Landlords. Would rent your own property?

 It is a question I think every landlord should ask themselves now and again.

Would you rent your own property?

I do not mean looking at it as an investment, checking the rent is coming in and feeling satisfied that the figures stack up. I mean looking at it as though you were the tenant collecting the keys tomorrow.

Would you be pleased to call it home?

Landlords and tenants often notice very different things. A landlord may be thinking about the boiler certificate, the mortgage payment and whether the rent is at the right level. A tenant is wondering whether the house feels warm, whether the shower works properly and whether they can imagine settling there.  It is often the smaller details that shape that feeling.

A hallway that needs repainting. Flooring that has seen better days. A kitchen cupboard hanging slightly crooked. A garden that has become difficult to manage. None of these things sounds dramatic, but together they can make a home feel neglected.

Across Lancaster and Morecambe, we speak to tenants every day. Most are not looking for perfection. They understand that a rented home may not have a brand-new kitchen or the latest bathroom. What they do want is somewhere clean, comfortable and cared for.

They also want to feel that, when something goes wrong, somebody will deal with it. That matters more than many landlords realise.

A tenant who feels listened to is more likely to stay. A tenant who waits weeks for a repair, or feels that the property is slowly deteriorating around them, may start looking elsewhere even if the rent is reasonable.

Replacing a good tenant is not always as straightforward as it first appears. There may be cleaning, maintenance, referencing, marketing and a gap between tenancies. Even in areas where rental demand is strong, those costs soon add up.  Often, a little attention at the right time is far cheaper than dealing with a change of tenant later.

The next time you visit your rental property, try not to look at it as the owner. Look at it as the person living there.  Would you feel comfortable? Would you be proud to invite friends round? Would you sign up for another year?

A rental property should provide a return, of course. But it is also somebody’s home, and the best landlords never lose sight of that.

In my experience, the landlords who look after their properties and communicate well tend to keep good tenants for longer. That usually means fewer problems, fewer empty periods and a much steadier investment.

So, would you rent your own property?

It is worth answering honestly.