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The main objective of investment in real estate is to derive adequate returns from its management; selection of suitable tenants is one of the challenges to attaining this in Nigeria. Many prospective tenants of residential properties usually appear good at the recruitment stage but often become belligerent with grave challenge to the property managers. The paper aims to examine the criteria set by property managers in selecting residential tenants in Nigeria with a view to establishing a proper process for identification of potentially bad tenants at the recruitment stage.

The paper opted for an exploratory study with questionnaires administered to estate surveyors (professional property managers in Nigeria). Respondents were randomly selected based on Bartlett et al.'s model with margin of error set at 0.05, p=0.5, and t‐value=1.96. Relative importance index analysis of the data was carried out to determine the ranking of the criteria.

The paper provides insight into tenant selection through proper process using a weighted scorecard. It suggests that an application of a scorecard will reduce the incidence of bad tenancy and enable investors to derive value from investment in real estate.

The framework of tenant selection process adopted was based on criteria set by the respondents; researchers are therefore encouraged to test the applicability of the suggested weighted scorecard.

There are implications for development of computer software using the weighted scorecard to further ease the process of tenant selection and make it an inter‐disciplinary study.

This paper identified the need for proper tenant selection to enable investors in residential property to harness adequate and remunerative return.

In February 1984 Mr Ian Gow, the then Minister of Housing and Construction, established a Committee of Inquiry on the management of privately owned blocks of flats, under the chairmanship of the distinguished barrister Edward Nugee QC. The committee's report was published in the summer of 1985 and many of its recommendations are now set to become law. The proposed legislative changes will have major implications for both landlords and tenants of blocks of flats. The Nugee Report was the culmination of a series of papers in the past few years reflecting an increasing concern over the state of many blocks of flats. Recent publications on the subject include the James Report, produced by a working party established by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, and a paper emanating from the Building Societies Association entitled ‘Leasehold — Time for Change’ which urged the adoption of a system of strata title for properties in multiple occupation. No one should underestimate the difficulties which the Committee of Inquiry faced. ‘Bad flat management’ covers a multitude of different situations which can be viewed from numerous different perspectives. Disputes are not just confined to those between landlord and tenant. There are conflicts between the tenants themselves, particularly in older blocks built to be rented but broken up by the grant of long leases. Add to this the further complication that many blocks are now run by managing agents who may themselves be involved in battles with either the landlord or his tenants, and it will rapidly become clear that there were no simple solutions to be found. Each recommendation had to take account of all the potential problems and not simply tackle one at the expense of exacerbating another.

The purpose of this paper is to describe and evaluate three different models of how to organise services to tenants in municipal housing companies.

The empirical data used in this study are gathered from a detailed two‐year case study.

Three different functions are identified: customer service (e.g. reporting of faults); the letting process; and caretaking (day‐to‐day activities and control over in‐ and outdoor areas). The three models for local administration differ as to which functions are decentralised to a local group and which are centralised, and are evaluated from several different perspectives. The models where more decisions are decentralised leads to better information about the local conditions, makes it easier to coordinate work in an area, creates more motivation for the staff and makes it easier to involve the tenants. The main problem with the decentralised models is moral hazard problems, e.g. that the local team create their own agenda, are pressured by certain tenants to give them advantages and that the result is lack of control and an inconsistent policy in the company.

The primary issue of the study is how housing companies can organise their resources in order to create an efficient local administration in large housing estates. Further research is needed to decide if the economic profitability differs between different organizational models in relation to tenants' perceived service quality.

The research identifies and analyses different organisation models for local administration in large housing estates more thoroughly than earlier research.

This paper analyses the choice of the optimal lease term of office property in relation to expected lag vacancy, periods of rent‐free and expected rental income growth. The optimal lease term is the one that minimizes the expected costs of contract negotiation from the perspective of landlords. Specifically, it presents an analysis of how to estimate effective rents based on the lease term, expected lag vacancy and rent‐free periods. This study shows that the optimal lease term tends to increase under the following conditions: when the expected rate of rental growth decreases, the discount rate increases, or the expected lag vacancy increases. A longer contract duration is less costly when future rentals are discounted at a higher rate. Altering the lease length will change the risks taken by the landlord. Thus, contract length can be used as a device for insuring vacancy risk. Moreover, we find that the optimal lease length is more sensitive to the lag vacancy when the discount rate is at a relatively high level.

This legal update examines recent decisions on the security of tenure given by Landlord and Tenant Act 1954 to business tenants, and asks whether it is time to revisit or remove a piece of legislation that was drafted to deal with the consequences of war damage and short supply of commercial premises during the 1950s. It highlights the narrow, technical rules and distinctions that make little sense to commercial parties. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

The paper considers recent court rulings in the light of the original purpose of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954, focusing on provisions that were reformed in 1969-reflect changes in market conditions since the immediate post-Second World War period.

