What tenants want and how to keep them happy: A guide to tenancy retention

To give landlords a picture of what drives positive tenant relationships and long-term tenancies, we analysed Reddit discussions alongside survey responses from tenants and landlords. Reddit insights help show which landlord behaviours generate the most discussion online, while the survey provides a broader view of renter priorities.

Our survey of 728 British tenants similarly found that respecting privacy (68%) was the most highly valued trait. The rest of the survey results also broadly echoed the Reddit analysis. Fair rent (62%), responsiveness to repair requests (58%), clear communication (48%), and providing a safe and habitable environment (48%) followed in the top five.

Respecting tenant privacy 

Respecting tenant privacy emerged as the landlord trait that generated the strongest engagement among tenants in online discussions. With 59% of total upvotes, it suggests most renters want to feel secure in their own homes without unexpected visits or intrusive behaviour. To support this, landlords are generally expected to provide at least 24 hours’ written notice before entering the property, as set out in the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 (external link), and to carry out inspections only when necessary. 

Respecting privacy also extends to communication – keeping contact professional and focused on what really helps tenants feel reassured, while still leaving the door open for positive landlord–tenant relationships. By maintaining clear boundaries and building trust, landlords can create long-term satisfaction and smoother tenancies. 

Responsiveness to repair requests 

Quick and attentive handling of maintenance issues came second, receiving 16% of total upvotes. This highlights that tenants appreciate when repair concerns are taken seriously and addressed within a reasonable timeframe.

Legally, landlords are generally responsible for keeping certain parts of the property in good repair under Section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985. This includes essentials such as electrical wiring, gas pipes and boilers, heating and hot water, etc. These obligations apply even if the tenancy agreement does not mention them. 

Landlords can comply by using reputable contractors who complete work promptly and professionally, and keeping tenants updated on progress. 

Clear communication with tenants 

Good communication was another highly discussed trait, with 13% of upvotes. This suggests being approachable, transparent, and clear when discussing everything from lease terms to property rules and upcoming inspections. Landlords can build strong relationships by proactively sharing updates, promptly responding to messages, and making it easy for tenants to raise questions or concerns. 

Fair rent pricing and transparency 

Though ranking second in our survey of tenants, fair and transparent rent practices ranked lower in the Reddit analysis, accounting for 10% of total upvotes. Both results suggest tenants appreciate landlords who charge reasonable rates and are upfront about costs, avoiding hidden fees or sudden, unexplained rent hikes. By benchmarking rents against local market rates and clearly outlining all charges in the tenancy agreement, landlords can show they’re fair and trustworthy, encouraging tenants to stay longer. 

Providing a safe and habitable environment 

Although this trait had the least engagement online with 2% upvotes, it’s one of the most essential parts of being a good landlord. Tenants appreciate a home that feels safe and well looked after, and most landlords take pride in maintaining that standard. 

Guided by the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) under the Housing Act 2004 and the Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (England) Regulations 2015, landlords are expected to uphold key safety measures — such as keeping smoke and carbon monoxide alarms in working order and ensuring the property remains free from serious hazards. They also have responsibilities under the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 to keep the property in good repair, helping to provide tenants with a secure and comfortable living environment.

This table presents the tenant qualities that landlords most frequently highlighted and agreed on in Reddit discussions, based on upvote engagement. The percentages reflect the proportion of total upvotes each trait received, showing the qualities that resonated most strongly with landlords online. 

Reduced property damage 

With 31% of total upvotes, tenants who take care of the property and cause minimal damage attracted the strongest agreement in landlord discussions online. This signals that landlords appreciate a tenant who treats the home with respect, keeps it clean, and promptly reports maintenance issues before they become costly problems. Landlords can help encourage this by clearly outlining care expectations at the start of the tenancy, providing a straightforward way to report repairs, and keeping the property in good condition. 

