Council housing crisis looms as authorities call for action
2 years ago | 7 comments
ANOTHER council seeks landlords to help house families
12:02 AM, 17th July 2024, 2 years ago
16
Epsom and Ewell Borough Council is calling on landlords to join its Private Sector Leasing Scheme, offering a secure and hassle-free way to rent properties while assisting local families in need.
The council’s scheme allows them to directly lease and manage properties for three to five years, guaranteeing rent payments to landlords with six months paid upfront.
It adds that landlords benefit from eliminated costs like inventories, inspections, letting agent fees and tenancy deposit registrations.
The council also promises a single point of contact for landlords, and it will also handle the Right to Rent checks and is offering to carry out repairs worth up to £500 every year.
It wants landlords with three-, four- and five-bedroom houses to get in touch.
There’s also a promise that the council will ‘ensure the property is returned to landlords in the same condition as when the agreement started’.
Housing crisis that is affecting cities and towns
The council’s chair of the community and wellbeing committee, Councillor Clive Woodbridge, said: “We are all aware of the housing crisis that is affecting cities and towns across the country, and Epsom and Ewell is no different.
“It is a priority for the council that we can provide good quality temporary housing for families in the local area.”
He added: “If landlords sign up to our Private Sector Leasing Scheme, it enables us to house local families within the community and minimises the disruption to their home life, work and school at what can be an already stressful time.
“The scheme is also good value for landlords and is relatively low risk when compared with letting the property on the open market.”
Epsom and Ewell Private Sector Leasing Scheme
The council also quotes local landlord Lee Wiffen who said: “I cannot praise the Epsom and Ewell Private Sector Leasing Scheme enough.
“In my six years letting my property through the scheme, the professionalism of the team in the housing department is first class.”
He adds: “The security of having great tenants and regular on-time rent payments, means I would not look any further, as a landlord, when looking to rent a property than the Epsom and Ewell Private Sector Leasing Scheme.”
Tags:
council, Epsom, Ewell, families, Guaranteed rent for landlords, Housing, Landlords, leasing, Local families in need, Low risk property letting, Private Sector Leasing Scheme, Property, rental, secure rent payments
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Member Since December 2023 - Comments: 1575
8:48 AM, 17th July 2024, About 2 years ago
If they provide a cast iron guarantee that the property would be returned to the landlord at the end of the agreed period, and in a condition that is similar to when it was first let, I’d be tempted. Other than that, no thanks.
Beware the smiling assassin. Councils are NOT our friends. I wouldn’t do business with anyone who I wouldn’t call my friend.
Member Since September 2018 - Comments: 3508 - Articles: 5
9:02 AM, 17th July 2024, About 2 years ago
Avoid, avoid avoid.
They want you to take on their homelessness duty.
One min the LL is the devil incarnate and now they want to court you only to shaft you….
Member Since February 2021 - Comments: 106
9:30 AM, 17th July 2024, About 2 years ago
Yup
Been on the end of sh*t council supplied tenants – never again
They just give tenants that nobody else wants
Avoid like the plague
Member Since September 2015 - Comments: 9
9:30 AM, 17th July 2024, About 2 years ago
One other point to bear in mind is that if the area becomes subject to selective licensing, you will still have to have it licensed (and pay for it) even though it has been leased to the council. As such, in theory, you could still be liable for any anti social behaviour of the tenants the council places in your property.
Member Since May 2014 - Comments: 51
9:31 AM, 17th July 2024, About 2 years ago
£500 per year repairs. You must be joking. That won’t cover the doors hanging off. Toilet broken. Kitchen doors off etc. etc etc
NO Thanks you manage your folio and we will manage ours.
Member Since September 2018 - Comments: 3508 - Articles: 5
10:01 AM, 17th July 2024, About 2 years ago
Reply to the comment left by Stuart Trow at 17/07/2024 – 09:30not correct. If you lease your property to the council directly then THEY have a licence with whatever tenant they put in – they are a social provider and so the property exempt from SL.
Another way of them ‘encouraging’ you to hand over your property – you save the SL fee.
And of course the council as the social provider, are under no obligation to adhere to any of the conditions that would be in SL because it is not applicable.
So tenant has less rights under this arrangement, and there are no formal obligations for the council to adhere to either, unlike any other LL in the same SL area.
A case of do as we say, but not as we do….
https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2006/370/made
Member Since December 2023 - Comments: 26
10:54 AM, 17th July 2024, About 2 years ago
let 3 properties to barking & dagenham council took me 2 years and court fees to get one of them back through the courts – they cld not find the family accommodation until it went to court – the other 2 tenants were nuisances block drains etc. made the place awful. third one running food business from the property – agents told me the council only place people who have a previous history of problems to the council to the private landlords (obviously not all but many) – they get evicted – rehoused – evicted and go on the merry go round – it is a way of life
for them
letting to the council they are abusing landlords all the time = they have a legal department we do not.,
councils should have appreciated their landlords and then they would not be in this position., it is coming to roost
i am using the private sector and take benefit with them working as well – so far good,.
i am a good landlord and will not be abused and used by councils. the agents always on the side of the tenant who will swear back is white and the council no better. if there are issues it can all be discussed but with the council and agents
Member Since December 2023 - Comments: 26
10:55 AM, 17th July 2024, About 2 years ago
let 3 properties to barking & dagenham council took me 2 years and court fees to get one of them back through the courts – they cld not find the family accommodation until it went to court – the other 2 tenants were nuisances block drains etc. made the place awful. third one running food business from the property – agents told me the council only place people who have a previous history of problems to the council to the private landlords (obviously not all but many) – they get evicted – rehoused – evicted and go on the merry go round – it is a way of life
for them
letting to the council they are abusing landlords all the time = they have a legal department we do not.,
councils should have appreciated their landlords and then they would not be in this position., it is coming to roost
i am using the private sector and take benefit with them working as well – so far good,.
i am a good landlord and will not be abused and used by councils. the agents always on the side of the tenant who will swear back is white and the council no better. if there are issues it can all be discussed but with the council and agents there is no discussing – the tenant is always right
p harvey
Member Since September 2018 - Comments: 3508 - Articles: 5
11:07 AM, 17th July 2024, About 2 years ago
Reply to the comment left by PETER harvey at 17/07/2024 – 10:54
I agree, a bit more confidence if the tenants are working, just using benefits to top up their income.
I now completely avoid benefit recipients that are not working at all and do not directly contribute to the rent themselves in some way. They are inevitably the ones on this ever downward spiral.
Actually not really a case of avoiding (or discriminating as Shelter et al would suggest..) as they never meet affordability criteria in the first instance. Does anyone rent at purely the LHA level these days?
Member Since January 2015 - Comments: 1435 - Articles: 1
11:17 AM, 17th July 2024, About 2 years ago
All Local Authorities have Private Leasing Schemes, some with better financial incentives than others and some with better regular property inspections than others.
If no landlord joined such schemes then LAs and Governments would soon realise that they need to stop the Landlord bashing and harassment and work with and fairly with us.