Determinants of Satisfaction, Loyalty and Landlord Advocacy amongst Private Rented Sector Tenants in the UK

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to sketch the UK housing backdrop, review the student private rented sector (PRS) and assess the experience of post-graduate university student tenants in the PRS. Design/methodology/approach – A literature review puts the issues of student-PRS responsiveness into context and helps to untangle some UK housing issues. The private sector’s size, growth and performance is assessed by reviewing secondary data. In-depth interviews were then conducted at a regional university campus. Findings – The study confirms accumulating evidence of an unbalanced UK housing market. The study identified four main PRS issues: first, rapid university expansion without accompanying residential construction has sparked rampant PRS growth with, second, quality issues, third, in tight letting market conditions, rented agent service levels fell and fourth, part of the problem is complex PRS management procedures. Research limitations/implications – The research has three noteworthy limitations. First, the macroeconomic analysis integrated secondary research without independent modelling. Second, the views of letting agents, university property managers, planning officers or landlords were not canvassed. Finally, the pilot interviews were geographically restricted. Practical implications – When they expand, universities, local authorities and industry players need to give due consideration to plan for, design and develop quality student accommodation. Over-reliance on the PRS without informed oversight and coordination could undermine student experience and erode long-term UK competitiveness. Social implications – The lack of quality student rented accommodation mirrors a general housing malaise around affordability, polarisation and sustainable “dwelling”. Standards and professionalism in the rented sector is part of the overall quality mix to attract global talent. Originality/value – The preliminary investigation uses mixed-methods to investigate PRS service delivery. It illustrates the interplay between professional property management and wider issues of metropolitan productivity, sustainability and resilience.

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Winning tenants’ loyalty in the private rented sector

Property Management ◽

10.1108/pm-08-2018-0050 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 37 (3) ◽

pp. 390-417 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Danielle Claire Sanderson

Keyword(s):

Sample Size ◽

Strong Predictor ◽

Large Sample Size ◽

Management Service ◽

Cultural Significance ◽

General Applicability ◽

Content Type ◽

The Uk ◽

Willingness To Recommend ◽

Rented Sector

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to help landlords and property managers to understand what they can do to increase tenants’ satisfaction and propensity to renew their lease, and their willingness to recommend their landlord to other people. Design/methodology/approach This paper analyses almost 5,000 interviews with private rented sector (PRS) tenants in the UK, conducted over a four-year period, to investigate determinants of resident satisfaction, loyalty (lease renewal) and willingness to recommend their landlord. Statistical analysis is performed using respondents’ ratings of satisfaction with many aspects of their occupancy as explanatory variables. Comparisons are made between interviewees who renew their lease and those who do not renew. Findings The research finds that “ease of doing business” with their landlord is a strong predictor of residents’ satisfaction, loyalty and advocacy. Other key indicators for lease renewal include relationship management, rent collection and residents’ perception of receiving value for money. Tenants’ willingness to recommend their landlord depends mainly on their relationship with their landlord, how the landlord compares with tenants’ previous landlords and the property management service they receive. Research limitations/implications Limitations to this research include the fact that the residents have a single landlord and live on a single estate, one with particular cultural significance, therefore potentially restricting the general applicability of the findings. Although the sample size is large, the number of residents who have reached the end of their lease is relatively small, because the estate has only been occupied by PRS tenants since 2014. Practical implications Over the past five years, the PRS has become a significant asset class for institutional investors in the UK. This research should help to improve the landlord – tenant relationship in the PRS, and to increase occupancy rates without compromising rents. Originality/value The large sample size in this research, and the use of repeat interviews at various stages of a resident’s occupancy, highlight early signs of discontent that a landlord can act upon to reduce the risk of a tenant moving elsewhere.

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The social rented sector, housing and the welfare state in the UK

Housing Studies ◽

10.1080/02673039708720909 ◽

1997 ◽

Vol 12 (4) ◽

pp. 437-461 ◽

Cited By ~ 43

Author(s):

Alan Murie

Keyword(s):

Welfare State ◽

The Social ◽

The Uk ◽

The Welfare State ◽

Rented Sector

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Neoliberal Nomads: Housing Insecurity and the Revival of Private Renting in the UK

Sociological Research Online ◽

10.5153/sro.3491 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 19 (4) ◽

pp. 1-14 ◽

Cited By ~ 21

Author(s):

John Bone

Keyword(s):

Social Housing ◽

Critical Analysis ◽

Well Being ◽

Housing Tenure ◽

Social Effects ◽

Major Contributor ◽

Housing Crisis ◽

Private Renting ◽

The Uk ◽

Rented Sector

This paper offers a critical analysis, including insights from the fledgling sub-discipline of neurosociology, with the aim of challenging some of the key assumptions informing the state supported revival of the UK private rented sector (PRS) as a mainstream form of housing tenure. As is widely recognised, the PRS's expansion has occurred in tandem with the long running decline of social housing and the more recent reversal in the longstanding trend towards increasing owner occupation. This paper asserts that the policies supporting this overall trend are misconceived on a number of fronts, as the loosely regulated UK private rented sector is not only a major contributor to the country's ongoing housing crisis but carries with it a range of unacknowledged economic and social problems including profound effects on personal well-being, some fairly evident and others less so. With respect to the latter, it is argued that coming to an understanding of the negative implications of private renting in the UK under current arrangements, in addition to the more evident issues associated with poor condition and high cost accommodation, also requires an appreciation of the deeper psycho-social effects of involuntary mobility, insecurity and socio-spatial dislocation.

