Landlords, make your student tenants happy and increase your reputation.

Student tenants complain about poor landlords

Why you should renovate your student rentals and how you can prevent condensation and mould caused by poor heating!

Whether you directly rent your property, or you rely on a student letting agency, chances are that you might have received complaints about condensation and mould.

 

37% of homes have condensation problems

More than a third of all households (37%) report they have condensation issues while 24% of them reports problems with mould. (thetenantsvoice.co.uk).

Condensation in houses is the result of the conversion of vapour into the water which settles on cold surfaces. If not heated adequately, the walls of your house represent an ideal place for condensation and mould to arise. Either because tenants want to save on the gas bill or they are not aware that ventilation is an important factor to prevent this problem, the house will require maintenance in order to prevent further damages.

As you might have experienced, students represent a demographic group who will both try to save money and who are not aware of how to cope with these issues. After as little as 3 months from the start of their tenancy in late September or early October, they are likely to experience problems related to condensation. However, you won’t receive any notice about the problem until mould grows and expands causing even greater damage and maintenance costs.

SuperStone Radiant heaters reduce condensation

By installing a SuperStone electric radiant heater, you will be able to maintain the heating on 24 hours for as cheap as £0.50p a day, maintaining the property warm and saving on maintenance costs as well as time spent on dealing with the issue.

Using this technology will enable you to prevent complaints, decrease gas bills and maintain a strong positive relationship with your tenants.

Rental income graph

Figure 1: Growth Curve of National Weekly Rent Value. Source: https://www.accommodationforstudents.com/research_reports/RentsRelease.pdf

Despite the introduction of £9,000 p.a. fees the number of students in higher education is increasing. As shown in Figure 1, the growing number of students in higher education is driving the average weekly rent up in the whole U.K. and over the past 8 years, there has been a stable growth. Thus, the higher expected income generated in the coming years might be a good incentive to renovate your property and take control of the heating system of your house.

Social Media and Damaging Complaints

Students no longer put up with bad landlords and are more likely to complain about issues with rental properties being cold, damp and mouldy.  The first place they are likely to vent this criticism is on social media where they will openly criticise their landlords.  This can cause problems renting to the student population in a university town in subsequent years.

Review-based websites such as Movem, Marks out of Tenancy, Rateyourlandord.org.uk or Rental Raters, publicly display complaints from student tenants scoring 1-star ratings which can affect the reputation of the property and landlord.

A quick scan of the properties reviewed in a 2-university city found that over half of the properties listed were of low standard. All complainants cited condensation and mould as a big problem.

These review sites also benefit the landlord if they provide quality warm and mould free accommodation gaining prestigious 5-star ratings and favourable reviews.

A strong rental reputation that provides excellent student experiences on these platforms will enhance your rental opportunities in the future. Giving you an opportunity to increase rental charges and secure the best return on your property investment.

Fitting SuperStone radiant heaters

If you want to protect your rental investment in the nest semester look at the benefits of SuperStone radiant heaters.  www.superstoneradiators.com

These are proving to be the exceptional low maintenance heating systems that reduce condensation and mould infestation.

Tel: 01792 470 242 or Mob: 07875 381722 to arrange a meeting