The share of landlords asking tenants to pay two or more months' rent before moving in has increased 43% since the pandemic started. While in the vast majority of tenancies, renters must pay one month's rent upfront, so far this year, roughly one in 40 landlords (2.33%) have demanded tenants pay at least two in cash - a jump of nearly a quarter in only five weeks since the end of 2021, according to data from Goodlord, a referencing service. In London, the proportion of landlords demanding two months' rent upfront has risen 143% since 2019, the largest in the country. Landlords have been affected by a loss of rental income during the pandemic and long delays evicting tenants due to a backlog in the courts. They have become wary of taking on tenants who are not financially secure.
The Daily Telegraph
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