Renters with pets or children are paying as much as £460 more during their tenancy compared to other renters as landlords increase prices to cover additional cleaning fees, deposits, or bonds.

New research from Confused.com reveals that 33% of renters have pets, while 29% have children. Of these, 13% have had to pay their landlord an additional bond or deposit, and 10% paid an extra cleaning fee. Parents pay £286 on average to their landlord for deposits or bonds, while those with pets paid £236, and when it came to cleaning fees, parents have paid £174 on average, compared to £151 by those with pets.

Plumbing issues

The comparison site quizzed 2,000 UK renters about their current living situation and found that most (82%) have experienced problems in their rental property, most commonly damp and mould, boiler or plumbing issues.

For those who paid for repairs themselves, it seems landlords aren’t always inclined to refund tenants as 66% report that their landlord didn’t reimburse them. But for those who received either a full or partial refund, landlords paid back around £77 towards bills ranging from £66 to clear mould and £144 to repair a broken appliance. Renters also claimed that they paid out for improving insufficient storage space and replacing broken or dirty furniture left by previous tenants.

Insurance protection

Confused.com found that renters typically have personal possessions at their rental properties worth around £8,923 but less than 38% have any insurance protection.

Its home and lifestyle expert, Matthew Harwood, says: “With the introduction of the Renters Reform Bill soon in England, both landlords and tenants should have greater clarity on their living arrangements and financial commitments. And although this doesn’t exist elsewhere in the UK just yet, it doesn’t mean similar rules won’t apply in future.”