Landlords have revealed their perfect tenant in a new study of 500 investors by Intus Lettings. According to the poll, the most desirable tenants are couples with no children, which 29% of landlords put at the top of their lists. The least popular tenants are students, with just 1% of landlords choosing them as their favourite.

The second most perfect tenant is a single, young professional, which is favoured by 25% of landlords, followed by families, which 20% of landlords prefer.

The results of the survey arrive as the latest data from the English Housing Survey shows that 4.5m households now rent from private landlords – a total of 20% of all the homes in England and a 2.5m increase on 2000.

Hope McKendrick, lettings manager at Intus Lettings, comments on the findings: “It’s likely that landlords opted for couples with no dependents due to the stability that it provides. They understand that finding the right tenant can save them time, money and stress in the long-term, and, with the number of people renting continuing to grow, they want to be reassured that those living in their properties are reliable.”