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Opinion: Longer tenancies spell good news for landlords
Anyone who thinks that the residential lettings market is characterised by a highly transient population of tenants moving on every few months may be surprised to learn that the average tenancy length has grown to more than 1,000 days – a 37pc increase on just four years ago.
That figure comes from a report by the Deposit Protection Service, an organisation which is well-placed to calculate how long people are staying in their rented homes. The figures show that in 2025, renters are spending an average of 1,085 days in a property – nearly three years.
This is an average figure, of course, so many tenancies are lasting much longer than that – and for landlords, that is generally good news.
A long-term tenant brings many advantages. Apart from the lack of void periods between tenancies when no rent is coming in, someone who stays several years is much more likely to look after your property, regarding it as their long-term home rather than a stopgap which they don't care about – and they are less likely to default on the rent.
Catherine Hunt, an associate in the lettings department at Arnolds Keys (Image: Arnolds Keys) It's interesting that one of the factors which has led to this increase in average tenancy length is a realisation of – or maybe becoming resigned to – the fact that, for many, buying their own home is not something which is going to happen any time soon.
This is good news for landlords, but they too have a role to play in ensuring that long-term tenancies run smoothly, so that they can reap the undoubted benefits of not having to find new tenants every few months.
Those staying for years are more likely to want to personalise the property to make it their own, perhaps wanting to redecorate or make alterations to the garden.
Clearly this is something which will require the consent of the landlord, so good communication is vital.
But landlords would do well to be open to such requests, not least because often such alterations – at the tenant's own expense – will actually improve the property. It's vital, however, that any such requests, and subsequent agreements, are recorded, to avoid problems at the end of the tenancy.
Finally, many landlords use the void periods between tenancies to undertake maintenance work. During a longer tenancy, these works need to be done during the tenancy.
Doing so has the dual advantage of keeping the tenant happy (making them more likely to stay), as well as ensuring that minor problems are nipped in the bud and don't become more expensive headaches later on.
Catherine Hunt is an associate in the lettings department at Arnolds Keys. Visit