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Introduction: the repositioning of social housing and welfare provision

The Divisive State of Social Policy ◽

10.1332/policypress/9781447350538.003.0001 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 1-14

Author(s):

Kelly Bogue

Keyword(s):

Social Housing ◽

Tax Policy ◽

Housing Affordability ◽

Final Part ◽

Welfare Provision ◽

The Social ◽

Housing Benefit ◽

The Uk ◽

Post Industrial ◽

Rented Sector

This chapter sets out the background and context to the UK’s implementation of austerity measures following the financial crash of 2007/08. It examines the principles underlying the enactment of the Bedroom Tax policy before outlining the new regulations on room restrictions that have been imposed on those claiming housing benefit in the social rented sector. It discusses the controversy surrounding its implementation as well as the ways in which it has impacted different regions of the UK. This chapter also reflects on changes to housing benefit more widely and suggests that we are seeing the return of the ‘housing question’ in post-industrial Britain as austerity policies undermine housing affordability. The final part of this chapter outlines the structure of the book.

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Housing Benefit Reform and the Private Rented Sector in the UK: On the Deleterious Effects of Short-term, Ideological “Knowledge”

Housing Theory and Society ◽

10.1080/14036096.2015.1027830 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 32 (3) ◽

pp. 320-345 ◽

Cited By ~ 24

Author(s):

Ryan Powell

Keyword(s):

Short Term ◽

Housing Benefit ◽

The Uk ◽

Rented Sector

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No children, no DSS, no students: online adverts and “property guardianship”

Journal of Property Planning and Environmental Law ◽

10.1108/jppel-04-2019-0023 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 11 (3) ◽

pp. 217-229

Author(s):

Jed Meers ◽

Caroline Hunter

Keyword(s):

Social Security ◽

Search Engine ◽

Design Methodology ◽

Content Type ◽

The Uk ◽

Legal Understanding ◽

Source Of Information ◽

Do So ◽

Rented Sector

PurposeThose seeking a new place to live – especially in the private rented sector – now head online to do so. The platforms they use and adverts they see are an important source of information about the properties they will occupy and how their owners’ seek to project them. This paper aims to argue for the importance of property adverts as a source of data, using “property guardianship” to illustrate the value in the approach.Design/methodology/approachThe study draws on an analysis of 503 advertisements published on SpareRoom.co.uk – a leading property search engine – in July 2018.FindingsThe authors put forward four key areas of findings. The first two look at legal understanding, dealing with the context, the advertisement provides for eventual occupation (the “process of construction”) and any indications they provide of legal elements of occupation (“diagnostics”). The final two deal with the broader positioning of the sector, analysing the practice of excluding prospective occupiers, such as the widespread inclusion of “no Department of Social Security” seen elsewhere in the private rented sector, and how the adverts project a certain lifestyle to their viewer.Research limitations/implicationsThe findings demonstrate that further research into property advertisements would be valuable, particularly into other sub-markets in the private-rented sector, such as student accommodation and “professional” lets.Originality/valueThis study is the only analysis of property guardian advertisements and the first dedicated study of private rented sector advertisements in the UK.

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Determinants of satisfaction amongst tenants of UK offices

Journal of Corporate Real Estate ◽

10.1108/jcre-09-2015-0022 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 18 (2) ◽

pp. 102-131 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Danielle Claire Sanderson ◽

Victoria Mary Edwards

Keyword(s):

Structural Equation ◽

Influential Factors ◽

Maximum Effect ◽

Property Management ◽

Value For Money ◽

Content Type ◽

Determinants Of Satisfaction ◽

Business Needs ◽

The Uk ◽

Willingness To Recommend

Purpose Corporate occupiers require offices and services which meet their business needs, while landlords must attract and retain occupiers to maximise occupancy and rental income. The purpose of this paper is to help landlords and property managers understand what aspects of property management matter most to corporate occupiers, so that they can achieve a mutually beneficial relationship. Design/methodology/approach This paper analyses interviews with 1,334 office tenants in the UK, conducted over an 11-year period, to investigate determinants of occupier satisfaction, loyalty and advocacy. Structural equation modelling and regressions are performed using respondents’ ratings of satisfaction with many aspects of occupancy as explanatory variables. The dependent variables include satisfaction with property management, value for money, overall occupier satisfaction, lease renewal intentions and occupiers’ willingness to recommend their landlord. Findings The aspects with most impact on occupiers’ satisfaction are the office building itself, its location and amenities, and also communication with their property manager, a belief that their business needs are understood and the property manager’s responsiveness to occupiers’ requests. Occupiers’ loyalty depends mainly upon feeling that their rent and service charges provide value for money, an amicable leasing process, the professionalism of their property manager and the corporate social responsibility of the landlord. “Empathy” is crucial to occupiers’ willingness to recommend their landlord, and clear documentation and efficient legal process improve occupiers’ perception of receiving “Value for Money”. Research limitations/implications The sample is skewed towards occupiers of prime office buildings in the UK, owned by landlords who care sufficiently about their tenants to commission studies into occupier satisfaction. Practical implications This research should help to improve the landlord – tenant relationship, benefitting the businesses that rent property and helping building managers understand where to focus their efforts to achieve maximum effect on occupier satisfaction, loyalty and advocacy. Originality/value There has been little academic research into the determinants of satisfaction of occupiers of UK commercial property. This large-scale study enables the most influential factors to be identified and prioritised.

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