The findings have been published by Property Let By Us which found 63% of tenants have tried to avoid paying their rent and made excuses to their landlord about doing so.
In joint second place on 45%, were admissions that tenants had damaged walls in the property by knocking nails into them and having pets without permission.
Tenants avoid paying the rent
The managing director of Property Let By Us, Jane Morris, said: “It is worrying that from our research large numbers of tenants make excuses to avoid paying their rent.”
She said this was of particular concern since the latest industry figures reveal that tenant arrears are growing again and rose by 7.2% last year.
The best way for landlords to protect against bad tenants and rent arrears, said Ms Morris, was to undertake thorough tenant reference checking.
She added: “Tenant background checks are important because choosing the right tenant will save a long and costly eviction process.”
Tenant background checks are vital
When undertaking a background check, landlords should also ask for references from a previous landlord and inspect bank statements and also carry out a credit check.
Landlords should also inspect their property regularly during a tenancy and take note of and act upon any damage that may have been caused.
The firm's survey also revealed that 25% of tenants rarely or never cleaned the oven, 18% never bothered to mow their lawn and 11% confessed to dumping rubbish in the garden.
Worryingly for landlords, 6% admitted to subletting a room in the rental property while 4% said they had burnt holes in carpets and then covered the damage with a mat.
Buy to let sector is 'surging ahead'
Meanwhile, the buy to let sector in the UK is surging ahead of other housing sectors, according to Connells Survey and Valuation.
The firm's corporate services director, John Bagshaw, believes that buy to let landlords are now being 'spoilt for choice' when finding the finance to invest in rental properties.
He says there is a record number of BTL mortgage products on the market and many landlords are investing more as a result.
The sector is also increasingly attractive to potential landlords and established landlords wanting to expand their portfolio of rental properties are becoming more active in buying properties.
In comparison, activity from first-time buyers has dropped significantly over the past year, mainly down to the withdrawal of government financial help, and homeowners looking to move on is also subdued.
