A new property management company claims to raise standards across the private rented sector and deliveri an improved experience for renters. 

 A statement from the firm, Four Corners, says: “Four Corners believes the sector needs to change and is therefore taking a different approach, placing quality homes, professional property management and long-term resident relationships at the heart of its model, while giving residents greater freedom to make their rental property feel like home. 

“The approach moves away from a culture where tenants can feel they need permission for the everyday aspects of living, instead giving residents the confidence and flexibility to live comfortably and make their homes their own.”

The firm says residents are actively encouraged to personalise their homes, including painting walls, hanging artwork and using removable fixings, following research which reveals that 92% of renters want to be able to personalise their space through DIY measures. 

Outside the property, residents are encouraged to garden, plant and make use of their outdoor space, with the company encouraging them to “put down their roots.” 

The company is also taking a more flexible approach to pets. Rather than imposing an arbitrary limit on the number of pets permitted, Four Corners welcomes pets as part of the family, subject to appropriate considerations around the property and the welfare of the animals. 

The philosophy reflects Four Corners’ wider belief that renting should provide residents with the opportunity to live normally and comfortably, rather than requiring them to compromise how they use their home, simply because they do not own it.

Chief operating officer Peter Kennedy says: “For too long the renting industry has been far too focused on the needs of landlords, rather than the people living in the homes. Four Corners is here to change that. 

“Most rentals ask you to live carefully, our ask is that you live comfortably. We’re putting people at the centre of renting as we believe that renting should feel like living in your home, not living in fear under somebody else’s rules. 

“The Renters Rights Act has been in force for over four months, however it only supports basic renters’ rights, we want to do more. Four Corners homes are well managed, properly looked after and built around the people who actually live in them, giving our residents peace of mind and the power to make their home feel like their own.”