Marketing your rental property
Tackling discrimination and bidding wars
While some landlords and agents refuse to accept applications from tenants who have children or are in receipt of benefits, this is already classed as ‘indirect discrimination’, so should be avoided.
However, the Bill will make these specific ‘blanket bans’ illegal, so applications from these types of tenants will have to be considered.
Find out more in our blog, ‘Are ‘no DSS’ tenant blanket bans and discrimination against families being outlawed?’.
Find our more in our blog, 'What's happening with rent rises and bidding wars?
As the supply of rental accommodation has failed to keep up with demand across much of the country in recent years, it has become common for tenants to get into bidding wars. The result is that the successful tenant is often simply the one who can afford to pay the most, and the final agreed rent is sometimes far above the original advertised price.
The Bill aims to protect tenants and place some control on rents by outlawing bidding wars. Landlords and letting agents will be legally required to publish an asking rent for their property and banned from asking for, encouraging, or accepting any bids above this price.
While landlords can currently have a ‘no pets’ clause in the tenancy agreement, the bill will forbid such blanket bans.
The Bill gives tenants the right to request permission to keep a pet, which landlords cannot refuse without a good reason. Decisions will be on a case-by-case basis, with valid reasons for refusal including the landlord’s headlease prohibiting pets or the property being too small for the size or type of pet.
Landlords will be able to require pet damage insurance to cover potential damage to the property and its contents.
Find out more in our blog, Will landlords have to accept pets soon?’.
Whether you’re letting out one or two properties or managing a buy to let portfolio, you’ll need to plan how to market and advertise your rental property to find and keep the best tenants. We’ve identified seven steps to your rental property marketing so that you attract and retain your ideal tenants.
Yes, it’s fair to give tenants more flexibility
No, landlords should have the right to refuse without a reason
I’m not sure