Reliability in rent payment 

Paying rent on time and in full received 18% of total upvotes, making it one of the tenant qualities that landlords most frequently agreed on in online discussions. Consistent rent payments help landlords manage their own finances and avoid disputes. To support this, landlords can offer flexible payment methods, send polite reminders before rent is due, and foster an open line of communication in case a tenant ever experiences financial difficulties. 

Communication and respectful interaction 

Also at 18%, tenants who communicate well and interact respectfully had high engagement online. This could include being upfront about issues, responding to messages, and maintaining a courteous tone. Landlords can model this behaviour by being approachable, replying promptly to tenant concerns, and treating tenants with the same respect they expect in return – ultimately setting the tone for the landlord-tenant relationship. 

Steady income 

A stable income reassures landlords that a tenant will be able to meet rent obligations consistently, which received 14% of the upvotes. While landlords typically assess this before signing a lease through income verification, they can continue to support financial stability by avoiding frequent rent increases and maintaining reasonable rates, helping to keep a reliable tenant long-term. 

Respecting property rules 

Finally, 13% of upvotes went to tenants who follow agreed property rules, such as no-smoking clauses, pet agreements, or noise restrictions. Clear, fair rules outlined upfront – ideally in writing – can help avoid misunderstandings. Landlords can maintain this by being consistent in enforcing rules, while also showing flexibility or willingness to discuss adjustments where reasonable.

This table highlights the issues that most commonly prompted discussion among tenants about leaving a property, based on engagement within online conversations. The percentages show the share of upvotes each reason received, indicating which problems attracted the strongest reaction and agreement in online tenant discussions. 

As well as the Reddit analysis, we also surveyed tenants directly about their reasons for leaving rental properties. The most common response was unfair rent increases or hidden charges, cited by 76% of respondents. This was closely followed by landlords neglecting property repairs (65%). Half of tenants (50%) said they had left due to a landlord’s failure to meet legal obligations, while 43% pointed to unclear or dishonest communication. Other key reasons included excessive inspections or a lack of privacy (38%) and unfair handling of deposits (28%). 

Neglecting repairs or property upkeep 

With nearly half (49%) of total upvotes, landlords failing to maintain the property emerged as the most frequently discussed reason tenants raise online when talking about leaving a rental home. When repairs drag on or essential maintenance is ignored, it can disrupt the tenant’s comfort and safety and erode trust. This highlights the importance of landlords addressing concerns by acting quickly and investing in quality repairs rather than temporary fixes. A well-maintained home signals that the landlord values both the property and the tenant, which is key to long-term retention. 

Failure to comply with legal obligations 

The second most frequently cited reason tenants move out, at 20%, was landlords not meeting their legal duties – whether that’s providing required safety certificates, protecting deposits correctly, or following proper eviction processes. Many tenants are well-informed about their rights. Landlords can reduce the risk of disputes by keeping up with local landlord-tenant laws, ensuring all compliance paperwork is up to date, and maintaining transparent records. Staying legally compliant will help build tenant confidence and avoid costly conflicts or penalties. 

Unfair rent increases or hidden charges 

With 14% of upvotes, concerns around unexpected rent increases or extra charges were among the most mentioned reasons tenants consider moving. While rent adjustments are often necessary to reflect market trends or property improvements, tenants value clear communication and transparency about any changes. Being open about costs from the start, including service or maintenance fees, can help tenants budget properly and reduces misunderstandings. 

Under the Renters' Rights Act, landlords will only be allowed to raise rent once per year up to the market rate – the amount the property would likely achieve if newly listed. If tenants think the increase exceeds this, they may be able to take it to a First-tier Tribunal, which will determine the correct market rent. 

Unclear or dishonest communication 

Poor or misleading communication, cited by 10% of respondents, can strain landlord-tenant relationships. This includes ignoring tenant queries, giving vague updates, or being evasive about important issues. Landlords can tackle this by responding promptly, being honest even when the news isn’t ideal, and putting key agreements or updates in writing. Clear, open communication can build trust and improve the likelihood of long-term tenancy.

