individual tenants surveyed went as far as to say they were specifically looking for a landlord with a mothering nature.

When it comes to dream celebrity landlords, Philip Schofield came out on top, while the likes of Cherie Blair and (perhaps unsurprisingly!) John Terry were among the least favourite.

This Morning presenter’s caring nature seems to have won tenants over, as 20 per cent chose Philip Schofield for his compassionate nature, 19 per cent said he would be a friendly and sociable landlord, while 15 per cent considered him a reliable person to turn to in a crisis.   

The top female celebrity landlord was property guru Kirsty Allsop, who came second in the survey of over 1,000 tenants carried out by the National Landlords Association (NLA) as it launches the NLA Property Women Awards 2010, which for the third year is recognising successful women in the private-rented sector.

Kirsty’s sense of urgency in getting things done was a big appeal to over a quarter of respondents; while 16 per cent thought her maternal instincts would make her a good choice to be a great landlord.

It seems the female touch doesn’t just mean a sensitive nature, as Kirsty’s DIY skills were seen as more dependable than Philip’s – by both men and women.

Alan Titchmarsh was in third place, followed by Fern Britton. Bob the Builder came in fifth place overall, because of his DIY and business skills, beating Sir Terry Wogan and Sir Alan Sugar.

David Salusbury, NLA Chairman said:
“The role of the landlord is evolving and it can no longer be just about business if you want to succeed. There now has to be a level of emotional investment on the part of both landlord and tenant.

“Tenants expect a high standard in properties they rent, but it seems they also expect to invest in a landlord who will understand their life pressures, offer emotional and practical support and, in some cases, become a friend or ‘stand-in’ mother.

“This helps to explain why women are leading figures in the private-rented sector and we very much look forward to celebrating with the cream of the crop later in the year.”

When it comes to reasons to extend their tenancy agreements, researchers found tenants prioritised landlords with a friendly nature (37 per cent) over those with good DIY skills (35 per cent).

Responding to queries quickly (83 per cent), not turning up unannounced (60 per cent) and giving tenants space to enjoy the rental property (48 per cent) were also key factors in keeping tenants happy and potentially renting their properties for longer.

Top 10 dream celebrity landlords

1. Philip Schofield
2. Kirsty Allsop
3. Alan Titchmarsh
4. Fern Britton
5. Bob The Builder
6. Terry Wogan
7. Alan Sugar
8. Cheryl Cole
9. Dr Hilary Jones
10. Gloria Hunniford

The NLA Property Women Awards 2010 launches across the UK on Wednesday 10 March. Winners from each region will be selected, as well as the NLA Green Property Woman Award rewarding eco-conscious behaviour; and the NLA Young Property Woman Award for women under 30 who have already made their mark on the property market. Two new awards are also being launched this year, the NLA Letting Agent Property Woman Award recognises the excellent work of female letting agents, while the NLA Local Authority Property Woman Award is for a female council officer who can demonstrate a creative engagement with their local rental sector. The overall national winner, the NLA Property Woman of the Year 2010 will also be announced at the Awards ceremony, which will be presented by property consultant Melissa Porter, on Thursday 24 June in London.

Nomination forms can be found online at: www.propertywomenawards.org.uk.

Entries close at 12 noon on Monday 12 April.

Case studies, interviews  and comment from Melissa Porter, David Salusbury, 2008 and 2009 past winners are available on request.

For further information, please contact Meghan Bush or Jonathan Lenz at Brave PR on 0203 1700 950  meghan.b@bravepr.com / jonathan.l@bravepr.com