Survey reveals landlord/tenant trust issues

A new survey reveals that renters, unsurprisingly, don’t always admit everything to their landlords. Yet landlords themselves tend to put a lot of trust in their tenants with regard to the upkeep of their properties.

The findings came from a survey of 563 renters and 532 landlords carried out by Porch.com, which offers home remodeling services.

It found that almost a quarter of renters tend to lie about owning a pet when they apply to rent a property for the first time. Numerous renters also admitted not telling their landlord about damage to certain items in the property when they moved out, and not telling them that someone else not on the lease was also living in the home.

Despite this, over half of the landlords surveyed said they trust their tenants to keep the property in good condition. However, some 38% of tenants said they’d treat the property better if they owned it themselves, rather than renting it.

The survey also found that housing disrepair claims and security deposits are a touchy issue. Around a quarter of renters told Porch.com that they believe a landlord unfairly held back part of the security deposit that they deserved to receive. And 36% of landlords themselves said they’ve had to hold back some of their renter’s deposit in order to pay for damages to their properties.

“While taking a security deposit is not required by law in the United States, it is a very effective way for landlords to protect themselves if the terms of the lease are violated in any way, for example, if the unit incurs damage that needs to be paid by the tenants,” researchers note in the study. “Of course, landlords can’t just pocket a security deposit because they feel like it: There has to be a legitimate reason like utilities or rent left unpaid.”