The rise of proptech-led apps coupled to the introduction of regulation to prevent the worst kind of predatory evictions has emboldened tenants and is one reason why more are asking for rent reductions, says David Cox, ARLA’s Managing Director.

Last week ARLA revealed that the percentage of tenants asking for rent reductions has increased from 2.1% to 3%, the highest proportion since ARLA began keeping records.

Cox says the relationship between landlord and tenant is now more balanced. This, he says, is because the plethora of private rented sector data now available online via both the portals as well as new apps such as recently-launched Movebubble mean many tenants are now more aware of local rental prices and whether their rent is fair or not.

“Tenants are looking around and if they see that similar properties nearby are available to rent for much less, they now feel secure enough in their tenancies to start the rental re-negotiation process with their landlord,” says Cox.

He says that many tenants who had complained to their landlord in the past about the condition of their property and subsequently asked for a reduction in rent would have been open to a retaliatory eviction, but that now this has been stamped out.

In October 2015 provisions within the Deregulation Act were brought in to prevent retaliatory evictions of tenants using the ‘no fault’ process when a tenant makes a genuine complaint about a property which is then verified by their local authority and an improvement order issued.