ONE in three landlords in the region are considering selling their rental properties due to problem tenants, new research reveals.

And unpaid rent and damage to buildings and fittings are the main factors.

A survey by online letting agent MakeUrMove found that 48 per cent of landlords in the region had issues with tenants not paying rent on time.

Twenty per cent of respondents had also faced large bills when properties were left in a state of disrepair.

In one case, the repair bill amounted to £16,000.

Alexandra Morris, for MakeUrMove, said: "More than half of landlords in Yorkshire are classed as 'accidental' or 'casual', meaning they only have one property and rent it out to supplement their main working income.

"As these landlords make-up the backbone of the British property market, it's important they feel happy to carry on letting.

"Stress and financial pressures caused by 'challenging' tenants is a sure fire way to put them off and steer them away from further investment.

"This could also be a real worry for smaller landlords when it comes to cash flow.

"Generally, as long as the rent is coming in every month to cover mortgages and other associated costs, smaller 'casual' landlords don't often plan for bigger costs caused by damage from tenants or lack of funds due to unpaid rent. As a result, when a big outlay comes around, some landlords find themselves in trouble – and there's very little protection offered from the Government against these things."

Other issues faced by landlords across the county included tenants breaking items and refusing to pay (22 per cent), tenants refusing to leave at the end of their tenancy (16 per cent) and extra people living in the property who are not on the tenancy agreement (14 per cent).