Landlords face problems with unauthorised subletting

New research suggests that one out of three of UK tenants sublet without consent

Around a third of private rented sector tenants in the UK say they are currently subletting without the landlord’s consent and four out of 10 tenants plan to do so in the near future, new research has found.

We are talking about individuals looking to deceive their landlord and maximise their personal gains at the expense of proper property management standards and the risk of others. It not only increases the cost of renting for the unwitting sub-tenants, it affects their rights and can reduce security of tenure.

The findings come as the government recently announced proposals to introduce minimum room sizes in order to crack down on problems with private rented accommodation such as unauthorised subletting, which often results overcrowded properties.

Over half of tenants, 52%, say that they planning to sublet their property in the near future, with the landlord’s consent and 78% think they should be able to sublet the property without the landlord’s approval.

In 2015 the government said it planned to make it easier for tenant to sublet a room by legislating against the use of clauses in private fixed-term tenancy agreements that expressly rule out subletting or otherwise sharing space on a short-term basis.

However it has not yet set a date for consultation on the plans, and residential Landlords Association believes the idea has been pushed into “the political long grass”.

Subletting can also breach a landlord’s mortgage terms, the conditions attached to licenses granted for letting out shared homes and invalidate existing insurance products-so they must be aware of the problems it presents.

Landlords who are worried that subletting may be occurring in their properties without their permission should seek advice from a professional organisation which can provide help and support.