Narrow, technical rules and exceptions carry considerable risks for commercial landlords and may not be appropriate or necessary in current market conditions.

The paper examines only a recent selection of court rulings, but highlights the potentially harsh impact on commercial landlords of legislation designed to protect tenant interests in market conditions radically different from those prevailing some 60 years after its enactment.

With no immediate prospect of reform, the paper highlights the need for landlords to adhere closely to the precise technical requirements of the Act.

The paper is based on the author’s reading and analysis of recent Court of Appeal rulings.

The purpose of this paper is to examine empirically the effects of selective licensing on an area of social depravation. The paper consciously focuses solely on the views and perspectives of the residents as opposed to that of the landlord or housing professional.

The paper is based on a series of structured qualitative interviews with a statistically significant percentage of residents in the given area.

The selective licence has had some limited but positive effects on the well‐being of the residents. Standards of property management and perceptions of anti‐social behaviour had also improved to a degree. It was clear, however, that many residents could not distinguish the selective licensing process from more generic local authority intervention. Many residents reported an increase in their “self‐esteem” due to the interventions of the local authority, however labelled.

The paper provides original data on the attitudes and perspectives of residents in an area of selective licensing. This is an area of current interest that has yet to receive sustained attention. Whilst centred on legislation in England and Wales its findings and discussion are relevant in other jurisdictions facing similar issues.

The purpose of this paper is to discuss a method for assessing the condition of buildings. The method was developed in Portugal as part of a new Urban Tenancy Regime approved in 2006.

The method was developed in six phases, namely: definition of objectives; analysis of existing instruments; formulation of the proposal; discussions with organisations in the rented sector; pilot; and technical presentations of the final version.

The method is viable and adequate, since a balance was achieved between the accuracy of the results in view of their importance for the contractual relationship between landlord and tenant, and feasibility in terms of human and financial resources available for its implementation.

The method has been in use for two years. Further research is needed to confirm the accuracy of the results.

The results are used to determine the maximum annual rent value and to summon landlords to carry out repairs if the state of the building falls short of the required standard of maintenance. In a broader perspective the method is also used to assess of rented stock condition of large property owners and, in an adapted form, to assess buildings viability and determine repair needs.

This paper is relevant because it describes the assessment method; the previous methods for assessing the condition of Portuguese buildings were too simplistic and lacked the accuracy, transparency and independence required.

This paper aims to investigate the views of landlords and agents on the voluntary scheme, along with their opinions of the Welsh Government’s proposals to make accreditation compulsory for landlords and agents renting or letting in Wales. This paper is based on a conference paper given in India at the RICS COBRA 2013 Conference. Landlord Accreditation Wales (LAW) is a voluntary accreditation scheme for landlords and agents operating within the private rented sector (PRS) in Wales. When it launched in 1999, it was a pioneering accreditation scheme offering voluntary rather than legal regulation of the Welsh PRS.

A questionnaire, designed and developed in partnership with LAW, was sent out nationwide. All the landlords and agents on file were sent the questionnaire by LAW. This was followed up by reminder e-mails, along with the promotion of this national project at locally run landlord and agent events. The research provides a snapshot and coverage of the views of landlords and agents connected to LAW only.

The PRS in Wales, as with the rest of Britain, still suffers from negative imagery because of the behavior of a minority of agents and landlords that operate poor housing management practices and standards. While on the whole popular amongst landlords and agents, voluntary regulation is unlikely to tackle these issues effectually. Accordingly, the Welsh Government intends to make registration and accreditation within the PRS compulsory. The results of this empirical study show that the LAW scheme has positive effects on the standards and practices of a number of landlords and agents. The proposal to have mandatory registration and accreditation in Wales has not been met with overwhelming support from landlords and agents. Instead, there are significant pockets of uncertainty about, and resistance to, the introduction of legal regulation within the PRS.

The research contributes to the existing literature surrounding the regulation of the PRS by providing a distinctive insight into the views of landlords and agents on voluntary accreditation within the PRS in Wales as well as examining their opinions on the proposal to impose mandatory accreditation throughout the Sector.

Argues that the requirement for references from prospective tenants by property managers is a legal obligation. Considers the nature of the property manager′s duty to obtain references, as well as the nature and extent of this duty, using case law examples. Concludes that the property manager has an interpretative, rather than express function concerning tenant suitability, making the term “professional” appropriate to his function in such situations.