Could the location of your rental property affect whether or not your tenants are likely to damage it? Recent research claims it could!

According to analysis carried out by The Deposit Protection Service (DPS), tenants living in the South East of England are more likely to damage property. Over 40% of DPS disputes between landlords and tenants were found to have occurred in the South East region. Over half of the disputes (52%) were due to the tenants damaging the property and over a third were because the property wasn’t being cleaned. The rest of the disputes revolved around the garden being in poor repair and left to grow wild.

The second highest level of disputes (15%) was noted in the North East, followed by the South West (12%), North West (11%) and West Midlands (11%). When the data was broken down into cities, the worst offender was London, followed by Bristol, Manchester, Newcastle upon Tyne and York.

“The introduction of a dispute resolution service has been one of the real successes of the Government’s tenancy deposit regulation, ensuring that these differences are sorted out fairly,” commented Kevin Firth, director of the DPS. Despite the findings, he offers reassurance that the number of disputes that do occur between landlords and tenants is relatively small in the general scheme of things.

If you’re a landlord, then you can help try and reduce the likelihood of long-term damage occurring by scheduling regular check-ups, where you call in and check the property. Even if they don’t keep it pristine the entire time, at least it will (hopefully!) be tidied up each time you pop in.