Mar

Councils expand schemes with private landlords to tackle homelessness

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Councils expand schemes with private landlords to tackle homelessness

Two councils are offering landlords financial backing and guaranteed rent support as part of wider efforts to reduce homelessness and limit reliance on temporary accommodation.

Mansfield District Council has confirmed it will extend its private rental access scheme, which helps people move out of temporary housing by covering the upfront costs required by landlords.

The scheme pays deposits and the first month’s rent and works alongside a rent guarantor to provide insurance-backed cover for arrears and legal costs where tenancies run into difficulty.

In its first year, 80 people were supported into private accommodation, including 49 children.

Not enough housing

Mansfield’s portfolio holder for housing, Cllr Anne Callaghan, said: “Sadly, there is just not enough council housing available to help everyone in need and increasingly the council has had to use bed and breakfast accommodation to help people on the waiting list.

“This is not only costly, it is also far from satisfactory for people waiting to be housed, sometimes for months, especially if they have children.”

She added: “However, many people waiting for somewhere to live also lack the funds to pay the deposits for private rented accommodation, along with the first month’s rent in advance, or they have no one who can act as their rent guarantor.

“This is where this scheme can be a game changer.

“By paying deposits and a rent guarantor insurance, we can get homeless people out of temporary accommodation and into suitable housing much more quickly.”

More money approved

Payments to landlords have reached £134,081 in rent in advance and deposits, alongside £12,668.48 spent on guarantor cover.

The council has now approved a £150,000 extension through to 31 March 2027, funded via the Homelessness and Prevention Grant.

All properties are checked before use to confirm they are safe and suitable.

Tenants are contacted three times in the first six months; a process the council says is designed to keep tenancies on track.

Knowsley extends tenant help scheme

Meanwhile, Knowsley Council is expanding a scheme to help tenants when their landlord sells.

Its Private Rental Rescue Scheme enables registered social landlords to buy landlord properties where a sale would otherwise trigger a ‘no-fault’ eviction for the tenant.

The council provides funding to bridge the gap between the social value and market price and can also fund works needed to bring homes up to standard before purchase.

Since its introduction in 2023, the scheme has been used to prevent tenants from losing their homes in these circumstances and has reduced the use of temporary accommodation.

Now £500,000 has been approved to continue the programme.

Knowsley’s cabinet member for regeneration, Cllr Tony Brennan, said: “We’ve seen the enormous benefits of our Private Rental Rescue Scheme which is keeping families together and preventing them from the stress and uncertainty of no-fault evictions.

“It is allowing us to use Section 106 contributions from developers to increase the supply of affordable, secure and good quality housing in the borough and helping us save significant sums which we may otherwise have needed to pay for temporary accommodation.”

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