Intrusiveness or excessive inspections 

Across our research, online discussions consistently signal that tenants strongly value privacy and the legal right to quiet enjoyment of their home. 

Around 6% of tenants pointed to landlords being overly present – through surprise visits, frequent inspections, or excessive texting. Landlords can avoid this by always providing proper notice before visits, limiting inspections to what’s reasonable, and keeping communication professional and necessary. This respects tenants’ personal space and reinforces a healthy landlord-tenant boundary. 

Withholding deposits unfairly 

Although it had fewer total upvotes at 2%, the analysis suggests unfairly withholding deposits is a notable grievance that drives tenants to move on. Landlords can avoid this by protecting tenants’ deposits in a government-backed scheme, documenting a property’s condition thoroughly with check-in and check-out inventories, being transparent about any deductions, and returning deposits promptly when appropriate. Fair handling of deposits can reassure tenants and may encourage them to recommend the property to others. 

Michael Dear, Landlord Insurance Product Lead at Hiscox says: 

“Strong, respectful relationships between landlords and tenants make a real difference to how long tenancies last. Tenants want to feel secure, listened to, and treated fairly. Simple things like responding quickly, communicating clearly, and being transparent can go a long way in building trust. 

“With the Renters’ Rights Act coming into force, those everyday behaviours matter even more. Landlords who get the basics right are likely to find it easier to build trust and avoid problems as the rules change. 

“Our landlord insurance product is designed to support landlords through this evolving landscape, helping them manage risks so they can concentrate on maintaining safe, well-managed properties that tenants want to call home.” 

Hiscox is a specialist insurance company that offers a diverse range of personal and commercial insurance products. You can read about our landlord insurance cover and our guides on electrical safety and repair obligations to better understand typical responsibilities when managing rental properties.

We ran a OnePulse survey of 728 British renters in September 2025 to understand their experiences with landlords. 

We conducted a qualitative analysis of Reddit conversations to understand key issues, pain points, and positive experiences most actively discussed within landlord–tenant relationships. 

We analysed publicly available discussions from Reddit using Reddit’s official API, ensuring that data access is authorised and compliant with platform terms and policies. Insights derived from Reddit data are used only to inform digital PR activities. No attempt is made to identify, profile, segment, or target individual Reddit users, nor to infer sensitive personal characteristics. 

We scraped the top 1,000 posts and their comments from a targeted list of relevant subreddits. These included dedicated communities for both landlords and tenants, as well as general UK housing and legal support forums. 

For landlord perspectives, we focused on subreddits such as r/UKLandlords, r/Landlord, and r/PropertyUK. For tenant voices, we extracted data from r/tenants, r/LegalAdviceUK, r/HousingUK and r/Renting. 

We also included broader but relevant subreddits like r/UKPersonalFinance, r/AskUK and r/CasualUK, where landlord-tenant interactions are frequently discussed within the context of renting. Posts were retrieved based on both subreddit and keyword relevance, identifying terms like ‘renting’, ‘landlord’, ‘deposit’ and ‘housing’. 

For each post, we captured the number of upvotes, timestamps, subreddit, and author, as well as the full text of submissions and comments. The text corpus was processed through a large language model (OpenAI API) in segmented chunks. The model filtered irrelevant content, surfaced nuanced context and automatically clustered related discussions into preliminary thematic groups. These AI-generated clusters were then manually reviewed and refined to ensure interpretive accuracy and conceptual coherence. 

We categorised content into themes such as positive and negative landlord traits, positive and negative tenant qualities and tenant disputes. Each insight was ranked by its number of mentions and total upvotes to reflect both frequency and emotional resonance with users. Percentages shown in the tables reflect the % of all upvotes each trait or issue received. This highlights the relative importance placed on different qualities or concerns by Reddit users rather than the total number of mentions.