Insurance News Archive

Landlords urged to perform background checks

Landlords are being urged to check the backgrounds of prospective tenants, as the latest research shows that a third have never carried out assessments.

A survey by Paragon Mortgages reveals that 22 per cent only carry out checks on new tenants occasionally even though a quarter of proprietors have seen an occupant leave without paying rent.

John Heron, managing director of the provider, says renter assessments should be part of a buy-to-let owner's everyday business, especially since more renters are likely to run into difficulties in the current climate as unemployment is on the rise.

"Tenants leaving a property without paying rent is a more common occurrence than people think and a large number of landlords will experience this problem at some point," he adds.

Meanwhile, the National Landlords Association reported recently that three-quarters of calls to its advice line over the last year came from proprietors requesting advice on rental arrears.

24 Feb 2009