The social vibe of the tenant/landlord relationship in a ‘tenant market’: the case of Romania

Invited presentation at the University of Glasgow, Urban Studies' Monday Research Workshop on 4 March 2024. The presentation examines the subjective perceptions and mitigation practices of the relational risks of renting. Drawing on relational and cultural theories of risk and methodologically on 114 qualitative questionnaires with tenants and landlords, I argue that the Romanian private renting sector works as a 'tenant market' not least because financial checks on tenants are socially unacceptable, even ‘socially legitimate’ evictions are rare, in-tenancy rent increases are uncommon and tenants tend to feel at home in their rented properties.